WinStar Farm has acquired a significant interest in prominent sire Harlan’s Holiday, and the Versailles, Kentucky farm will stand the 11-year-old stallion during 2011 breeding season for an advertised fee of $25,000.
“Harlan’s Holiday is a stallion we’ve always thought a lot of, and we’re excited about the opportunity to build on the early success he’s achieved while at Airdrie [Stud],” WinStar President Elliott Walden said. “He’s a proven stallion that represents the quality we continue to strive for at WinStar. And to that end, Harlan’s Holiday greatly compliments our growing stallion roster, as well as the farm’s broodmare band. For the money, we feel like Harlan’s Holiday and Bluegrass Cat now give us the best one-two punch from the Storm Cat line.”
Harlan’s Holiday has four crops of racing age and this year he was led by record-breaking Grade 1 winner Majesticperfection, a contender for the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter.
From his first crop in 2007, Harlan’s Holiday enjoyed instant success, ranking second on the freshman sire list. Among his first-crop runners are Grade 1 winner Into Mischief and classic-placed graded stakes winner Denis of Cork. Harlan’s Holiday has 18 career stakes winners, including seven graded stakes winners, and progeny earnings of more than $13.9-million.
Harlan’s Holiday has also done well in the sales arena, with horses selling for $400,000, $300,000, $290,000, and $275,000 in 2010, and his recent books have been his best yet. According to The Jockey Club, Harlan’s Holiday had 109 foals born in 2009, 121 foals born in 2010, and he bred 162 mares this year.
“When we studied his recent books of mares, we not only found him to be very popular with the breeders, but the quality of mares was the best he has ever had,” said Robert Hammond, director of bloodstock and stallion seasons at WinStar. “So we think his best is yet to come and feel like the breeders who utilize him in 2011 will be well pleased in 2013.”
Harlan’s Holiday was a three-time Grade 1 winner of more than $3.6-million in three seasons on the track, including wins in the Florida Derby (G1), Blue Grass Stakes (G1), and Donn Handicap (G1).
