Fairdale Stud has reacted positively to market conditions by offering a further incentive to breeders who book into resident stallion Nom du Jeu this season.

The Palmerston North farm will guarantee a 50% refund on the $6,000 (plus gst) service fee on the birth of any resulting filly.  “There is an obvious lack of enthusiasm to breed fillies due to current conditions,” Fairdale’s Duncan Fell said.  “To give breeders more confidence to mate their mares we have elected to share the risk of breeding a filly by refunding half of the service fee paid on the birth of a filly foal.

“With the strong demand for males for export, fillies are important to maintain and grow our industry.  The introduction of the Pearl series of races has created an incentive to breed and race fillies in New Zealand.

“I hope our initiative will give breeders, particularly smaller breeders, the confidence to breed their mares and that this initiative will encourage them to continue to support Nom du Jeu and give them both pleasure and profit.”

Nom du Jeu (Montjeu) has covered more than 100 mares each season since his retirement and his oldest crop of rising two-year olds are spread among a number of leading Australasian stables.

Murray Baker, who trained Nom du Jeu to win G1 Australian Derby, has several of his youngsters including a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner It’s a Dundeel.

Nom Du Jeu is owned by a syndicate including many major commercial studs and the Morton family of Brisbane who bred and raced him.  “He is an outstanding looking horse and really is the complete package,” Fell added.  “If he had come down from the northern hemisphere with his credentials, he would most likely be standing somewhere else at a much higher fee than $6,000.”