Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sporting ExcitementSporting Excitement

Horse Racing

Most expensive racehorses in history including the £11.5m buy who never won a race

, Most expensive racehorses in history including the £11.5m buy who never won a race

THE most expensive racehorses in history give most footballers a run for their money.

Top, top earners make their big money at stud, like Galileo, the legendary sire thought to be worth £180million.

Fusaichi Pegasus still holds the record as the most expensive horse ever sold

But top stallions-to-be swap hands long before that.

And despite tens of millions being exchanged, some horses fail to live up to the hype.

Here, SunSport looks at the most expensive racehorses ever.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) – £53.7m

No one can come close to the former Kentucky Derby winner.

FuPeg – the nickname given to him by fans – was a sensation on the track in 2000 and huge things were expected of him when he went to stud.

Coolmore, run by billionaire ex-Man Utd shareholder John Magnier, bought the horse – who is honoured with his own gold statue in Japan.

But he was a dud at stud and eventually his charge for covering a mare was dropped to just £3,500.

He was retired for good at the end of last year.

FuPeg flopped at stud after being bought for a record fee

So You Think (2010) – £37.5m

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Coolmore strike the rich list again, this time with their purchase of the five-time Group 1 winner.

A descendant of the legendary Sadler’s Wells, the New Zealand-bred thorougbred shot to stardom with victories in the 2009 and 2010 Cox Plates, two of the biggest races in Australia.

, Most expensive racehorses in history including the £11.5m buy who never won a race

Billionaire Magnier pays big money for the world’s top horses

He also won the Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2012 – his final race – before going to stud.

Shareef Dancer (1983) – £28.6m

Shareef Dancer only raced five times in his career, earning £144,331 with wins in the Group 1 Irish Derby Stakes and Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In 1983, the horse, owned by the late Sheikh Maktoum, was sold for £28.6m, then a record price for a stallion prospect.

But he was described as being ‘mediocre overall’ in his stud career.

The Green Monkey (2006) – £11.5m

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

There is a strong argument to be made for The Green Monkey being the biggest failure of the lot.

Bought for £11.5m, he never won a race.

The descendant of Northern Dancer ran just three times and never came better than third after being bought in January 2006.

After retiring he went to stud in Florida where he serviced mares for a lowly £3,500 a go.

He died aged 14 in 2008 due to a hoof condition.

Seattle Dancer (1985) – £9.4m

Coolmore make the list for a fourth time thanks to the purchase of this yearling in 1985 – the most expensive ever at the time.

However, he never won a Group 1 race, went to stud in 1988 and tragically died of a heart attack aged 23 in June 2007.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org


Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

  • Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
  • Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
  • Never chase their losses
  • Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
  • Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
  • Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest

Premier League

Crunch Top-of-the-Table Clash As Arsenal gears up to face defending Premier League champions Manchester City in a high-stakes match on Sunday, fans are on...

Premier League

Meet Ritchie De Laet A former Belgium international, Ritchie De Laet, achieved an incredible milestone in his career by celebrating Premier League title success...

Premier League

Bacary Sagna's New Venture Former football star Bacary Sagna, known for his time with Arsenal and Man City, has traded in his boots for...

Golf

Legendary Golfer's First Agent Shares Shocking Details Hughes Norton, Tiger Woods' first agent, has revealed his feelings of betrayal after being sacked by the...

Premier League

Roy Keane Doubts Arsenal's Chances Roy Keane is not convinced that Arsenal will beat Manchester City in their upcoming clash at the Etihad Stadium....

Premier League

Luton Town's Injury Woes Luton Town is facing a mounting injury crisis as they gear up to face Tottenham, with assistant manager Kevin Foley...

Advertisement
Advertisement

Facebook

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement