Airdrie Announces 2026 Stud Fees

Paulick Report 10/8/25

Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, is expected to race in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile off his victory in the G2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs

Airdrie released the 2026 stud fees for it’s 12-stallion roster, highlighted by the introductory fees of newcomers Mystik Dan and Jonathan’s Way. Winner of the 2024 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and second in that season’s G1 Preakness Stakes, Mystik Dan has further established himself as one of the most talented older horses in training in 2025 and will head to Del Mar as one of the leading contenders in the G1 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile following his emphatic score in the G2 $500,000 Lukas Classic on Sept. 27. His lifetime earnings to date stand at more than $4.8 million. Jonathan’s Way, the first son of white-hot sensation Vekoma to be retired to stud, will also take up stud duties following his recent retirement from racing. A TDN Rising Star in his Saratoga debut, he was a dominant winner of the G3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs in his second start before ending his juvenile campaign with a fast-closing second in that track’s G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. An early favorite for the following season’s G1 Kentucky Derby, Jonathan’s Way’s Triple Crown hopes were dashed early in his 3-year-old season by a life-threatening bout with colitis. Though unable to return to the races following his illness, he retires to stud with the reputation as an exceptional talent and the distinction of, at $290,000, being the most expensive weanling from Vekoma’s debut crop. Mystik Dan and Jonathan’s Way will stand for initial fees of $15,000 and $8,500, respectively.

Leading young sire Girvin, whose first Kentucky-bred crop will head to the track in 2026, tops the Airdrie roster at a fee of $30,000. His 2025 on-track exploits include the G1 Ogden Phipps success of leading Breeders’ Cup contender Dorth Vader and his aforementioned first Kentucky-bred yearling crop made major commercial waves at the Keeneland September Sale when averaging more than $139,000 for the 61 sold. The ascending Upstart and Complexity, both having quickly established reputations of dramatically improving the quality of their mares, will stand for fees of $25,000 and $20,000, respectively. Like Girvin, Upstart’s best-bred crop will be 2-year-olds of 2026, but his juveniles of 2025 already have him ranked in the Top 15 amongst all sires- a ranking that would be significantly improved had his Percy’s Bar not been disqualified from her win in Saturday’s G1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. A rising commercial force, his Keeneland September highlights included a high price of $650,000 and an average of more than $122,000. Complexity, now the leading second-crop sire in America by percentage of stakes winners, can already count nine individual stakes winners from his first crop of 3-year-olds and has added two new graded winners in just the last 10 days in Innovative and his Breeders’ Cup-bound second-crop star Intricate Spirit. Kentucky Derby winner Mage stands out as one of the best value plays of the new season at a fee of $15,000. The Kentucky Derby-winning son of leading sire Good Magic and the peerless Broodmare-of-the-Year Puca bred 171 mares in his first year at stud, and those foals are poised to star at the upcoming fall weanling sales. With the requisite brilliance to win the Kentucky Derby without the benefit of a start at 2 and a truly world-class pedigree, it is hard to argue that any other stallion remotely close to his stud fee range comes with a higher potential ceiling than Mage.

Airdrie’s list of value sires is further bolstered by the presence of the ultra-consistent duo of Cairo Prince and Collected. A perennial fixture on the leading General Sires list, Cairo Prince’s 2025 earnings already exceed $5.6 million. He will stand for a fee of $10,000 for the upcoming season. Collected, whose 2025 stars include the historic King’s Plate hero Mansetti, G2 winner Thought Process, and leading juvenile stakes-winner Comport, stands at the inarguable value of $7,500. And it is that same $7,500 fee that will be assigned to the uber-talented Beau Liam, who has every chance to see his stud fee rise in the coming months as his first crop of juveniles continue to shine on the racetrack. One of only three freshman sires, along with Yaupon and Essential Quality, to have sired multiple stakes winners from his first crop, his 13 individual winners trail only Yaupon and Knicks Go amongst all industry newcomers. And there will be similar expectations of success for Happy Saver and Highly Motivated when their first crops begin racing in 2026. Happy Saver, undefeated in his first five starts, including a win in the historic G1 Jockey Club Stakes as a 3-year-old, boasts one of the most important pedigrees in the stud book as he lists the breed-shaping Weekend Surprise as his third dam. The two-time track-record-setter, Highly Motivated, can also lay claim to one of the most attractive catalog pages around as he is a son of the great Into Mischief and the multiple G1-producing blue hen, Strong Incentive. Rounding out Airdrie’s 2026 roster is the multiple G1 winner Divisidero, whose more than $77,000 average earnings per starter ranks him as the Leading Third Crop Sire in all of Kentucky, while his lifetime percentage of stakes winners to foals is ranked fourth on that impressive list. Divisidero will stand for $3,500 in 2026.

Girvin $30,000
Upstart $25,000
Complexity $20,000
Mage $15,000
Mystik Dan $15,000
Cairo Prince $10,000
Jonathan’s Way $8,500
Beau Liam $7,500
Collected $7,500
Happy Saver $7,500
Highly Motivated $7,500
Divisidero $3,500