Brendan Holland

Uncertainty hangs over the breeze-up sector ahead of the first major yearling sale of the season at Arqana this week after the Breeze-Up Consignors Association [BUCA] instructed Goffs and Goresbridge not to go ahead as previously planned with its respective new sales in 2025. Goffs chief Henry Beeby and Goresbridge boss Ed Donohoe revealed to TDN Europe back in May that they were planning to hold breeze-up sales in Ireland next year.  Both men explained that the decision had been taken after a number of consignors expressed views that there...

The racing and breeze-up communities in Ireland have been rocked by the news that prominent rider Valdi de Souza has died at the age of 49 following "a freak accident" at work. The Brazilian native's finest hour in the saddle came when he partnered Rock Of Rochelle to win a Listed race at the Curragh for trainer Andrew Kinsella back in 2007.  He had been part of the fabric of Brendan Holland's Grove Stud for the past 11 years and the leading breeze-up handler paid an emotional tribute to de...

A €210,000 daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) headlined what was a predictably tricky two-year-old section to the Summer Sale at Arqana as the curtain definitively came down on the 2024 breeze-up season.  It was Brendan Holland's Grove Stud who consigned the day one top lot, who was bought by bloodstock agent Arthur Hoyeau on behalf of MyRaceHorse.  "She's been bought for MyRaceHorse and will go to the United States," said Hoyeau. "She's a very interesting filly with lots of qualities and has the perfect profile to go to the...

Henry Beeby has opened the door to Goffs embracing the publication of official times and other data at its newly slated breeze-up sale at Naas racecourse next year but admitted that such a move was unlikely to be met with universal approval from the breeze-up fraternity.  No consignor would be more staunchly against the re-introduction of official times at the breeze-up sales in Europe than Brendan Holland. The Grove Stud operator says official times would create an increased reliance on the clock and would ultimately drive down clearance rates at...

Lot 145, a son of Siyouni (Fr) and the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Isabel De Urbina (Ire), became the most expensive yearling of Saturday's Arqana Breeze-Up session to that point, when selling for €1.2 million to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Bahraini buyers. Consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the bay colt's dam won twice at listed level, and is a full-sister to dual group winner Manuela De Vega (Ire), who was also second in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. Grove Stud picked up the Merriebelle Irish...

Is bigger always better? Throughout the first evening of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale one could have been forgiven for thinking that a rise in the number catalogued for the first of the European sales in this sector was not necessarily a good thing. At 202 in the book and 166 ultimately offered across the two days, this was the largest Craven Sale since 2007 and up significantly from the 164 catalogued and 134 offered last year.  For reasons that are hard to fathom, ungraded sales, with horses sold merely...

Lot 162, a bay filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) consigned by Grove Stud, took the lead just after the halfway point of the second session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when selling for 600,000gns to bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe. A half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner, G1 Middle Park S. third, and sire Rumble Inthejungle (GB) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), the May-foaled current sale topper is also a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Great Prospector (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). This is also the family of G2 Superlative S. hero and...

Sons of Dubawi (Ire) shot the lights out at Goffs on Tuesday as a colt by first-season sire Ghaiyyath (Ire) topped the November Foal Sale at €185,000 followed by a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt who made €180,000. Ghaiyyath himself was sold at this sale in 2015 for €1,100,000 before proving himself a world-class performer on the track for Godolphin and the Kildangan Stud-based sire has enjoyed a good start at Goffs this week. The Ridge Manor Stud-drafted colt was sold to Pier House Stud, whose Brendan Morrin revealed that...

The Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association Inc. (CBA) will stage their fourth 'Deal or No Deal' event on the eve of the 2022 Keeneland September Sale from 4:30-6 p.m. It will take place at the Paddock Chalet next to the East Gate entrance at Keeneland, just up the hill from the sales pavilion. Keeneland will provide food and drink and live racing will be streamed from Kentucky Downs. The 'Deal or No Deal' series kicked off last year, first at Fasig-Tipton in July and then again at Keeneland in September....

NEWMARKET, UK--A turbulent season of disrupted breeze-up sales has seen many firsts. Goffs UK and Arqana teamed up as allies to stage a combined sale, while Tattersalls stepped in to the breach to host the final 2-year-old sale of the year for its sister company Tattersalls Ireland, which had only a year earlier combined forces with Goresbridge to host this particular auction at its Fairyhouse base. With quarantine rules still stricter in Ireland than in Britain, a late move was made to bring the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale to...

NEWMARKET, UK—It's usually a little bracing on the Rowley Mile in mid-April but we're now heading towards the end of June and one consolation for people out watching the horses breeze for the Tattersalls Craven and Ascot sales was a warm, bright morning. And, happily, there was a good crowd in attendance on Monday, with the expansiveness of the Heath lending ample provision for social distancing once the pre-approved attendees had had their temperatures checked on arrival at the racecourse. We've heard far too much talk of the new normal....