Yulong bullish on young prospects as Pierata and Alabama Express get fee hikes

Amid discussion of a more considered stallion fee strategy among Australian farms in 2024, Yulong has opted to up the ante of its young stallions, with Pierata to stand for $66,000 (inc GST) and Alabama Express for $55,000 (inc GST) in 2024.

Both have had impressive performances from their first crops. Pierata, who stood his first four seasons at Aquis before arriving in Victoria last year when he stood for $44,000, has already had five winners from his first crop of two-year-olds.  

Among those juveniles has been Group 3 winner Coleman, who was runner-up in the Golden Slipper and third in the Inglis Sires’, and Group 3 winner Tobeornottobe. He has also had three other stakes performers from his 17 runners.

Alabama Express has had seven winners, six stakes performances and stakes winner Karavas among his 12 runners to date. He stood for $22,000 in 2023, serving a massive book of more than 200 mares and is sure to be popular again although well over twice the price in 2024.

The pair are in the fight for first-season honours in what has been an incredibly strong crop of stallions. Tassort leads the way from Royal Meeting but with the Yulong pair close behind.

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The latest service fees for Australian and New Zealand for the 2024 breeding season.

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“Pierata’s first crop have certainly delivered on the excitement they promised as yearlings; his two stakes winners and five stakes horses the best of his freshman sire class. We’re pretty excited about what is in store as they enter their 3-year-old year, because he’s exceeded our expectations at every juncture so far,” Vin Cox, Yulong’s General Manager, said.

Cox said Alabama Express has earned his fee rise given he had achieved a lot with only 10 Australian runners to the track.

“To compete with the top juvenile sires in the country off only 10 runners is a phenomenal achievement,” said Cox. “He’s the only sire in Australia this season to have produced six 2-year-old winners from less than 15 runners.”

Panthalassa, whose global successes included victories in the Dubai Turf and the Saudi Cup, was a bold front-running horse that almost upset the superstar Equinox in the 2022 Tenno Sho.

The son of Lord Kanaloa stood at Arrow Stud in Japan this year for 3 million yen ($A30,000) but will begin his time at Yulong at $16,500.

“Panthalassa is an exciting new addition to the lineup for this season, an exceptional global performer who has distinction of being the highest prizemoney earner to have ever stood at stud in Australia,” Cox said.

He will be the third son of Lord Kanaloa on Yulong’s roster, alongside of Diatonic ($13,750) and Tagaloa ($22,000).

Grunt secured a landmark victory as a stallion when his son Veight won the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes. The son of O’Reilly stays at $22,000.  

“It was great to see Veight secure a win at weight-for-age, which is a sign of a very good horse,” said Cox. “Grunt was his best at three and four, so with his oldest progeny only three years old, we’re looking forward to seeing what is still to come for them.”

Lucky Vega also remains at $16,500, while champion sire Written Tycoon, will be serving a private book this breeding season.

Written Tycoon, whose daughter of Lady Of Camelot won the Golden Slipper, will be 22 by the time the new season starts and is expected to serve a smaller book of mares having dropped to 86 last year.