Horse racing is a prestigious sport where there is a lot of money in circulation. Everywhere you turn from the horse purchases to prize purses and stud rights, there are large sums of money that can go up into multiple millions of dollars.

When it comes to horse value, there are a lot of things that come into play. First and most important, is the horse achievement in the big horse racing events. So, if a horse has won the Triple Crown series, its value will skyrocket since it is considered one of the most highly prized achievements in the sport.

Additionally, the horse’s abilities and performance can dictate the price of a horse. 

With that said, when we talk about the total value of a horse, we usually talk about the amount of money that the horse can bring in his lifespan. Even though winning horses in big events are rewarded with large sums of purse money, the real value of the horse comes after its retirement with its stud fees.

So, let’s highlight some of the most valuable horses that were sold for an astronomical amount of money.

Justify ($75 Million)

The undefeated Triple Crown champion has broken many records in his career, and even after retiring from professional racing. After Justify retired from racing, he had a $60 million breeding deal that was cooking, which added an extra $15 million to the total cost for winning the Triple Crown totaling $75 million.

This is the most expensive horse rights purchase ever recorded in history, and it is perfectly explainable.

The owners of Justify’s breeding rights have set a $150,000 stud fee that can produce 150 per breeding season. This totals up to around 22 million per breeding season. If Justify maintains its rate throughout the next couple of years, it can make the owners around $90 million, which is very impressive.

The horse was initially purchased for $500,000, making it one of the most profitable horse investments in the history of the sport.

You can read more fun facts about Justify here: https://edge.twinspires.com/racing/10-interesting-facts-about-triple-crown-winner-justify/ 

Fusaichi Pegasus ($70 Million)

In 1997, Fusaichi Pegasus first appeared in the horse racing scene and was immediately recognized as a potential champion. However, even though the horse had huge potential it didn’t get such big success in the world of horse racing.

Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby in 2000 but didn’t get the chance to win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes for the ultimate Triple Crown achievement as he retired after the race.

However, Fusaichi Pegasus was immediately sold to a syndicate for a record-breaking $70 million. In today’s money, that would be around $100 million.

Fusaichi Pegasus held the record for the most expensive horse ever sold until Justify took the first place a few years ago.

Apart from his impressive racing record, he was also a highly-regarded stud. His offspring managed to win seventy-five stake races, which increased the demand for his breeding services pumping up his value.

Shareef Dancer ($40 Million)

The third most valuable horse is Shareef Dancer which was purchased for $40 million which is a bit shocking since the horse has only won three out of five races, including one Group I race the Irish Derby Stakes.

So, why this horse is so expensive?

The truth is, his large price was due to a combination of factors. First of all, the timing was right when he was at his peak. Additionally, the horse was incredibly fast and had impeccable bloodlines. 

Shareef Dancer was from one of the most successful studs in history, Northern Dancer, but it seems like it didn’t fulfill the owners’ expectations.

The Green Monkey ($16 Million)

The Green Monkey is the fourth most expensive horse ever sold and probably one of the biggest flops in horse racing history. Even though the Green Monkey had an impeccable bloodline and was a descendant of both the Northern Dancer and the Secretariat, the horse didn’t find any real success in the sport and died in 2018.

He was sold as a two-year-old colt for $16 million making him very popular at that time. However, the horse never materialized and retired two years after without winning a single race.