Barry Irwin’s Team Valor and Craig and Holly Bandoroff’s Denali Stud have
formed a strategic alliance this week in Kentucky that, among other things, will
see the international racing stable using the Bluegrass nursery and consignor as
its exclusive boarding and sales agent.
Team Valor will board all of its domestic broodmares at Denali Stud near
Paris, Kentucky, and will consign all of its horses offered at public auction
with the sales company arm of the same outfit.
Denali has and will continue to invest in and involve some of its clients in
Team Valor’s racing and breeding partnerships.
“Team Valor is trying to consolidate its business and deal with those
horsemen with whom we have enjoyed the most success,” Irwin explained. “Last
year, on the racing scene, we decided to put all of our horses in training with
Graham Motion at Fair Hill training center. Now this year, we have decided to
place all of our breeding stock and young horses to Denali.
“When we formed a small partnership last year to buy our barn at Fair Hill,
Craig became one of our investors in that limited liability company.
“Craig and Holly Bandoroff have been family friends and business associates
for several years and we have enjoyed a lot of success and fun together. As Team
Valor has evolved, we are now doing a little more breeding and racing of
homebreds and we have the utmost faith in the entire Denali operation and its
staff.”
“We have a high opinion of what Barry has been able to accomplish with his
racing partnerships because we not only have seen it first hand, we also have
participated,” Bandoroff said. “Every year he comes up with the kind of horses
that we want to be able to sell at public auction and be able to retain a few to
breed on our farm.
“We are happy to be involved and get some of our clients involved. It has
been good business for us and we have been members in partnerships that have
owned and bred some outstanding runners.”
Among the mares boarded at Denali are Secret Heart (SAf), whose first foal
Pluck (More Than Ready) won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) last season,
and Captain’s Lover (SAf), a Grade 1-winning South African champion filly at
three with major stakes wins in France and the United States. Team Valor owns 14
domestic broodmares.
Among the mares sold at public auction for Team Valor by Denali is Team
Valor-campaigned Ipi Tombe (Zim), who topped the 2004 Tattersalls December Sale
when sold in foal to Sadler’s Wells. Pluck was bred, foaled and raised at Denali
and the Bandoroffs were members of the partnership that bred the Breeders’ Cup
hero.