Horse Racing – Owners: Farms and Individuals
Brookside Farms/Allen E. Paulson
Iowa native Allen Paulson made his fortune by creating the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. Horses have become his passion, and he has his Brookside farms in Kentucky, California, Florida, and Georgia. Since the Breeder’s Cup began in 1984, Paulson has had a horse start in every race. He won the Eclipse Award for top owner in 1995 and 1996 and for top breeder in 1993. His most notable product has been Cigar, horse of the year in 1995.
Calumet Farms
In 1924 William Monroe Wright, a man who made his fortune with Calumet Baking Powder, purchased a horse farm outside of Lexington. He named it after his company. Until his death in 1931, the farm was devoted to the preparation of standardbred horses for racing. Wright was able to produce the winner of the Hambletonian in 1931. His son took over the farm that year and converted it into a thoroughbred racing farm. Warren Wright Sr. had his first major winner with Nellie Flag in 1934. Over the sixty-eight years that the farm was in the Wright family, it became synonymous with winning. In twelve separate years Calumet horses had more wins than those of any other owner. They had eleven years in a row as the leading breeding farm. The farm produced thirty-eight divisional winners of horse of the year designations. Of course, their most notable feats were with Triple Crown winners Whirlaway and Citation. The property was held by Warren Monroe Wright’s widow until her death in 1950 and then by their son-in-law until 1992. Substantial economic setbacks caused the farm to be sold at a public auction. It was purchased by Henryk de Kwaitkowski.
Coolmore Stud
The most sought-after studs in the horse industry are found at Coolmore Stud Farm, a 350-acre spread near Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Coolmore facilities on four other continents. The Coolmore operations were established in 1975 as a partnership among owner-breeder Robert Sanster, trainer Dr. Vincent O’Brien, and stallion master John Magnier. The organization uses a dual-continent notion of sending stallions from the Northern Hemisphere to Australia for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. Fifty stallions are under Coolmore management on the five continents.
Golden Eagle Farm
John and Betty Mabee, founders of the Big Bear Grocery chain, used profits from the sale of that business and earning from the sale of the Golden Eagle Insurance Company to purchase and stock a 560-acre farm near San Diego in 1997. They now have more than 500 horses at the farm as well as a stable of broodmares they keep in Kentucky. The farms have bred in excess of 140 winners of major races. They also have produced the leading California-bred horses over several years. In 1992, the Golden Eagle Farm was the leading North American owner of racehorses. Their purses exceeded $5 million that year. The farm also led the nation in breeding fees, earning over $7 million. The Mabees earned the Eclipse Award for the leading breeders of 1991, 1997, and 1998. John Mabee was an original member of the Breeder’s Cup board of directors.
Robert and Beverly Lewis
The Lewises own Silver Charm, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 1997. Beverly and Robert Lewis started their ownership of horses in 1990. Since then they have produced Silver Charm and other champions. They have fifty-five horses that are trained for racing and another twelve broodmares. Their horses have been in training with such notables as D. Wayne Lucas, Bob Baffert, and Gary Jones. Their operations are in California, where Robert is the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and also a director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Overbrook Farm/William T. Young
Lexington, Kentucky, native William T. Young made a fortune developing Jiffy Peanut Butter and selling the brand to Procter and Gamble. These and other business ventures have enabled him to pursue Overbrook Farm in Lexington as an avocation. The farm is a 1,500-acre breeding facility that has a number of the leading horses in the nation. One leading sire is Storm Cat. Two Overbrook horses have been Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone and Belmont Stakes winner Editor’s Note. Young’s two-year-old, Boston Harbor, was the Eclipse Award winner in 1996, and Young also won the award as the outstanding breeder in 1994.
The Sheikhs of Dubai
The ruling family of oil-rich Dubai has been involved in horse racing for several generations. Among their members is Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, who has more than 300 thoroughbred stables in England, Ireland, Australia, Dubai, and the United States. He also owns 155 broodmares. In the United States, the sheikh owns the 1,350-acre Shadwell Farm in Lexington. He was the leading owner of winning mounts in England in 1995. Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum is the current ruler of Dubai. He came to notice in horse racing circles in 1981, when he and his brothers spent $6.5 million at the Keeneland July yearling sale. His major U.S. possession is the Gainsborough Farm near Versailles, Kentucky. The sheikh has 110 broodmares as well as 200 horses in training.
Stronach Stable/Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach was born in Austria, but he generated his fortune as a Canadian industrialist with Magna International, Inc. In 1998, Stronach purchased Santa Anita Park and 300 nearby acres for $126 million. He stables about 100 racing horses. One leading horse is Awesome Again, who won the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic in 1998. His Touch Gold (which he owned in a partnership) won the Belmont Stakes, keeping the Triple Crown away from Silver Charm. Stronach was the given the Eclipse Award for being the outstanding owner in 1998.
The Thoroughbred Corporation/Prince Ahmed Bin Salman al-Saud
Prince Ahmed Bin Salman al-Saud, a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, and four other partners lead the Thoroughbred Corporation. Salman and his Saudi partners have forty-five horses in training in the United States and an equal number of broodmares that are kept at the Mill Ridge Farm in Kentucky. Other horses are kept in England and Saudi Arabia, as well as at a sixteen-acre facility near Santa Anita in California. The corporation’s horses include the leading stallion, Skip Away; Breeder’s Cup winner Distaff; and Sharp Cat. The corporation’s purchase of a yearling for $1.2 million at Keeneland’s September sale in 2000 was an all-time record price for the sale.