Giant's Causeway at $300K

Coolmore Stud announced Thursday that it would raise Giant's Causeway's fee in 2006, giving the stallion a $300,000 price at Coolmore's North American division, Ashford Stud. Coolmore also announced it would lower the fee for Fusaichi Pegasus, also standing at Ashford, from $150,000 to $125,000.

Last breeding season, Giant's Causeway initially stood for $150,000, which was later raised to $200,000. This year, his prominent runners included French classic winner and English Group 1 winner Shamardal; First Samurai, winner of the Champagne and Hopeful stakes and third in the recent Breeders' Cup Juvenile; English classic winner Footstepsinthesand; and Group 1 winner Maids Causeway. From two crops to race, he has progeny earnings of more than $7.7 million, and as of Thursday he ranked first among North America's second-crop sires with almost twice the earnings of second-ranked Fusaichi Pegasus, and he was seventh on the general sire list.

At the two-week 2005 Keeneland September sale, considered a significant test of stallions' popularity with buyers because of its large size, Giant's Causeway was the sixth-leading sire by average price, with 40 lots sold for an average of $420,175. Overall, according to Jockey Club statistics, he has had 222 yearlings go through the auction ring. They have averaged $297,222 and had a median price of $185,104.

Fusaichi Pegasus's yearlings have averaged $286,705, with a $200,000 median, according to The Jockey Club.