The horse market is always a popular place to invest, but some horses are just more expensive than others. There are many expensive horses in the world, but which is the most expensive?
The answer may surprise you. In order to answer this question, let us take a look at the top 10 most expensive horses in the world.
The Top 5 Most Expensive Horses:
1. Black Caviar – $16 million
Eight-time Group One winner Black Caviar is set to be retired from racing at the end of the year and is currently worth an estimated $16 million.
She has also sired some successful offspring, including 2010 Melbourne Cup winner nostepsis and this year’s Group One winning mare Symphony. Black Caviar was foaled in Australia and is owned by the Brough family.
2. Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah – $15 million
The $15 million American Pharoah earned in his lifetime is the most any horse has ever made. This makes him the eighth Triple Crown winner and the fourth in a row to do so. He also became the first horse to win all three races since Affirmed in 1978.
His trainer, Bob Baffert, was very happy with his performance. “He was unbelievable,” he said. “I thought I had everything under control and then I saw him turn on the afterburners.”
American Pharoah’s owners are ecstatic as well. They have been waiting 35 years for a Triple Crown winner and they finally have one on their hands. “It feels wonderful,” said owner Ahmed Zayat. “These horses are like our children, so it’s just nice to see them do well. It’s a great feeling.”
Reactions from the media were overwhelmingly positive. “American Pharoah is not merely a Triple Crown winner,” said ESPN television analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who called the race for ESPN. “He is an all-time great of horse racing.
He is the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 37 years. He was an absolute monster today. He ran like a champion all day.” NBC Sports analyst and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey called American Pharoah “the best horse I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen a horse like him in 25 years.
He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse and he will go down as the best thoroughbred I’ve ever seen.” NBC’s Bob Costas said, “American Pharoah just ran away with this race. It’s a little bit of history now. It’s almost like he is the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.”
The Kentucky Derby was won by American Pharoah, ridden by jockey Victor Espinoza. It was the first time in the history of the race that a horse won by more than a length.
American Pharoah set a world record for winning the Kentucky Derby, with an official time of 2 minutes and 4.34 seconds at Churchill Downs. The previous record was 2:24. American Pharoah also broke the record for winning the Kentucky Derby by an undefeated horse, set in 1882.
American Pharoah made history as the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win a Triple Crown race.
3. British Horse Racing Champion filly Cheltenham Gold – $12 million
Cheltenham Gold, a British Horse Racing Champion filly, was sold to an undisclosed American bidder for $12 million at the Keeneland November sale. This is a new world record for the most expensive horse sold at auction.
Cheltenham Gold is a daughter of Galileo and out of the mare Wild At Heart who has produced other successful horses including dual Cheltenham Gold winner Sit Means Sit and multiple Grade 1 winner Native River.
4. Apple Jack – $11 million
Apple Jack is a prized racehorse and the most expensive horse in history. She was bred in Kentucky and became the first horse to win back-to-back races worth more than $10 million when she won the Belmont Stakes in 2016.
Apple Jack’s success has earned her a total of $11 million, making her the wealthiest horse in history.
5. Stormy- $11 million
Another of the most expensive horse in existence is a Lipizzaner stallion named Stormy who was sold for $11 million in 2013.
However, this record may soon be broken as a new Lipizzaner stallion named Star seed has just been sold for an astonishing $14.2 million! Both of these horses are incredibly talented and have won awards for their riding abilities, so it’s no surprise that they command such high prices.
Other expensive horses include
6. Stormy Atlantic – $10,200,000 (Keeneland December 2017)
7. Animal Kingdom – $9,100,000 (Sheepshead Bay Classic)
8. Sir Isaac Newton – $8,500,000 (Tidal Wave November 2016)
In the first six months of 2018, the world’s top 10 most expensive horses sold at auction went to 10 different owners and now collectively have a value of over $11. In addition to the above list, which includes the Keeneland November sale, these top 10 horses have also been sold at auction in 2017 and 2018.
1. Haras de Boligrao – $11,500,000 (Boligrao)
2. Galileo – $10,200,000 (Keeneland December 2017)
3. Stormy Atlantic – $10,200,000 (Keeneland December 2017)
4. Animal Kingdom – $9,100,000 (Sheepshead Bay Classic)
5. Sir Isaac Newton – $8,500,000 (Tidal Wave November 2016)
6. Storm Cat – $8,250,000 (Breeders’ Cup World Championships)
7. A.P. Indy – $7,500,000 (Tampa Bay Derby)
8. Bernardini – $7,100,000 (Santa Anita Derby)
9. Union Rags – $6,500,000 (Kentucky Derby)
10. Invasor – $6,500,000 (Breeders’ Cup World Championships)
Conclusion:
When it comes to the most expensive horse in the world, you can count on one hand the number of places you would expect to find one.
The five places are: a royal palace, a luxury hotel, an equestrian center, a private stable, and an auction house. Out of those five, only two offer regular public tours – the equestrian center in Copenhagen and the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
Add to that the fact that the other three are either privately owned or not open to the public. The only place where you could actually see an expensive horse is at an auction house, and even then it’s not guaranteed to happen every time.
For an average actual price of a horse, you would expect to see at least one in the United States, if not more. There is only one place that comes close to this the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
It is a place where you can buy and sell a horse, but it does not offer public tours or an auction hall. Lexington is the only real town with a horse museum in the United States, and that is it.