Proisir and Satono Aladdin have had their service fees cut to their 2023 prices, an acknowledgment of market conditions rather than the stallions’ status and credentials, Rich Hill’s John Thompson says.
In unveiling Rich Hill’s 2025 stallion roster, champion New Zealand sire Proisir, who ended Savabeel’s eight-year reign in 2022-23, will stand for NZ$70,000 (all fees plus GST), while Japanese shuttler Satono Aladdin will stand for NZ$45,000.
The pair stood for NZ$80,000 and NZ$65,000 respectively last year and their new fees will still rank them among the top echelon of New Zealand’s stallions, just below that of Waikato’s Savabeel who stood at NZ$100,000 last season.
Little Avondale’s Per Incanto earlier this month had his fee increased to NZ$60,000 ahead of the 2025 breeding season while Super Seth, a roster mate of Savabeel, has not had his fee set after a breakout season with his first crop three-year-olds in which he has netted two Australian Group 1 Guineas winners, Feroce and Linebacker.
Proisir, the sire of three of the five highest-priced yearlings sold at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka sale including the NZ$1.1 million sister to Group 1 winner Prowess, has been a revelation since retiring to stud in 2015 at a fee of just NZ$7000.
From seven crops of racing age, the injury plagued twice Group 1-placed stallion has sired 23 stakes winners, six of them at Group 1 level.
Similarly, Satono Aladdin has made an impression in Australasia. From three Rich Hill-conceived crops, he has sired 11 stakes winners, New Zealand and Australian Oaks winner Pennyweka and recent Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes winner Firestorm among them.
"I honestly believe, and everyone spoke about it before the Sydney Easter sale about keeping breeders in the game, if you look at the way the yearlings have sold over the past few years, people have made a lot of money out of them (Proisir and Satono Aladdin) in the past because they were standing at $7,000, $9,000 and $12,500 or whatever,” Thompson told The Straight.
“But they're still at fees where people can make a lot of money out of them and they're proven stallions who are both still relatively young.
“They can serve good books and that's where we decided to put them at. I know they'll be very popular at those fees and that's why we've got them there (at those prices).”
Satono Aladdin does not have any three-year-olds racing due to the fact he did not shuttle in 2020 due to the pandemic, his momentum halted just as it was for fellow Japanese shuttler Maurice who stands at Arrowfield.
Rich Hill roster mates Ace High - the sire of Group 1-winning filly Molly Bloom, an entry in the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale - remains unchanged at NZ$15,000 while Rich Hill stalwart Shocking, the 2009 Melbourne Cup winner, will stand for a slightly reduced fee of NZ$10,000.
Thompson, who paid $200,000 for Temolie in 2021 carrying this year’s Australian Derby-winning filly Aeliana, is determined to back the Rich Hill roster of stallions.
“Like a lot of people in the industry, you do have to be very passionate and you do have to be very dedicated and I suppose in some ways you've got to have luck go your way, but hard work does certainly at times make up for a bit of luck,” he said.
“It's a great position to be in when you sit back and reflect that we've got four stallions here that have just had great seasons again.
“That’s probably one of the reasons why I haven't got a new stallion this year because I want to just continue breeding those mares that we do have to what we've got but we will be definitely looking to get a new horse going forward at some stage.”
Vadamos, the sire of Group 1-winning mare La Crique, will not reappear for stud duties this year. He will remain in the Northern Hemisphere at Grange Stud in Ireland.
