Holland Ready For “Lucky” Tattersalls Ireland

Through a combination of hard work and a lot of shrewd and often brave bloodstock trading, Brendan Holland has developed his Fermoy-based Grove Stud from humble beginnings into one of the leading consignors in Europe. Whether it's pinhooking foals and presenting them as yearlings or selecting yearlings and forming them into ready-made 2-year-old racehorses, it all seems to come alike to Holland and when one peruses the list of equine pupils to have passed through his hands it is clear that he has become a master of his craft. Horses like The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), and more recently the group winners Terebellum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Alounak (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) and Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic) as well as Royal Ascot winner Thanks Be (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}) are just a few examples of his eye for an athlete.

Such regular and high-profile racecourse success can only be good for Grove Stud trade in the sales ring and that was the case last year at Tattersalls Ireland's September Yearling Sale when a Grove Stud-consigned son of Kodiac (GB) topped the sale when purchased by Shadwell for €275,000. The full-brother to MGSW Adaay (GB) had been pinhooked by Holland for €60,000 as a foal and while not bold enough to predict such stellar returns from his six-strong draft this time around at the latest renewal of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale on Sept. 24 to 26, Holland is confident his yearlings will be well received.

“I've always been lucky there, we've brought some nice horses to this sale over the years and have been well paid for them,” Holland said. “In recent years we've been bringing a better quality of horse as the sale has been on an upward curve and has been getting some great results on the track.”

Al Shaqab stallion Shalaa (Ire)'s first batch of yearlings have been well received since they came on stream at Arqana last month and Holland is responsible for the only two yearlings in the sale by the Group 1-winning son of Invincible Spirit (Ire). Both are homebred by Holland and are qualified for French premiums. First up is lot 32, a bay filly out of Sky Colours (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), herself a daughter of stakes winner Rosa Grace (GB) (Lomitas {GB}).

“She's a nice, easy moving, racy filly, very light on her feet,” Holland said. “I thought Shalaa was well worth a try. I thought he was the best horse to retire to stud that year and Invincible Spirit looks like being quite an influential sire of sires. His stock are good-bodied, racy looking horses so I think he has a great chance of being successful.”

Grove Stud also offers a Shalaa colt as lot 376 out of stakes winner Miracle Seeker (GB) (Rainbow Quest). The mare has bred four winners from four runners including the stakes-placed Loaves And Fishes (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

“He's not overbig but is a strong colt and a real 2-year-old type,” Holland said. “I'm hoping because the stallion stands in France that they will stand out a bit as they're the only ones by the sire in the sale and obviously being qualified for the French premiums won't do them any harm either.”

Holland has two yearlings by Starspangledbanner (Aus) on offer at Tattersalls Ireland but unlike the Shalaas these are both pinhooks. Lot 39, a chestnut colt, is the first produce out of Spirit Of Paris (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) and cost €28,000 at Goffs last November. Lot 94, meanwhile, is a filly out of the unraced mare Zain Art (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Battalion (GB) (Authorized {Ire}). This yearling was also purchased at Goffs last year for €42,000.

“I like the stallion and for a horse that didn't have a lot of runners early in his career he still established himself as a sire of quality 2-year-olds,” Holland said. “These are two lovely horses with great action and I think they should appeal to buyers. Starspangledbanner has had well documented fertility problems in the past and the fact that he produced several above-average horses from such a small early sample is a testament to him.”

The Coolmore stallion is also having plenty of success with his 2-year-olds this year with the Jessica Harrington-trained Millisle (Ire) failing only narrowly recently at Salisbury to add a second stakes win to her CV while Sheila Lavery's Lil Grey (Ire) has also hit the crossbar in a few stakes races and will surely get her turn before long.

In a year when his son Battaash (Ire) has scorched the turf and reminded owners and trainers of the sire power of Dark Angel (Ire), Holland looks to be sitting pretty with lot 117, a Dark Angel filly he acquired at the Bobby Flay dispersal last year at Tattersalls for 27,000gns. The filly is a half-sister to three winners from the family of Authorized (Ire) and Holland is pleased with her progress in the last nine months. “She wasn't overly expensive but she was a weak foal to be fair,” he said. “She has done well since and everyone knows what the sire is capable of getting. This sale fits in well for her as she wasn't quite forward enough for Doncaster. She is a nice, good moving, clean-limbed filly. She has taken her work well and has a great constitution.”

The last of the Grove Stud offerings is an Equiano (Fr) colt, lot 432, out of the winning Speightstown mare Perino (Ire) whose pedigree traces back to the mighty Seattle Slew. “I've bought quite a few Equianos down through the years and while he's had a few up and down years this season he's come back with a couple of good horses,” Holland said. “He is a very capable stallion and one I've had some luck with in the past. This is a very strong physical horse. A real 2-year-old type and he should be an easy sell as he is a homebred that isn't standing me too much.”

Due to Holland's success in the breeze-up sector one could assume that if he wasn't happy with how the market was valuing one of his yearlings that he wouldn't have any problem taking it home and continuing on to the next stage. However, that is definitely not part of the Grove Stud policy.

“I'm very keen not to breeze my own yearlings,” he said. “If I can't sell a horse then I might have to but as a rule I don't because I think it's best for buyers to understand that they are two distinct parts of my business. I like to try and sell all the yearlings and start then with a fresh batch specifically for breezing.

“Having success on the track is the most important aspect of the whole business. It's great to get money in the ring but to continue to get money in the ring your horses have to deliver on the track. Also when you get money in the ring you reinvest it straight away and that new investment is dependent somewhat on how the previous horses perform on the track. I'm delighted with how our graduates have performed this summer but it's vital for the business that they do.”

While Holland is in charge of his own decisions when it comes to selecting and purchasing the following year's harvest there are elements, both politically and economically, which are beyond his control.

“We're always going to be worried what the market is going to be like, or how the economy is going to be affected by political situations but you won't go broke if you have a nice horse,” he said. “The only way to stay in the game–whether the market goes up or down–is to have a nice horse and that is what we are constantly aiming to achieve. I'm at it 25 years now and there is no doubt the more experience you have the less mistakes you make. I have a great team and great partners and that takes time to build up and put in place. A bit of luck along the way helps too.”