Fee bump for Per Incanto, as Little Brose begins at $15,000
Having had another excellent season both on the track and in the sales ring, Little Avondale Stud have announced that Per Incanto (Street Cry) will stand the 2025 breeding season at an increased fee of NZ$60,000 (plus GST), up from the NZ$50,000 he stood for last year.
He will be joined on the roster this year by his Blue Diamond (Gr 1, 1200m)-winning son Little Brose, who will begin life at a fee of NZ$15,000 (plus GST).
Group 1-winning pair Jimmysstar and Gringotts have been the flagship runners for the son of Street Cry (Machiavellian) throughout 2024-25, alongside Group 2-winning three-year-old Evaporate and fellow Group 2 scorers Marble Arch, Belclare and Marotiri Molly to cement his place as a top stallion among the Australian and New Zealand ranks.
Per Incanto currently sits in fifth position in the general sires’ list by earnings in New Zealand, while he occupies 11th place by the same metric in Australia.
The stud has also confirmed that the stallion will serve a limited book of 85 mares, partly due to the rising 21-year-old’s age but also other factors.
“That is part of the reason [his age], but it has nothing to do with his fertility, which is still excellent,” Little Avondale’s Sam Williams told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He had a leg injury two years ago and he started late that year and covered 73 of the 75 mares that year.
“Then last year we kept him at 100 and he was fine, but just towards the end he seemed to be getting a bit sick of it so I thought given he’s 21 this year, if I can get another two or three years out of him then that’s better than trying to serve 140 or 150-odd mares this year.
“He’s been such a good horse over the years, his personality is freakish. The vets that looked after him up north all said how you wouldn’t have thought he was a stallion given how quiet he is. He’s just got a beautiful temperament and he’s like a close friend, so I’m here to look after him.”
The stallion is locked in a battle with Waikato Stud’s Savabeel (Zabeel) for the Centaine Award, which is awarded to the New Zealand sire with the highest prize-money earned worldwide.
With over $15 million in earnings already this season, Per Incanto currently sits less than NZ$150,000 behind Savabeel, who has won the award every year since 2015.
“He’s currently second in The Centaine award, which is given to the New Zealand stallion with the most prize-money earned worldwide, behind Savabeel. He’s just $150,000 odd behind him and he’s had that title to himself for a while now,” Williams said.
Williams feels the early success that Per Incanto found in Hong Kong has played a large part in his current standing in the stallion ranks.
“Per Incanto has had success over in Hong Kong now for a good number of years and when you’re paying $4,000, $5,000, $10,000 for a service fee and you’re winning trials and two-year-old races here in New Zealand with geldings before selling them for NZ$150,000, NZ$200,000, NZ$300,000 and NZ$400,000, that is huge money,” he said.
“So a lot of Per Incanto’s early stock went to Hong Kong and for three years in a row he was leading sire there for number of winners, it’s only in the last couple of years that Deep Field has taken that mantle.”
Per Incanto has also recently been in the news for his exploits as a broodmare sire, with the world’s number one sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) being out of the Per Incanto mare Missy Moo, who was incredibly a mere NZ$500 purchase for the Griffin Family Trust at the 2014 NZB National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Sale.
“Talking of his male stock, it’s now his fillies that people are really noticing him as a broodmare sire and even in Hong Kong we’ve got the number one sprinter in the world, Ka Ying Rising, out of a Per Incanto mare,” Williams added.
“He’s been a very versatile stallion whether it be two-year-old colts and geldings and also fillies and broodmares.”
Per Incanto’s yearling sale results increased again in 2025, averaging NZ$207,000 for 34 yearlings sold across the five major yearling sales, while he recently returned an average of AU$425,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, with his top lot, a colt, selling to Yulong for $650,000.
Meanwhile, Williams expressed his excitement about the prospect of Little Brose joining the Little Avondale roster, believing he presented a rare opportunity for breeders in New Zealand.
“I was getting out of the stallion market after Per Incanto because I’ve had some health issues but when Little Brose was brought to my attention by Dean Hawthorne I just thought Per Incanto, his first son to go to stud, I have to be part of this and we were fortunate enough to secure him and get the jump on him,” Williams said.
Little Brose is the first Australian 1200-metre Group 1-winning two-year-old colt to debut at stud in New Zealand and will have his first public parade at Little Avondale on May 15.
“We did a fair bit of research after we secured him and he is the first ever 1200-metre Group 1-winning two-year-old colt to debut at stud in New Zealand,” Williams said.
“So if you look at how the market has changed, especially in Australia where it’s about type and speed, Little Brose brings that to the table.
“Then you bring the story and how easy it is to put out there with Per Incanto and his success and now his first son to go to stud standing beside him, it’s really exciting for the stud.
“It’s also massive for New Zealand, to have a Blue Diamond winner standing here and at that service fee, it’s ridiculous to be honest as it’s so cheap and affordable.
“The market is very competitive out there and the phone has been ringing hot for both stallions all day here.”