Which stallion commanded the highest stud fee in history?

The stallion who commanded the highest stud fee in history was, in fact, Northern Dancer, who at the time of his death, aged 29, on November 16, 1990, was hailed as “the dominant progenitor of his breed”. Bred by his owner, Edward Plunket “E.P.” Taylor at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, the son of Nearctic won the first two legs of the American Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, in 1964. He was beaten, at odds-on, in the Belmont Stakes, finishing a tired third, beaten six lengths, behind Quadrangle, but nonetheless finished his racing career with14 wins from 18 starts and $580,647 in total prize money.

On his retirement from racing, Northern Dancer initially stood at Windfields Farm for $10,000, for a live foal, but soon blossomed into one of the most influential, if not the most influential, American stallions in history. His progeny included Nijinsky, who in 1970 became the last horse to win the British Triple Crown, two more Derby winners, in the form of The Minstrel, in 1977, and Secreto, in 1984, and a host of other champions, including the likes of Storm Bird, El Gran Senor and Sadler’s Wells.

Indeed, Northern Dancer was leading sire in North America in 1971 and in Britain in 1970, 1977, 1983 and 1984. By the time two of his offspring, Secreto and El Gran Senor fought out the finish of the 1984 Derby, his stud fee had officially increased to $500,000, with no guarantee, but, behind the scenes, deals worth $1 million (or a little over $3 million, by modern standards) were struck.