Which was the most expensive racehorse ever?

Foaled on April 12, 1997, Fugaichi Pegasus was bought, as a yearling, by Japanese businessman Fusao Sekiguchi for a little over £3 million. Three years later, after a glittering racing career, which included victory in the Kentucky Derby in 2000, Fugaichi Pegasus was sold to Coolmore Stud, in Co. Tipperary, Ireland, for £53.7 million, making him the most expensive racehorse in history.

Indeed, Fugaichi Pegasus beat the previous record held by Shareef Dancer – a son of Northern Dancer, one of the most iconic sires of the twentieth century – who was bought, as a yearling, in 1981, by the late Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, former Emir of Dubai, for £2.5 million, but syndicated for £24 million at the end of his racing career.

The most expensive ever sold at auction was The Green Monkey, who was bought for £325,000, as a yearling, by Florida pinhookers Randy Hartley and Dean de Renzo in 2005, but knocked down to Demi O’Byrne, representing Coolmore Stud, for £12 million as a two-year-old in 2006.