Darley in Japan announces stud fees for 2026

Lemon Pop, who achieved a clean sweep of the JRA dirt G1 races and recorded an unbeaten six-race streak in domestic G1/JpnI company, earning JRA Best Dirt Horse honours in both 2023 and 2024, will once again stand at a fee of 5 million yen. 

Pyro, hugely popular on the dirt circuit and a consistent source of top-class performers—including Meisho Hario, winner of the 2025 Kawasaki Kinen—will stand for 4 million yen. 

Palace Malice, whose progeny have been sensational in Japan—headed by Jantar Mantar, winner of this year’s Mile Championship—covered the largest book of mares in the country this season (237). He will remain at 3.5 million yen to ensure continued accessibility for breeders. 

Tower Of London will also remain unchanged at 2 million yen. His reputation as a sire was further enhanced when his first-crop runner Panja Tower captured G1 honours in the NHK Mile Cup.

Thunder Snow, who is rapidly shaping up as a leading sire following the emergence of Narukami—winner of this year’s Japan Dirt Classic and the reigning Champion three-year-old dirt horse—will likewise stand for 2 million yen.

Also on the 2026 roster are Adayar, winner of the Epsom Derby and the King George, whose first foals have been outstanding; Fine Needle, sire of three Stakes winners this season; Hukum, one of Europe’s elite middle-distance performers from the same family as Deep Impact; Yoshida, sire of 10 Black-Type horses including three Stakes winners from his U.S. progeny; and Will Take Charge, whose first Japanese-bred foals proved extremely popular at the sales. All will keep the same fee as 2025.

American Patriot, who has produced promising runners from his current crop of two-year-olds, will stand for 1 million yen, while Talismanic—whose progeny excel across a wide range of distances on both turf and dirt—will stand for 800,000 yen.

Shotaro Kajiya, Nominations Manager, commented:

“Palace Malice and Lemon Pop ranked first and second respectively this year in terms of the number of mares bred in Japan. We extend our sincere gratitude to all who have supported these stallions, and to encourage continued support, we have elected to maintain their fees at the same level as this year.

“In addition, our roster includes Thunder Snow, Tower Of London, and Pyro, all of whom sired G1/JpnI winners this season, as well as Fine Needle, who produced three Stakes winners.

“We are proud to report that every stallion on the roster has continued to enhance his reputation, earning increased recognition from industry professionals and creating our strongest lineup to date. We would also like to thank breeders for the significant number of applications received even prior to this fee announcement.

“We remain committed to offering attractive terms and look forward to welcoming breeders to the stud next season.”

< 2026 Stud Fees >

Terms: Stands and nurses