April 6 - Harlan's Holiday

17 years ago, I entered a contest by Thoroughbred Times (remember the publication?) It was their freshman sire contest. You were allowed to pick one horse in each group of stallions with each group lumped together based upon similar stud fees. The horse I chose for a certain lower price range was Harlan's Holiday. So, I became a big fan of all his 2-year-olds. I made a trip to Ocala to the OBS sales that year and looked at all his babies I could see. I put eyes on dozens upon dozens of them and they were almost all copies of him and each other. Almost everyone had that same blaze.

One of the other stallions I had picked for a lower stud fee was Macho Uno. One day, I was driving to the other side of town to get art supplies in Melbourne, Florida, and I popped into the dog track to see a horse race or two. There was a race at Arlington Park with one colt by Harlan's Holiday and one by Macho Uno. Both horses had odds over 20-1 but hey, I had a couple bucks to show my faith in my two stallion picks. So, I made a $2 exacta box. The race goes off and they run. 1 - 2. I hit the exacta and it's paid about $275 on a $1 exacta. I quickly bounced up to cash my ticket and the cashier handed me about $550. I told her that she gave me too much. She looked and said that it paid $275 and your bet $2. So, I took my money and left. My faith and confidence were rewarded. The names of the two horses in the exacta were Into Mischief by Harlan's Holiday and Wicked Style by Macho Uno. I think Wicked Style won the race and would race in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Monmouth Park that year but as we horse racing folks know, Into Mischief has gone on to be the best stallion in the country over the last several years.

So, while we all know Into Mischief, let's not forget that Harlan's Holiday was a wonderful racehorse and was becoming a top stallion when he passed away way too soon.