Fasig-Tipton July sale: Phase II Thoroughbreds buys Holiday Soiree for $370,000

Grade 1-placed Holiday Soiree brought the first big price of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer horses of racing age sale, selling to Phase II Thoroughbreds for $370,000.

The 4-year-old Harlan’s Holiday filly, consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, has found her niche at sprint distances, winning four of 17 career starts for earnings of $330,642. She has finished in the money in five stakes races, highlighted by a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff Stakes in May at Churchill Downs.

Holiday Soiree entered the sale off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap on July 6 at Calder Race Course, finishing behind winner Starship Truffles, who will sell later in the horses of racing age sale. She was last campaigned by owners Run to Win Again Stable and Unlimited Equine, and was trained by Tevis McCauley.

“That filly’s had decent numbers for whoever’s had her,” said John Greathouse, who signed the ticket. “Some nice people have had the filly, she’s run decent numbers, the filly x-rays and scopes good, she’s eligible to go on and run in the same kind of races, so you hope to keep what you’ve got, as opposed to thinking you’re going to improve on it a lot.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Holiday Soiree is out of the stakes-placed winning Include mare Try to Remember, who has produced two winners from as many foals to race, and she is from the family of Grade 1 winner Dance Teacher and Grade 3 winner Duveen. Her sale price made Holiday Soiree the most expensive foal out of her dam.

Greathouse said that Holiday Soiree will ship on Tuesday to the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher at Saratoga Race Course. The filly’s next start is yet to be determined.

“The filly’s had a tough van trip down to Florida and back up to here, and now she’s got to go to Saratoga, so I wouldn’t even begin to hazard a guess when she would run again,” he said.