Wootton Bassett returns to Coolmore Australia in 2025, Private Life opens at $19,250

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud

Sunday evening saw Coolmore Stud unveil its much-anticipated 2025 fees and stallion roster. Bursting with a blend of established stallions and three exciting newcomers, the overwhelming theme is value.

“The 2025 Coolmore Australia stallion roster is one of immense quality, that we are extremely proud to offer to breeders throughout Australia and New Zealand. We thought long and hard when setting our fees this year, with a strong focus on offering value to breeders. We understand that people are doing it tough, but we want to work with them and see them prosper,” said Tom Magnier.

“While many sales throughout the country have seen slight downturns this year, we have just witnessed one of the strongest Inglis Easter Sales in living memory, meaning that demand for quality stock is stronger than ever. The fact that almost a quarter of the yearlings catalogued at Easter were by Coolmore Australia stallions is hugely significant.”

The acknowledgement that the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale defied the trends across the sale season to achieve new highs is important to breeders, who must look at the broader value issues and do some crystal ball choices for how the economy is going to look in three years time when the foals conceived in the spring of 2025 will head to the yearling sales.

“We’ve set these fees to give our clients targeting a broader spectrum of sales the ability to have access to stallions who can excel at any sale throughout Australia and New Zealand, particularly horses like Pierro and So You Think who are genuinely elite stallions that are capable of producing Group 1 horses more regularly than most.”

Private Life opens at $19,250

Coolmore Stud have already formally announced G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland and European Horse Of The Year City Of Troy (USA). This fee announcement includes the addition of G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Private Life, a son of Written Tycoon, who retires in 2025.

Switzerland’s announcement at $60,500 has already been popular.

A $1.5 million yearling who won the G2 Todman Stakes at two, and the sire-making G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at three, Switzerland is by Champion Sire Snitzel from Group 3-winning Blame (USA) mare Ms Bad Behavior (Can).

City Of Troy (USA), a son of Coolmore’s proven Group 1 sire Justify (USA), was announced in March to stand at $49,500.

Unbeaten in three starts at two, including the G1 Dewhurst Stakes, and rated the Champion 2YO Colt in Europe, City Of Troy trained on at three to add the G1 Epsom Derby, G1 Eclipse Stakes, and G1 York International, and was crowned Champion 3YO Colt in Europe and Horse Of The Year.

Coolmore are offering a few breeding rights in their exciting G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Private Life, a son of Written Tycoon, who Coolmore purchased as a yearling from Arrowfield Stud for $650,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He will stand his first season in 2025 at a fee of $19,250.

“Private Life is not only an immensely talented colt, but one of the best-looking stallions we have had in the barn at Jerry’s Plains in my time. He is an absolute standout, and breeders are going to love him when they see him. If he leaves stock that look like himself, breeders can expect a quick return on,” said Coolmore Australia’s Racing Manager, John Kennedy.

“The Waller stable always knew that he had serious Group 1 ability and that was clear when he defeated Feroce and Broadsiding in the Caulfield Guineas, but he also got within 1.2l of Sunshine In Paris in the Champions Sprint where he should have finished much closer and beat home horses like Giga Kick and Overpass.”

A winner at two, Private Life’s victory in the G1 Caulfield Guineas puts his name on the same honour board as Anamoe, Ole Kirk, Super Seth, The Autumn Sun, All Too Hard, and Starspangledbanner. Champion Sires Lonhro and Redoute’s Choice also won the G1 Caulfield Guineas.

Private Life's dam, Aliyana Tilde (Snitzel), was a wonderful racemare, winning the G3 Epona Stakes and placing four times at Group 1 level, and her daughter Double Deel (Dundeel {NZ}) is the dam of Listed winner Noah ‘N’ A Deel (Maurice {Jpn}). Aliyana Tilde is a full sister to precocious G3 Widden Stakes winner Teaspoon, and a half-sister to stakes winning full sisters Smytzer’s Trish and Stella Artois, both by Geiger Counter (USA).

Wootton Bassett returns to lead the proven brigade

With three seven figure yearlings this year, Wootton Bassett (GB)’s first Australian crop are juveniles and are led by Group 1-placed Wodeton and State Visit. “Wootton Bassett is the hottest stallion in the world at the moment and he is already making an undeniable mark on the breed in Australia,” said Tom Magnier.

“What is most exciting about him in an Australian context is that he has 100 unraced 2-year-olds from his first crop and every trainer we speak to seems to have a good one. His fee is yet to be confirmed but will be announced in due course. We’re just excited to have him back again, as we see him as a Champion Sire of the future in Australia.” Wootton Bassett has 131 foals in his first Australian crop, and a further 98 yearlings. His third crop who are about to hit the weanling sales in May number 76 foals.

With 14 Group 1 winners globally and 59 stakes winners in total (a rise of 19 since this time last year), Wootton Bassett’s 64 yearlings who sold this year averaged $375,234 across Australia and New Zealand.

Home Affairs remains at the same fee

Coolmore have kept G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Home Affairs’ fee static at $82,500 inc GST, the same as last year, and he was hugely popular at that fee in 2024 covering 225 mares. His first yearlings, all 141 of them, were largely seen at the sales with 135 catalogued and 102 sold at an impressive average of $309,000.

Not just that, he’s the first First Season Sire in history to sire the sale topping yearling at both the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and at Inglis Easter Yearling Sale with sales of $3.2 million and $3 million respectively.

“Home Affairs has been extremely popular ever since he retired and the momentum continues to build for him. Now that his yearlings have been presented to the market, he has never been more popular. Keeping his fee the same as last year when he was the busiest stallion in Australia means that he continues to represent great value for breeders,” said Colm Santry.

St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) who also has his first yearlings in 2025 also remains at the same fee as 2024 at $38,500. His 55 yearlings sold for an average of $181,000 across the sales season, led by a $700,000 colt at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“St Mark’s Basilica has also had a phenomenal year in the sales ring with his first yearlings. The word on his first 2-year-olds in Europe is extremely positive and that was reflected in some big prices at the breeze-up sale last week. Given how well shuttle stallions are going in Australia at the moment, we expect him to be very popular this season.”

G1 Golden Slipper winner Shinzo will remain at the same fee in 2025, at $55,000, with his first foals due this spring. He covered 218 mares in 2024.

Pride Of Dubai, Pierro and So You Think provide value for breeders

Pride Of Dubai gets a small lift in fee in 2025, going up to $27,500 from $22,000, while both Pierro and So You Think (NZ) have been dropped from last year’s fee. Pride Of Dubai currently leads the Australian Sires Championship with progeny earnings of $21.2 million, over Zoustar’s season earnings of $20.6 million.

“In the case of Pride Of Dubai, I can’t remember the last time a stallion in the conversation for Champion Sire at such a late stage of the season was standing for such a fee. He has developed into an incredibly consistent stallion, capable of producing genuine stars,” said Coolmore’s Paddy Oman.

Pride Of Dubai’s season includes Group 1 winners Bella Nipotina, Deny Knowledge (Ire), while last year’s Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni has also provided plenty of prizemoney with two wins and two Group 1-placings. After a dip in coverings in 2021 and 2022, Pride Of Dubai covered over a hundred mares in 2023 and 162 in 2024.

“Pierro and So You Think both produced million-dollar yearlings at Inglis Easter and have established themselves amongst the elite Australian stallions over a long period of time. Each of them have covered quality books of mares in recent years, so they offer significant upside at these fees.”

Pierro, who covered 87 mares last year, and has 38 stakes winners led by six Group 1 winners, will stand at $33,000, down from $55,000 last year. His 24 yearlings sold for an average of $146,000 in 2025, led by a $1.1 million colt at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

Gallery: Sires with 2025 service fees reduced from their 2024 fees, standing at Coolmore Australia

So You Think (NZ) sits 12th on the Australian Sires Premiership table, and his fee in 2025 drops to $44,000, down from $77,000 last year where he covered 105 mares. So You Think had 69 yearlings sell in 2025 for an average of $168,000, with a top price of $1.15 million for a filly at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

Young guns at good value

The roster for 2025 at Coolmore is rounded out by dual Group 1 winner King’s Legacy, whose oldest crop are 2-year-olds, led by G2 Matamata Breeders Stakes placed Born To Be Royal and Listed placed Steel Trap. He covered 113 mares at $22,000 in 2024 and drops slightly to $16,500 in 2025. Across the yearling sales, his 41 yearlings sold at an average of $73,000.

Acrobat’s first crop are yearlings and he had 33 yearlings sell across the season for an average of $73,900. He has been popular with breeders, covering 188, 178, and 164 mares in his first three seasons at stud. In 2025, he has a slight fee drop to $11,000 from $13,750.

The first crop of Best Of Bordeaux will soon be seen at the weanling sales, and he has 79 foals on the ground, while he was again popular in his second season covering 78 mares in 2024 at a fee of $19,250. His fee drops to $13,750.

Table: Coolmore stallions’ 2025 stud fees