Stallion Feature: Fusaichi Pegasus Still Flying

Stallion Feature; Fusaichi Pegasus Still Flying: When foreign interests come to the United States, they have a reason. They know there will be good horses and they bring the money to buy some of our best horses. This was the case in 1998. A man named Fusao Sekiguchi arrived at Keeneland in July and purchased a Mr. Prospector yearling for a sales-topping $4 million dollars. The colt would grow and mature to become the 2000 Kentucky Derby winner, Fusaichi Pegasus.

Fusaichi Pegasus became the only Kentucky Derby winning son of breed-shaping stallion, Mr. Prospector. Fusaichi Pegasus was phenomenally bred. He was not only the son of Mr. Prospector, but also out of Angel Fever, by Danzig. Angel Fever was a winner in her maiden debut and stakes placed before retiring. Her sire, Danzig, was undefeated in three starts before retiring. However, Mr. Prospector was a multiple stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed.

When Fusaichi Pegasus hit the racetrack, he hit the ground running. Second in his maiden debut, he came back to break it sprinting over six furlongs. From there, Fusaichi was undefeated until the Preakness Stakes (G1) in May of 2000. The five-race win streak consisted of his maiden score, an allowance, the G2 San Felipe, G2 Wood Memorial, and the G1 Kentucky Derby. After the second place finish to Red Bullet in the Preakness, Fusaichi Pegasus returned four months later to win the G2 Jerome Handicap (which is now the Jerome Stakes run in January for three-year-old colts as Kentucky Derby prep). In his final start, Fusaichi Pegasus entered the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic as the 1.20-1 favorite. However, this finish would be his worst in his career. After an extremely wide trip, Fusaichi Pegasus had nothing left and finished sixth behind Tiznow and Giant’s Causeway.

Retiring from racing, the stallion was purchased by Irish breeding powerhouse, Coolmore, for a reported $65 million. At the beginning of his career, Fusaichi Pegasus was a shuttle stallion between Kentucky and Australia until 2010, where he retired to be solely a Kentucky Stallion. He now stands for a low fee of $7,500 per live foal.

Over the years, Fusaichi Pegasus has been a high dollar stallion. When he entered Coolmore Stud in 2001, he commanded a $150,000 stud fee. From there, he gradually decreased to $135,000, $125,000, $85,000, $75,000, $45,000, $30,000, and $15,000, until now, which is currently $7,500. Obviously, Fusaichi Pegasus has been a disappointment at stud, especially considering his price as both a yearling and a stallion.

However, Fusaichi Pegasus has been a decent sire in the United States and all over the world. His chief earner is the Australian multiple group winner, Floral Pegasus (AUS) who was campaigned in Japan. He has also sired millionaires, Imbarco, Officer (JPN), and Roman Ruler. Most of his best sons have not been USA-based. Roman Ruler was a multiple graded stakes winner of the G2 Best Pal Stakes and the G1 Haskell Invitational, among others. Roman Ruler has sired a classic winner in the 2012 Belmont Stakes winner, Ruler on Ice.

Fusaichi Pegasus is the sire of recent winner of the G3 LeComte Stakes, International Star. International Star has earned 10 points toward a start in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. If International Star makes it to the Kentucky Derby and wins, it would be make him the new chief earner for Fusaichi Pegasus.

For now, Fusaichi Pegasus continues to get mares at his low stud fee and his sales averages stay below $45,000 for weanlings, yearlings, and two-year-olds. While Fusaichi Pegasus has been a disappointment at stud, he has the bloodlines and has carried the Mr. Prospector line on decently and has also helped spread it all over the world.

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