Well-known in the football industry as an advisor to an impressive collection of top talent, October saw Kia Joorabchian make a few new signings of his own as part of his project to make Amo Racing Ltd one of the leading lights in the world of horse racing.
Whilst not quite on the scale of the eyewatering sums bandied around amongst the top European football clubs, a total of £24m on 25 yearlings (one-year-old horses) is no small change by any standards and a huge deal in the equine industry.
Which Horses Did He Buy?
The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket set the stage for Joorabchian to display the full might of his purchasing power as he went to war with Godolphin, Coolmore, and other influential buyers for the leading British and Irish yards. The 53-year-old didn’t win every battle but was the decisive bidder more often than not, as he departed the sale having boosted his squadron by an impressive 25-horse tally.
Of those 25, 17 were purchases solely for Amo Racing, with the additional eight bought in partnership with fellow ownership powerhouses Al Shaqab Racing and Vermont. Included amongst that list of sole purchases for Amo Racing were the following quintet of headline-grabbing sales toppers:
- Daughter of Frankel and Group 2 winner Aljazzi – At 4.4m Guineas (£4.62m), this filly became the second most expensive sale to ever go through the Newmarket Park Paddocks ring
- Son of Wootton Bassett and the well-related Park Bloom – At 4.3m Guineas (£4.515m), this impressive specimen was another record breaker – that price making him the most expensive colt ever sold in Europe
- Daughter of Camelot and the talented Sense Of Style – At 2.9m Guineas (£3.05m), this daughter of the 2000 Guineas and Derby winner would have topped most sales, but comes in at number three on the Joorabchian list
- Frankel-sired full sister to Alpinista – Given the multiple Group 1 winning exploits of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine, Alpinista, this lot was expected to fetch a handsome sum and represented quite a coup for Kia
Did Kia Get Value for Money?
It’s hard to argue that the above yearlings, and many others in the 25, don’t boast impressive pedigrees and, at least genetically, have everything in place to become a huge success during their racing careers. But can Kia realistically expect to get his money back?
As with many things in racing, there is no way to know for sure. For every son or daughter of Frankel who goes on to become a champion, a la Alpinista, Cracksman, and Adayar, there is another who fails to inherit their father’s brilliance – at the time of writing, the greatest racehorse of all time has sired over 250 horses who have, so far, failed to win at all.
High Price, High Performance?
Of course, many of those runners didn’t boast anything like the overall pedigree of Kia’s buys. Perhaps excellent breeding on the dam side, in combination with a high sales price, is more indicative of a money-spinning career. Not necessarily.
For an example, we need only look at the most expensive horse ever sold at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Sired by the great Galileo and from the family of the speedy Green Desert, a filly going by the name of Al Naamah fetched 5m Guineas (£5.25m) at the 2013 edition of this sale.
Here’s 5,000,000gns filly Al Naamah after winning on her debut at Chantilly pic.twitter.com/cjq3NyObl4
— Racing Post Bloodstock (@rpbloodstock) June 23, 2014
Under the guidance of legendary French handler Andre Fabre, Al Naamah started impressively with a debut success at Chantilly but failed to win again in six subsequent outings. When all was said and done, the Al Shaqab-owned runner had amassed a grand total of £44,399 in career prize money…some way below that sales price.
Since retiring, Al Naamah has had five children of her own, all of whom raced in the Al Shaqab colours, with similarly underwhelming results. Winning three of 20 starts between them, they have added a further £61,861 to the Al Shaqab bank balance sheet.
Best Case Scenario
Of the progeny related to Joorabchian’s purchases, Alpinista stands out a mile. If this 2.9m Guineas filly turns out to be as talented as her sister, Kia may have some hope of at least getting his money back. Winning 10 of 15 career starts between 2019 and 2022, Alpinista earned an impressive £3.3m in prize money.
More Profit Potential with the Colts
If there is a money spinner amongst the Joorabchian haul, it is most likely to be found in the collection of colts. Unlike dams, a sire can have a huge number of children, with the owners of the leading stallions charging a hefty sum for their services.
Taking Frankel as an example, the initial stud fee for the unbeaten superstar opened at £125,000 in 2013 and now sits at £350,000. As of 2024, Frankel has sired no fewer than 789 runners, earning owners Juddmonte upwards of £138m.
Of course, aspiring to match the greatest horse of all time is perhaps a tad unrealistic, but moving further down the stallion list, we find a sire by the name of Showcasing. Since taking up stallion duties in 2011, Showcasing’s fee has risen from £5,000 to £45,000, which at 936 foals comes out at an estimated £28m in earnings.
Not In It For The Money
How it all pans out for Joorabchian remains to be seen, but rather than viewing horse racing as a money-making venture, the emerging force is motivated by his love for the sport and a desire to shake up the established order.
When summing up his recent spending spree, Kia stated, “I’d like to see a situation where there are lots of owners enjoying big days out and not just one or two groups” and “I’m trying to lift it because I love it, like I do with football. It’s not about me or Amo, it’s about the sport and every single guy. I might fail dramatically, but I’m going to give it a crack.” We wish him well!
