'It's taken a lot of thought' - Havana Grey stud fee raised to £18,500 for 2023

Whitsbury Manor Stud's champion-elect first-season sire Havana Grey will stand at an increased fee of £18,500 in 2023.

There was much speculation about what level the Hampshire stud would settle on for next year, after he stood the 2022 season at £6,000, when, according to the Return of Mares, he covered 166 mares.

Havana Grey started off at £8,000, before being reduced in year two to £6,500 and has stood the past two seasons at £6,000.

Winner of the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes on the track, Havana Grey has been flying at stud too, his 34 winners in Britain and Ireland this year giving him earnings of more than £1 million, some way clear of his first-crop rivals headed by Sioux Nation.

Among his star performers have been Group 3 winners Eddie's Boy, Lady Hollywood - who sold to Brookstone Farm for $600,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on Sunday - and Rumstar, while Cuban Mistress and Shouldvebeenaring have won Listed prizes.

Ed Harper, director of Whitsbury Manor Stud, said of Havana Grey's fee increase: "After such a phenomenal year it’s taken a lot of thought as we’re trying to keep him within reach of the breeders that have supported him thus far.

"It’s already clear that demand will far outweigh supply, I just hope people understand the difficult decisions we’re going to have to make."

Topping Whitsbury Manor's four-strong roster is Showcasing, whose fee remains steady at £45,000 after another fine year, particularly with his two-year-olds and headlined by Group 1 winner Belbek and Group 2 scorers Swingalong and Dramatised, who also ran extremely well at Keeneland last Friday when second to Mischief Magic in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Harper said: "With five individual stakes-winning two-year-olds, including the winners of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, Lowther Stakes and Queen Mary, he has once again shown himself to be among the elite stallions in Europe."

He added of the stallions rounding out the team: "Scat Daddy’s fast son Sergei Prokofiev will remain at £6,000. With 150 mares in both his first two seasons, we’ve never had such a strong start with a stallion and are looking forward to seeing his first foals at the sales.

"Due Diligence remains at £5,000. He has become a very useful proven option for breeders, who are looking forward to his strongest crop of two-year-olds hitting the track next year."

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