TEAM VALOR AND DENALI STUD FORMING A NEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE, BLUEGRASS FARM AND SALES COMPANY NOW

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.

Irwin said “Team Valor is trying to consolidate its business and deal with those horsemen with whom we have enjoyed the most success. 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 home-breds and we have the utmost faith in the entire Denali operation and its staff.”

Bandoroff said “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. 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, whose first foal Pluck won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last season, and Captain’s Lover, a Grade 1-winning South African Champion Filly at 3 with major stakes wins in France in 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, 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.