LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The stud fee for Overbrook Farm's leading sire Storm Cat will rise from $400,000 to $500,000 for the 2002 breeding season, making his the highest fee in North America for next year.

Storm Cat, an 18-year-old son of Storm Bird, is the sire of more than 85 stakes winners worldwide and has current progeny earnings of more than $64 million. This year alone, his runners have earned more than $3.9 million.

This is the fourth increase in his fee since 1999, when he stood for $200,000.

Overbrook advisor Ric Waldman confirmed the increase Friday, days before the opening of Keeneland's September yearling sale, at which Storm Cat has been a dominant force. Storm Cat's sons and daughters have been among the priciest lots at the sale, which runs this year from Sept. 10-22. The stallion was the auction's leading sire by average progeny price last year, with 17 yearlings selling for a total of $22,468,000 and an astronomical average price of $1,321,641. The 2000 auction's top-priced lots, a sale-record $6.8 million colt out of Hum Along and a world-record $4.4 million filly out of champion East of the Moon, were both by Storm Cat.

Last month, a Storm Cat--Gone to Venus colt brought a $3.3 million bid to top Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga selected yearling auction. At Keeneland's July yearling sale this year, Storm Cat was the second-leading sire by average price, behind the late Mr. Prospector, with five yearlings sold for $8,850,000, an average price of $1,770,000.

Coolmore Stud privately purchased a set of lifetime breeding rights to Storm Cat in 1999 and has added its substantial financial support for the stallion's auction yearlings. Coolmore's purchases included the $6.8 million record sale-topper at last year's Keeneland September auction.