Fee rise for Kia Ora’s Farnan

Golden Slipper winner Farnan has earned a fee increase following the emergence of a batch of talented first crop two-year-olds, with Kia Ora announcing he will stand for $77,000 (inc GST) in 2025.

The sire of stakes winners King Of Pop, North England and Recuperato, as well as the stakes-placed Farcited and four other winners including Saturday’s impressive Randwick scorer Grand Eagle, Farnan is third by earnings and second by number of winners of the first season sires’ title.

Ole Kirk, who will stand for $99,000 this year, leads the freshman sires’ premiership on both metrics.

Farnan, who is on the Kia Ora roster alongside Captivant and Prague, stood for $55,000 in his first four years at stud.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way that Farnan has launched his stud career. His progeny have always shown the early maturity, physicality, and temperament needed to compete at the highest level,” Kia Ora breeding and bloodstock manager Shane Wright said.

“We expected him to hit the ground running, and he’s delivered exactly that.”

Group 1 winner Captivant, meanwhile, will stand for $19,800, a slight decrease from last year, while Prague will stand for $11,000.

The first crop yearlings by Captivant, a son of Capitalist, have sold up to $340,000 this year.

“We’ve set our fees with careful consideration for the challenges facing smaller breeders and have positioned them to deliver value and maximise returns,” Wright said.

“Each of our stallions offers a unique set of elite qualities, and we believe they represent outstanding value at this stage of their careers, with exciting futures ahead.”