Newcomer Lemon Pop Heads Darley Japan Roster at ¥5 Million

[Wandering Eyes]

Lemon Pop, who recently became the first dual winner of the G1 Champions Cup for over a decade, has been introduced at a fee of ¥5 million (€30,615) for 2025, identifying him as the most expensive stallion on the Darley Japan roster.

The six-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, who was crowned the JRA Best Dirt Horse in 2023, will embark on his first season in Hokkaido following his Chukyo swansong which saw him retire as the winner of 13 of his 18 career starts. Trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka, he also won last year's G1 February Stakes at Tokyo.

Lemon Pop will stand alongside the proven dirt sire Pyro, who will stand for an unchanged fee of ¥4 million (€24,492), and Palace Malice, the sire of this year's G1 NHK Mile Cup hero Jantar Mantar (Jpn). Previously based at Three Chimneys Farm, Palace Malice remains at a fee of ¥3.5 million (€21,430), having been the busiest stallion in Japan this year after relocating to Hokkaido.

Adayar (Ire) and Hukum (Ire), both top-class performers over middle-distances in Europe, also kicked off their second careers at Darley Japan this season. Derby hero Adayar will command an unchanged fee of ¥1.8 million (€11,021), while Hukum, who gained his biggest success in the 2023 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, remains at ¥1.2 million (€7,347).

Among the notable increases is that earned by Tower Of London (Jpn), who will stand for a fee of ¥2 million (€12,246) in 2025, up from ¥1.5 million this season. The son of Raven's Pass has enjoyed a successful year with his first crop of two-year-old runners, headed by the G2 Keio Hai Nisai Stakes winner Panja Tower (Jpn).

Shotaro Kajiya, nominations manager, said, “In addition to Palace Malice, who had the largest number of coverings this year, and Tower Of London, whose first runners gained so much attention, we now have Lemon Pop, who achieved unparalleled success on dirt tracks, joining the stallion roster to make it even stronger than before.

“We will continue to strive to support owners and breeders by standing the best stallions from around the world while offering attractive terms. We look forward to your continued generous support.”

Darley Japan's full list of fees:

• Lemon Pop, ¥5 million
• Pyro, ¥4 million
• Palace Malice, ¥3.5 million
• Tower Of London (Jpn), ¥2 million
• Adayar (Ire), ¥1.8 million
• Fine Needle (Jpn), ¥1.5 million
• Thunder Snow (Ire), ¥1.5 million
• Yoshida (Jpn), ¥1.5 million
• American Patriot, ¥1.2 million
• Hukum (Ire), ¥1.2 million
• Will Take Charge, ¥1.2 million
• Talismanic (GB), ¥1 million

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