The Autumn Sun has taken the next step in his exhilarating evolution as a sire, with his coronation as Arrowfield Stud's flag-bearing stallion in the farm's service fees for 2026.
Boasting probably the best horse in the country in Autumn Glow and crack 3-year-old Autumn Boy among his five group 1 winners, The Autumn Sun will stand for a carefully chosen AU$137,500 (US$99,000, AU$1=US$0.72).
That's more than double his mark from his past five standing seasons of AU$66,000, after his debut spring at AU$77,000.
As the famed stud's number one, the rising 11-year-old follows in the footsteps of previous greats of Arrowfield and of Australian breeding, including Snitzel and his sire Redoute's Choice, and the legendary Danehill.
Arrowfield chairman John Messara said The Autumn Sun's fee increase was a reflection of "a special type of stallion," and one the stud assessed as "a very significant sire for this part of the world."
"This horse has left a very, very outstanding colt, probably the 3-year-old colt of the season, in Autumn Boy, and a champion filly and mare in Autumn Glow," Messara told ANZ News. "And then there's all the other things he's done before that.
"He's given us an insight into what he's capable of doing. He's likely to finish top three or four on the general sires table, with half the runners of those around him."
With only four crops racing, The Autumn Sun sits third on that table, less than AU$24,000 behind reigning champion Zoustar. And this comes from only 164 runners compared with the 328 of Zoustar, the 252 of Snitzel, and the 286 of the fourth-placed I Am Invincible.
Dundeel represents "really good value" at a reduced AU$66,000, Messara said, following a racing season in which he's added a 10th elite winner in ATC Queen Of The Turf Stakes (G1) victor Idle Flyer.
The rising 17-year-old Dundeel—who has 40 stakes winners at a healthy 5.43% of runners—covered 103 mares last spring in his second year at AU$88,000, down from 141 in 2024. His yearlings have averaged AU$210,000 in 2026, up from AU$186,000 last year, with a top price of AU$1.3 million at Inglis Easter for a filly out of Fiesta bought by Coolmore.
Dundeel's son Castelvecchio was "a sire on the make," Messara said, with runners such as star triple group 1-winning mare Aeliana among his six stakes winners from three crops racing at 5.08% of runners.
After serving a career-high 155 mares last year at a fee bumped from AU$22,000 to AU$49,500, he rises again this spring to AU$60,500.
After covering 123 mares last year at AU$55,000, Arrowfield's Japanese shuttler Maurice will this year stand for AU$44,000.
Arrowfield's seven stallions include two European shuttlers in Vandeek—at an unchanged AU$22,000 after serving a maximum 151 mares in his first Australian season—and newcomer Lead Artist, at AU$27,500.
Rounding out Arrowfield's septet is Hitotsu. After covering 97 mares at AU$22,000 last spring, and with his first crop of yearlings averaging AU$87,000, the rising 8-year-old will stand this year for AU$16,500.
