World's most expensive racehorse cost £55million but won just £1.5m in prize money

Horse breeders and owners will fork out fortunes for the right specimen - and the most expensive in history went for a whopping £55million.

At least that would be the equivalent cost today if icon and winner Fusaichi Pegasus were to be sold again. The late great was only three years old when Coolmore Stud plumped big time to produce his progeny in County Tipperary.

Stud fees aren't much of a concern for runners at the this week, given the overwhelming majority of big race contenders are geldings. But Fusaichi Pegasus certainly commanded a pretty penny back in his day.

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That kind of investment would present a risk for any horse boasting a mountain of experience and winning form. As it were, however, Fusaichi Pegasus - whose name combines its owner's name, Fusao, with "ichi," Japanese for "the best" - commanded the magnificent figure despite competing on only nine occasions and accumulating around £1.5m in prize money. However, those nine runs produced some magnificent form.

That figure represents around 3% of the fee he eventually moved for, with Coolmore clearly convinced by his potential. Fusaichi Pegasus - often shortened to 'Fu Peg' - made headlines when he won the 2000 Kentucky Derby, building on earlier victories in the San Felipe Stakes, Wood Memorial Stakes and Jerome Handicap.

Following his win in the Kentucky - which was at the time the seventh-fastest time in Derby history - Fusaichi Pegasus lost to Red Bullet in the Preakness Stakes. He was then withdrawn from competing in the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, and was instead put out to stud.

At the time of the transaction, the reported $70m Coolmore paid for their steed was equal to around £35m. But the current exchange rate would mean the prolific Irish breeders would have to fork out a lot more to meet the asking price of his previous owner.

Japanese tech entrepreneur Fusao Sekiguchi paid just $4m for Fusaichi Pegasus when he was just a yearling. A couple of years later and the business mogul had doubled his money almost 20 times over on that one purchase.

Fu Peg was always considered a desirable specimen because of his lineage. Sire Mr. Prospector came from good stock and was revered as a breeding stallion, while dam Angel Fever was a special mare in her own right whose lineage was highly revered.

As for the progeny of Fusaichi Pegasus, he too has produced some top contenders of his own. Bandini, Champ Pegasus, Haradasun and Roman Ruler have each attained wins at the Grade 1 level, while other productive offspring include Floral Pegasus and Excusez Moi.

Fusaichi Pegasus was pensioned from stud duty in 2020 before his death in May 2023 at the ripe age of 26. It's up for debate as to whether his sale fee will ever be topped, but it will take a generational horse to do so.