How Safe Bet Works
With the Safe Bet Program, we substantially minimize your risk – and, in turn, increase your potential reward – by assuring two breeder-friendly scenarios.
The participating stallion will sire at least one Graded / Group Stakes Winner by Dec. 31, 2025 from his first crop of two-year-old runners – or you will not owe a stud fee.
PARTICIPATING STALLIONS:
BASIN – $5,000 S&N
BY MY STANDARDS – $5,000 S&N
KNOWN AGENDA – $5,000 S&N
ROCK YOUR WORLD – $5,000 S&N
DID YOU KNOW:
In recent times, around a half dozen North American freshmen per year on average have sired a Graded/Group-winning two-year-old.
Among those are emerging leading sires Quality Road, Uncle Mo, Constitution, Nyquist, Not This Time, Gun Runner, Practical Joke, Good Magic, Justify, Vekoma, and more.
*Races must be recognized as Group/Graded black type by International Cataloguing Standards
Why We Created Safe Bet
Breeding to a fourth-year stallion is to make a bet on the early success of his progeny on the racetrack.
The Queens M G winning Saratoga's Adirondack S. (G3)
That early success has historically been a great sign for a stallion, and can be highly rewarding to breeders who supported a successful freshman sire.
That was experienced in 2024 with our freshman sire Thousand Words, who had good early success from his first two-year-olds to race including a pair of significant graded black type horses: multiple Saratoga stakes winner The Queens M G and multiple G1-placed stakes winner Vodka With a Twist - runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
Churchill Debutante S. winner Vodka With a Twist
Breeders who supported Thousand Words through the Safe Bet Program in 2024 bred on a $5,000 S&N fee. It provided a layer of insurance towards the investment in the stud fee, as it guaranteed marked early performance and success. Following the exciting start by Thousand Words' first-crop of juveniles, his stud fee saw an increase to $12,500 S&N in 2025.
The reality is that not all stallions will have early success. While that doesn’t mean they won’t go on to become good sires, Safe Bet was designed to provide immediate risk protection for the breeder.
In 2025, we are proudly offering this protection through Safe Bet on 4 freshmen stallions, all with promising credentials: BASIN, a Hopeful (G1) winner at two at Saratoga; BY MY STANDARDS, one of the most accomplished racehorses ever from the Into Mischief sire line; KNOWN AGENDA, Curlin's only Florida Derby (G1) winner; and ROCK YOUR WORLD, a Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner by Candy Ride. Like Thousand Words a year ago, all 4 stallions will stand for $5,000 S&N.
The bottom line: if any of these 4 stallions does not sire a graded black type winner from their respective first two-year-olds to race this year, then the breeder who supports that stallion will be completely relieved of the stud fee from his or her impending foal in 2026.
That's protection only offered at Spendthrift.