When a Mare is No Longer in Fashion

Holy Fashion still wearing her leather halter with nameplate (Sexton’s Horse & Mule Company’s Facebook page)

Holy Fashion retired as a broodmare and landed where she shouldn’t have

By Maribeth Kalinich

She was foaled in Kentucky February 7, 2003, out of Looking for a Win (Crafty Prospector) on Liberation Farm bred by the latter, Oratis Thoroughbreds and John Henderson.

A daughter of the great Holy Bull, Holy Fashion was purchased as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale by Ramsey Family Trust for $65,000. 

Holy Fashion broke her maiden on debut at Turf Paradise Nov. 8, 2025. The filly followed that up with a win in the La Paz Stakes. 

The chestnut filly made 12 career starts with four wins also hitting the board once in second and twice in third. Three of her four victories were in stakes earning black type but not a lot of prize money with $83,000.

She made her last start in the Bueno Stakes at Turf Paradise Dec. 15, 2006. She finished last.

Retired at age three, Holy Fashion was bred to Tiznow and sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in 2007 to Clarkland Farm for $150,000.

That paring resulted in a bay filly, Denali Tizawinner who was sold at the Fasig-Tipton October yearling Sale for $22,000.

Subsequently, Holy Fashion was bred back every year. She produced fourteen foals with two barren parings to Munnings in 2015 and Free Drop Billy in 2020. Her produce has earned nearly half a million on the track including Above Fashion (Paddy O’Prado) and Miss Liana (Warrior’s Rewear) who both earned nearly $200,000 each in their careers so far.

Holy Fashion also made money at auction.

Holy Fashion sold at the Keeneland 2004 September Yearling Sale for $65,000 to Ramsey Family Trust. In 2007, she sold again at the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale for $150,000 to Clarkland Farm in foal to Tiznow. She sold at the Keeneland January 2014 Horses of All Ages Sale in foal to Warrior’s Reward for $10,000 to Equus Farm.

The mare was bred to Idol in 2023 so she might have been in foal when she was shipped to the broker. She bore a live unnamed foal in February of 2024 by World of Trouble by whom she had another unnamed foal in February of 2022.

Holy Fashion’s produce made $519,752 at auction including Cyprus Moon (Malibu Moon) who hammered for $190,000.

This mare had more than fulfilled everything asked of her. So, how did she end up for sale on Sexton’s Horse & Mule Company’s Facebook page for $800 with a deadline of October 11 still wearing her leather halter with a nameplate?

“The responsibility lies with every past connection, starting with the breeder and every successive owner. Anything less is irresponsible,” said Susan Kayne of Unbridled Sanctuary.

“These horses are purposefully bred, yet another old broodmare—one of thousands—ends up in the slaughter pipeline, not because she “fell through the cracks,” but because she was deliberately discarded,” Kayne added. 

On October 8, 2024, at 4 PM, Unbridled Sanctuary called to pay for Holy Fashion, only to be told she had already been sold. 

“We don’t know to whom—the broker lots are tight-lipped and refuse to share that information. We can only hope someone saw our plea and will protect her. Holy Fashion was purposefully discarded when she outlived her economic utility.

“Too many Thoroughbreds who are purposefully bred for profit, are cast aside once they no longer serve a financial purpose. This is why transparency and accountability, from birth to their final days, are critical in safeguarding America’s Thoroughbreds,” said Kayne.

We know Holy Fashion was sold but we don’t know where she is going or if she will be safe. 

Comments on social media alluded to the former stallion farm perhaps stepping up to claim Holy Fashion but it’s unclear as to whether the reference was to Hill ’n’ Dale who stood World of Trouble or Taylor Made Stallions where Idol is standing.

Idol, who stood his first season at Taylor Made in 2023, is a full brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Nest and a half-brother to Lost Ark, winner of the $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational S., Idol is a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood.

In his biggest victory in the 2021 Grade 1, Santa Anita H. Idol recorded a career-best Beyer of 102 defeating Grade 1 winners Maxfield and Express Train, as well as graded stakes winners Independence Hall and Tizamagician.

World of Trouble was tied up in the Jason Servis scandal as he was one of the horses Servis trained before he was convicted for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Hill ‘n’ Dale President John Sikura believed that the horse would be one of the more popular stallions considering the modest stud fee of $15,000 and the horse’s resume. 

For trainer Kathleen O’Connell, World of Trouble showed promise breaking his maiden by 14 lengths in his first start following up with a second in the FTBOA Florida Sire Affirmed S.

In 2019, World of Trouble won the GI Carter H. on the dirt and the GI Jaipur S. at six furlongs on the grass in 1:06.37. 

After Servis was indicted, Sikura issued an open letter to the industry in TDN defending World of Trouble and cutting his stud fee in half to $7,500. 

In 2020, his first season as a sire, he was bred to 121 mares, most of which were booked before the indictments came out.