November 7 - While it was an extremely sad day for the American horseracing after world class Kentucky-bred colt, Big Brown, was forced to retire due to injury just days before he was scheduled to run in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic, at least breeders can get a piece of the champ for $65,000.

The current Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner made an appearance yesterday at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, where breeders from all over the country got a chance to get up close and personal with the three-year-old, and decide if he would be suitable for any of their mares.

Despite the fact that horseracing in the United States is feeling the effects of the current economic pinch - which means breeders are less likely to part with their dollars if the prices are too high - most felt that the $65,000 stud fee assigned to Big Brown by Three Chimneys and IEAH Stables' to be fair.

And although Big Brown is in the process of recovering from his cracked right front heel that kept him out of the Breeders' Cup Classic, Big Brown did not seem to show any ill-effects (his heel is reportedly being treated with soft putty and a Z-bar horse shoe to help stabilize and take the weight off his bulb).

While Big Brown's $65,000 stud fee will undoubtedly put the champion's progeny out of reach for many, it will come as some relief to others who expected the fee to top $100,000. This is not surprising given that a stud deal between Three Chimneys Farm and IEAH Stables has valued the colt at $50-million.

Said Walnut Green's Russell Jones, 'I for one feel that they priced Big Brown extremely well. Initially there was a fear that they would assign him a stud fee based on his overall value. However, they seemed to ignore that and instead arrived at a figure that the market - given the current economic climate - can afford.

'Over the last few years, Derby winners that have gone to stud have routinely been sold for between $75,000 and $100,000, so Big Brown's stud fee is very fair,' said Jones. As if echoing this sentiment, Robert Clay of Three Chimneys confirmed that Big Brown's stud fee accommodate the current economy.

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2011/12/09 12:48:42 AM