Aushorse Investors Guide #2 for 2026

Now with the second edition of the Aushorse Investors Guide for 2026 released, it’s ahead of the breeding stock sales season and shows Australia as a leading destination.

‘With 109 races worth $1 million or more held every 3.3 days on average, Australia delivers opportunity and prestige like nowhere else in the world,’ says Aushorse.

‘From globally elite bloodstock and proven international success to world-leading prizemoney and sustained growth, the Australian model shows that our average race value is $A54,296.’

‘In fact, the Group 1 The Everest carried $20 million in total prizemoney, both the Group 1 Melbourne Cup being $10 million, the Golden Eagle at $6 million and the Group 1 Cox Plate $5 million.’

‘Also with $5 million in prizemoney is the King Charles III Stakes, the Caulfield Cup, Golden Slipper Stakes, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, The Quokka with $4 million for the Doncaster Mile.’

‘Australia is now one of the leading racing jurisdictions with 86% prizemoney growth over the past 10 years, compared to Great Britain at 53%, Ireland 50%, the USA 16% and France at 3%.

‘In Australia 1 in 40 horses earned over $500,000 last racing season, with 1 in 16 having career earnings of $1 million or more, and there is a $476,000 average of prizemoney in stakes races.’

‘This season there is $105 million is available in bonus, with $34 million from Sale Companies Race Series and another $70 million from State Breeding Schemes throughout Australia.’

With the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale and Chairman’s Sale next week, ‘its Australia with a vibrant yearling market that provides pinhookers with an excellent opportunity for strong rewards.’

‘In 2025, four out of five weanlings purchased sold as yearlings made a profit, with 75% averaging profitability and 80% median profitability – giving owners exceptional lucrative rewards.’

At March’s Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the Too Darn Hot-Enbihaar colt sold for $2.2m to the Watership Downs partnership, having been a $775,000 Australian Weanling Sale graduate.

While at last year’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale the Anamoe-Kiki Express filly sold to Ciaron Maher for $360,000 before making $800,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

In fact, at the nation-wide Filly and Mare Sales the average price of Stakes winning Fillies and Mares sold off the track at Breeding Stock Sales has increased 91% over the last decade.

Group 1 winners have increased 143%, Group 2 winners 109% Group 3 and Listed winners 28%, while the value of black-type fillies and mares have soared compared to America and Europe.

In the US over the past five years 73 Gr1 winning mares sold at an average of $US2.34 million compared to 23 in Europe averaging $US3.67 million and 47 in Australia at $US1.52 million.

While 301 Stakes winners averaged $US1.04 million in the US over the same period, in Europe 297 sold at a $US 730,600 average and in Australia it was 306 Stakes winners at a $498,600 average.

Over the past three season in 36 countries-regions outside Australia, Australian-bred mares have produced 178 Stakes-winners of 285 Stakes-races and 32 Group 1 winners of 52 Group 1’s.

In Hong Kong last season 8 of the Top 13 sires were Australian based, with Australian-breds claiming eight of the past 10 Champion Sires titles and 61% of Hong Kong horses are Australian bred.

Powering all of this is Australia as a global elite – home of elite stallions as Extreme Choice who with 9.5% Group Winners to Runners and 4% Group 1 Winners to Runners sits amongst the world elite of Deep Impact, Dubawi, Frankel and Galileo.

Australia stands at the pinnacle of global racing, hosting more elite Group 1s than any other jurisdiction and consistently producing the world’s best sprinters.

In an extraordinary display of dominance, Australian-bred horses have claimed the title of world’s best sprinter in 15 of the past 20 years.

This year alone, three of the four multiple Group 1 sprint winners in the world are Australian bred.

‘Australia leads the world with the highest number of Group 1 races in the Global Top 100, 30 total in 2024.’

‘Australian sprinting sensation Asfoora has cemented her place in history, being crowned European Champion Sprinter at the Cartier Awards, only the third Australian horse to earn the honour,

‘Joining Starspangledbanner and Black Caviar, she also became 1 of only 14 horses in the past decade to win multiple Group 1 sprints over 1000m to 1200m across multiple countries.’

‘She is the only non-European-bred sprinter to win multiple Group 1’s in Europe at these distances in the last ten years, a testament to Australia’s world-class breeding and racing excellence.’