Marc Holliday’s quest to take advantage of European bloodlines in order to build up a quality broodmare band took a step further to coming to fruition at the Goffs Orby Sale on Wednesday when representative Dan Hayden came out on top at €300,000 for a first-crop daughter of Advertise.
Chairman of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), Holliday races as Blue Devil Racing LLC in the US, where his colours have been carried to Grade 1 victory by homebred Come Dancing. However, he has been racing with increasing enthusiasm in Europe in recent years, notably as an owner with Joseph O’Brien.
His stable currently includes the Vadamos filly Messidor, who was saddled by O’Brien to win at Dundalk before shifting to Christophe Clement in the US, for whom she has won three times.
“She’ll go to Joseph O’Brien,” said Hayden. “We’ve been buying a few out of this sale for the past few years to go to Joseph. Marc loves to breed, he’s been breeding for years, but now we’re trying to build up the quality and get a real quality broodmare band together.
“She’s a beautiful filly, big and strong with very good motion. She’s also the first-crop daughter of a very fast racehorse. Advertise was an extremely good horse and he has every chance.”
Bred and sold by Rathbarry Stud, the filly is the first foal out of the winning Treeline, a Champs Elysees half-sister to Group 3 winner Stunning Spirit from the family of champion Rainbow View and successful sire E Dubai.
She continues a good sale for her breeder, whose draft includes four six-figure yearlings so far, as well as for Advertise, whose average is currently running at €111,000. The son of Showcasing switches to Manton Park Stallions for next year.
Proceedings were buoyed yesterday by the presence of a large number of American buyers brought in at Goffs’ own expense on a jet out of New York. Such an initiative worked a treat last year and it has swiftly proved to be a similar story this time around with Marquee Bloodstock, Stripes Stable, Top Line Sales, Bo Bromagen, Ben McElroy, Stonestreet Farm, Team D, Mike Akers, Jason Taylor, Justin Casse, DJ Stable and Clay Scherer each making purchases in addition to Marc Holliday.
Lot 275 is a filly by Advertise (@NatStudStallion) from the family of Stunning Spirit. Consigned by @RathbarryStud & sold for €300,000 to Dan Hayden on behalf of Blue Devil Racing #GoffsOrby pic.twitter.com/Zk59mRNHwb
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) September 28, 2022