Expensive or Value?

Tara Madgwick - Wednesday May 14

Darley certainly didn’t pull any punches when announcing Too Darn Hot (GB) would be returning to Australia this spring at a fee of $275,000, but a close look at the second season sires table shows why this stallion is head and shoulders above his rivals.

Click for the fully interactive sire tables with links to all stallion pages.

Too Darn Hot just ticked over $9million in seasonal earnings, which is nearly $4million more than his nearest rival and has been generated by not just one superstar, but a whole raft of 10 individual stakes-winners among 46 winners.

He leads his peers on earnings, winners and stakes-winners with his 54.8% seasonal winner to runner strike rate the best of any stallion in the Top 50 Australian sires by earnings.

Advertisement

He is also the youngest stallion in the Top 20 by earnings sitting in 17th place.

Too Darn Hot (GB) is due back in Australia this spring, but you'll need deep pockets to go to him.

Below is a table showing the Top 12 second season sires from the table above with their initial service fee and current service fee.

Sire

2020 Fee

2025 Fee

Too Darn Hot (GB)

Darley

$44,000

$275,000

Castelvecchio

Arrowfield

$33,000

$49,500

Blue Point (IRE)

Darley

$44,000

Not coming.

Alabama Express

Yulong

$27,500

$66,000

Super Seth

Waikato Stud

NZ$35,000

NZ$75,000

Zousain

Widden Stud

$19,800

$27,500

Pierata

Yulong

$44,000

$55,000

Cosmic Force

Newgate

$16,500

$16,500

Yes Yes Yes

Coolmore

$38,500

On-sold, yet to be announced elsewhere

Tassort

Newgate

$11,000

$38,500

Brutal

Newgate

$27,500

$16,500

Exceedance

Vinery

$38,500

$33,000

Advertisment
More Reading...
G2 McEwen Stakes To Jigsaw - Fifth Black Type Victory
A previous Group 2 winner at Moonee Valley a few years back, Jigsaw’s connections would’ve headed into Saturday’s Group 2 MVRC McEwen Stakes (1200m) with a level of confidence despite tackling last start Group 1 MVRC Manikato Stakes winner Charm Stone.
Good News Week for Geisel Park
Geisel Park’s black-type mare Laced Up Heels is in foal off a maiden cover to Champion Australian Sire Zoustar and an orphan foal has found a new mum.
Stefi Magnetica Smashes Through $7m Mark
Already a dual Group1 winner, Bjorn Baker’s 5yo All Too Hard mare Stefi Magnetica added the $2m Group 2 ATC The Invitational (1400m) to her impressive record, with her earnings smashing through the $7m mark for her ownership group headed by the Cunningham family.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Sires With Winners - Friday October 24
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
2025 Cox Plate Result - Fastnet Rock and Waller Quinella
A genuine champion sire should be able to produce the horses that win the very best races in the country in which they stand and the late great Fastnet Rock have us a demonstration of that when his high class Northern Hemisphere bred offspring Via Sistina (IRE) and Buckaroo (GB) fought out an epic finish to the $6million Group I MVRC WS Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Von Hauke Wins G2 Crystal Mile - Half-Brother NZB Ready to Run
The Cliff Brown-trained Von Hauke swamped his rivals late under a patient rider from Ethan Brown to land the Gr.2 Crystal Mile (1600m) at The Valley on Saturday.
Lindermann Cracks $4million in Earnings
Gelded after losing form following his tenacious victory in the 2023 Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas, the Chris Waller trained Lindemann has embraced life as a gelding and has been on fire this spring racking up a series of lucrative wins including the $750,000 Group III ATC Craven Plate (1800m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Early Return Home for Cogburn
Group I winning Not This Time son Cogburn (USA) will return to WinStar Farm in Kentucky earlier than planned after disappointing fertility results during his first Australian covering season at Widden Stud.