It's Official: Harlan's Holiday Retired

Multi-millionaire, multiple grade I winner Harlan's Holiday has been retired from racing because of an injury suffered while finishing last in the Aug. 16 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II). The 4-year-old son of Harlan out of the Affirmed mare Christmas in Aiken retires with $3,632,664 in earnings.

"He strained his medial branch of the right hind suspensory," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "What Johnny (jockey Velazquez) said was as soon as he went to his right lead down the backstretch, he came off the bridle and felt something was amiss at that point. When we got him back at the barn, we discovered some heat and inflammation.

"He could come back, but it's late in the year, and the owners plan to stand him at stud next year. He was a lot of fun, and it's unfortunate that he couldn't go out on a winning note. Mr. Wolf is trying to find a farm to stand him at stud."

Campaigned by Jack and Laurie Wolf's Starlight Stable, Harlan's Holiday began his racing career with trainer Kenny McPeek and was a graded stakes winners all three years he raced. In the first part of his 3-year-old season in 2002, he won the Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland and just missed by a nose in winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. I) at Gulfstream. Those efforts earned him 6-1 favoritism in a wide-open Kentucky Derby (gr. I), but he never really threatened and finished seventh. After an unplaced effort in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), he was given the summer off.

Transferred to Pletcher, Harlan's Holiday won the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. III) in September in his first race back. He closed out the year in three grade I stakes, but the best he could manage was a third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

Harlan's Holiday returned to grade I-winning form this winter. He captured the Donn Handicap (gr. I) at Gulfstream, then ran second in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I). He raced twice more prior to the Saratoga Breeders' Cup, finishing unplaced in the Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont and second in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I).

Bred in Ohio by Double D Farm, Harlan's Holiday was bought by the Wolfs for $97,000 at the 2000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale. As a 2-year-old, Harlan's Holiday captured four stakes, including the Iroquois (gr. III) and the Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes. During his career, he captured nine of 22 starts and won or placed in 13 stakes.