In 1997, Sheikh Mohammed acquired his first farm in the blue grass area, the historic Raceland Farm in Paris, Kentucky, about a half hours drive from Lexington, USA.
The entrance to Raceland
The 650-acre nursery, steeped in history and tradition, is where you will find many Darley-bred yearlings grazing and running through acres of bluegrass as they are readied for the next chapter in their lives; the one that tells of their career as a racehorse.
Raceland Farm was owned by Catesby Woodford, a wealthy Paris, Kentucky distiller who became President of the Race Horse Owners' and Trainers' Association and whose New York Times obituary said "was regarded as the dean of Kentucky sportsmen." But when speaking about the early years of Raceland Farm, it’s hard to mention owner Woodford without mentioning Colonel Ezekiel Clay, who were both partners in the thoroughbred business as well as brothers-in-law.
In the early 1870s, Clay and Woodford bred thoroughbreds together at their respective Runnymede and Raceland farms. Both Cols. Clay and Woodford originally set out to race the products of their breeding enterprise, but demand for their runners soon became so outstanding that by the early 1880s the partners had initiated a production sale.
One of six barns
It was at a sale such as this in 1885 that Phil Dwyer purchased the yearling colt Hanover for the then princely sum of $1,350. Hanover would go on to be one of the greatest runners of his era, retiring in 1889 with 32 wins and record career earnings of $118,887. He would also establish himself as a foundation sire of the breed, going on to lead the general sire list for four consecutive years from 1885-’88.
Interestingly enough, when Hanover took over as the leading money-earner in the U.S., he did so at the expense of another Runnymede homebred, the great filly Miss Woodford, who was the first American horse to earn more than $100,000. Miss Woodford, who won 37 of 48 starts and $118,270, is regarded as one of the greatest American-bred fillies of all-time.
Other notable thoroughbreds resulting from this partnership include Ben Brush, winner of the 1896 Kentucky Derby. Ben Brush also became a successful sire and although his direct male line no longer exists, he continues to influence the breed. Ben Brush appears in the pedigrees of 48 of the last 50 Derby winners, including every Derby winner from 1972 onward.
Ruffian's stall
Catesby Woodford died in 1923, and in 1958, his heirs sold Raceland Farm to A. B. “Bull” Hancock, owner of Claiborne Farm. From then until 1997, when Sheikh Mohammed made the purchase, the strong tradition of raising top thoroughbreds continued at Raceland, with farm graduates that include Kentucky Derby winners Swale and Ferdinand and the outstanding filly Ruffian.
Today, many Darley-bred yearlings make Raceland their temporary home year after year. The number of yearlings housed on Raceland varies from year to year but would normally be anywhere from 75 to 100. There are six barns, and the fields range from 75 acres down to 25 acres, with a total of 11 fields. Foals are sent to Raceland in the fall and remain there until the Fall of the following year when they are then relocated to Darley's training facility in Aiken, South Carolina, training facilities in Florida, or sent overseas to Europe.
Bernardini's stall
As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and so it is with Raceland. The new ownership has nurtured old ways with respect to producing top racehorses, exemplified by the likes of Champion and Preakness winner Bernardini, Champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Tempera, English Champion Noverre, G1 winners and current Darley stallions Girolamo and Emcee, multiple G1 winner Flashing, G1 Ashland Stakes winner Little Belle and many more. And as you can see by the accompanying pictures, the tradition of placing names of famous horses on their respective stalls while at Raceland also continues to this day.
Since his purchase of Raceland, Sheikh Mohammed has acquired other properties in and around Lexington: Jonabell Farm in Lexington for stallions; Gainsborough Farm in Versailles for mares and foals; Stonerside Farm in Paris for mares and foals; James Lane Farm near Jonabell for mares and layups; and Dubai Millennium Farm near Midway, also for yearlings. Although different in their function, all have one goal in mind - to raise top thoroughbreds. That's one thing that will never change.
(a note of thanks to Brutus Clay and Runnymede Farm for allowing the use of the farm's history from their web site)
