The world’s most expensive thoroughbred ever to sell at public auction has passed away. The Green Monkey succumbed to laminitis at his retirement home in Florida. He was fourteen.
The Green Monkey brought $16m when sold to Coolmore in 2006 at the Fasig-Tipton Calder Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. The colt was consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds. By Forestry out of the Unbridled mare Magical Masquerade, it was a red letter day for Hartley/De Renzo, as they had previously given $425,000 for The Green Monkey as a yearling at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale.
In the under tack breezes at the Calder sale, The Green Monkey grabbed everyone’s attention with an unprecedented eighth of a mile in a stunning 9 and 4/5 seconds. As the bidding began, Fasig-Tipton auctioneer Walt Robertson said “I doubt if anyone has ever seen a better one-eighth performed by a two-year-old in training.” The bidding whittled down to a duel between Demi O’Byrne acting for Coolmore, and John Ferguson, acting for Sheikh Mohammed. The hammer came down at $16m in favor of Coolmore.
“He’d better be good,” O’Byrne told reporters. “Time will tell.”
Time did indeed tell. The $16m acquisition did not turn out to be worth the money. The Green Monkey did not race as a two year old due to physical problems, and as a three year old he made just three appearances on the racetrack for trainer Todd Pletcher, without breaking his maiden. He went to stud with a bankroll of just $10,440.
The Green Monkey stud for a fee of $5,000 at Hartley/De Renzo’s operation in Florida. The sire of four black-type winners, his best offspring was Monkey Business, who took the 2015 fillies Triple Crown in Panama.
RIP The Green Monkey.