Impressive equestrian facility for sale [Archive]

Glimmerglass

Jun. 15, 2006, 02:16 PM

I can't say that I see too many large scale training facilities for sale. I wonder with the seeming uptick of interest with racinos if the owners of this places aren't seeing their chance to 'cash out' so to speak.

Listing "Winners International Farm", Columbus, NJ (http://www.lisajamesotto.com/NJ36_38_White_Pine_Rd/nj36_38w1.htm)

... with hundreds of acres of rolling pastures and lush woods, this world-class Standardbred training facility offers the amenities and facilities needed to train, keep and breed winning horses. Located in Southern New Jersey, Winners International Farm is convenient to major New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York race tracks. Offered for $7,950,000.

It still doesn't compare price wise yet to the magnificent Hickory Tree Farm, Middleburg VA (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html)

But its in the same price region as the Nydrie Stud, Albemarle County, VA estate (http://www.luxuryhomes.com/Listing.aspx?RealEstateUID=cc79b9f8-a99c-48f6-a345-7666b182d98e) of recently retired Breeders' Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr.

On the topic of stables for sale, did by chance the Stonerside facility at Saratoga Springs, NY (http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2005/02/01/cx_sc_0201how_ls.html) ever get sold? It seemingly dropped off the market - Sotheby's Realty has no mention of it nor does the original listing agent, Roohan Realty. The 105 acre Stonerside Stable (nee Whitney Greentree) training center, which adjoins the Saratoga Race Course backstretch, had been listed for $19 million. Bill Mott had been leasing part of it as of late 2004 (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnewsarchive/ttodaysnewsviewarchive.asp?ArchiveDate=8/20/2004#47990).

Glimmerglass

Aug. 30, 2006, 03:45 PM

Reviving this old posting as there is a couple more big farms to add to it:

Upperville, VA based Llangollen Farm (acquired in 1988 by the Ash family; Roy and Lila) but formerly best know as "Liz" Whitney Tippett's estate. Tippet racers included "Liz Taylor" (NY bred winner of the 1986 running of The Bouwerie), Gone Fishin' (1958 KY Derby Runner, 8th) and Divine Comedy (1960 KY Derby Runner, 9th)

The 1,100 acre estate and extensive stables, including a well known main barn of a horseshoe design, training track, paddocks, etc plus the massive manor house: $22,000,000 with Armfield, Miller & Ripley.
Image here (http://www.flyyy.com/send.pl?card_id=28281298)

Also listed:

Old Frankfort Stud, in Lexington KY (http://www.oldfrankfortstud.com/home.html) for just a pinch under $4 million ... per the BloodHorse:

Old Frankfort Stud, home of 1992 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Lil E. Tee, is for sale. The 220-acre farm near Lexington was founded in 1993 and is owned by Jim Plemmons. Bill Ferguson manages the farm.

Located on Old Frankfort Pike near Yarnallton Road, the farm has 132 stalls, seven barns, and 35 paddocks, including eight stallion paddocks. It is priced at $17,900 per acre.

The farm stood four stallions in 2006: Lil E. Tee, Rod and Staff, Rockamundo, and Mula Gula. All four stallions stood for a private fee.

Plemmons has been unavailable for comment.

Glimmerglass

Oct. 2, 2006, 06:03 PM

Reviving this old posting as there is a couple more big farms to add to it:

Upperville, VA based Llangollen Farm (acquired in 1988 by the Ash family; Roy and Lila) but formerly best know as "Liz" Whitney Tippett's estate. Tippet racers included "Liz Taylor" (NY bred winner of the 1986 running of The Bouwerie), Gone Fishin' (1958 KY Derby Runner, 8th) and Divine Comedy (1960 KY Derby Runner, 9th)

The 1,100 acre estate and extensive stables, including a well known main barn of a horseshoe design, training track, paddocks, etc plus the massive manor house: $22,000,000 with Armfield, Miller & Ripley.
Image here (http://www.flyyy.com/send.pl?card_id=28281298)

In case anyone was looking for that perfect gift for themselves you can cross Llangollen Farm off the list.

The $22 million equestrian (notably racing) estate is now in contract for sale (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/llangollen/index.html); however the former home of Devils' Bag (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html) has yet to find a buyer and has dropped from a rate just north of $17 million to pinch under $12 million.

Practically a blue light special if someone is in need for a magnificent training facility with exceedingly few peers in design, beauty and location;)

Disclosure: I have no connection to any of these properties and would sadly see no financial gain in any of their sales.

Flameborne

Oct. 2, 2006, 10:43 PM

Boy. I think my poor horses would go from feeling over-crowded to completely alone and not know what to do with themselves there. But, imagine... they could each have their very own private barn as opposed to private stall!

So. Who's winning the lottery this week? And how chummy must I become with you to get just a sliver? <g>

daytimedrama

Oct. 2, 2006, 11:55 PM

wow some of these seem positively "cheap" in comparison to homes in Southern CA. There is a house across the street from me, hardly an acre, for 6million. I would rather have the horse property. :D

Glimmerglass

Oct. 3, 2006, 01:07 AM

I don't think I'd ever call it cheap but the very, very lovely Northwood in Oyster Bay Cove, NY (North Shore LI) (http://www.sothebysrealty.com/PropertyDetails.aspx?R=104021391&Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Nty=1&PSeq=0&N=12&Dn=0&No=0&Ntk=PropertySearch&Ns=P_USDPrice%7c1&D=*long+island*&Ntt=*long+island*) has been dropped down from $43 million to just $36 million (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzrich4899873sep22,0,6690294.story?coll=ny-business-print) for the 140 acre estate of the Schiff family.

The Schiff's have continued with their racing interest, most notably Peter Schiff (who owns Northwood Ventures, named so in honor of the family estate) and his Fox Ridge Farm, Inc. That stable owns Naughty New Yorker and Riskaverse (http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=12661) as well as steeplechasers trained by the noted Tom Voss. He also is a Jockey Club member, on the Board for NYRA, et al

While the stable configuration isn't great for race horses, I suppose it works fine for polo ponies. I was under the impression that Hampton scene rider Ashley Schiff (http://www.nysun.com/article/36902) (a neice) might keep her polo ponies there.

Before you run out to buy just remember before this mega sale ever occurs the current taxes are approx $195,120 annually so look for them to go above $250,000 post sale. I doubt a steeplechase outfit based there would ever be in the black techincally, in any given year, with the IRS :)

farmgirl88

Oct. 3, 2006, 08:12 AM

In regards to Stonerside...

If it is the same facility i am thinking of....its been awhile since i've been to saratoga...its all white with an old, old, little white house in the far back corner of the racetrack (right near the metal fencing in the wayyy back of the training barns....you can see a white barn with a smaller training track...its old. All white....if thats the place called Stonerside...i heard through the grape vine that it is now being used by Darley.....

Xctrygirl

Oct. 3, 2006, 02:29 PM

It still doesn't compare price wise yet to the magnificent Hickory Tree Farm, Middleburg VA (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html)

Thats where Lad lived and trained out of this spring. And believe me its every bit as nice in person. But even if I won the big lottery, I wouldn't be buying it. Just a bit too much property and facilities to manage, even with a fleet of hired help.

~Emily

SuperSTB

Oct. 3, 2006, 02:47 PM

I didn't know the Saratoga place was on the 'market'.

I seem to 'accidently' drive by it everytime I'm in the area- LOL. Not to mention oogle wantingly in that direction whilst wandering through the track barns or training track:D

Hmmm which credit card do I charge that too?...

Glimmerglass

Oct. 3, 2006, 02:48 PM

Thats where Lad lived and trained out of this spring. And believe me its every bit as nice in person. But even if I won the big lottery, I wouldn't be buying it. Just a bit too much property and facilities to manage, even with a fleet of hired help.

Emily that is pretty damn sweet for your Unbriddled boy :D I'd have to say leaving it must have involved a moment or two on his part of "do I have to?"

I still have the issue of SPUR magazine where they visted the estate while it was still owned by Mrs. DuPont Mills.

Glimmerglass

Oct. 3, 2006, 03:25 PM

I should've added, although it isn't grand by it sheer acreage, price, or massive accommodations this historic gem: "The Balcony", Aiken SC (http://www.aikenrelo.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings.detail/listingID/186/index.htm). The property on just under 6-acres is in the Historic District and as such has access [via dirt roads] to the Hitchcock Woods, et al for working those horses :D

From the 1970s until 1990's the property was actually home to the Aiken Day School. It became a private home again in the late 1990's. The grounds overlook the Whitney Polo Field and Training Track. From one listing: stable complex (3,929 square feet) includes 22 stalls, tack and feed rooms (http://www.aikenrelo.com/_ccLib/image/propertyListings/ADDI13-186.jpg), large loft, carriage barn and three-bay equipment shed.

The 1929 manor house and stables belonged to the legendary steeplechase/flat track/polo/driving/fox hunting owner F. Ambrose Clark (also a resident of my hometown) who had trained the champion, Tea Maker, out of Aiken (http://www.aikenracinghalloffame.com/Tea_Maker.html) and the property later passed to his nephew the polo hall of famer and leading amateur steeplechase rider G. H. "Pete" Bostwick.

(As an aside Pete when he died was reported to being the largest land owner in all of South Caroline with among his holdings Daufuskie Island; sold to International Paper in 1984 and developed into a massive Hilton Head resort)

Just a far more manageable and cheaper option too :D

Taiaute

Oct. 3, 2006, 04:01 PM

Do you know anything about who is purchasing Llangollen and what their plans are for the property?

Thanks for any insights!

Linny

Oct. 3, 2006, 10:08 PM

Stonerside was leased by the Maktoum family this summer. I'm not sure which horses if any of theirs were living there though. Tom Albertrani who trains Bernardini for Darley was in his usual spot on the backstretch, not in the Stonerside barns.
I know that Stonerside is where Sheikh Rashid and comany stayed while in town.

Xctrygirl

Oct. 4, 2006, 06:09 PM

Emily that is pretty damn sweet for your Unbriddled boy :D I'd have to say leaving it must have involved a moment or two on his part of "do I have to?"

Have I not recalled for you the return of stall "Spinning" once he left and joined me here? He skipped over stall walking and headed straight to spinning. Believe me the first month up here was ugly compared to his paradise down there.

If not for his girlfriend now, I think he would still be longing for the days in Virginia.

GIRLFRIEND: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/xctrygirl/album?.dir=59d8re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

~Emily

Glimmerglass

Oct. 5, 2006, 10:34 AM

If not for his girlfriend now, I think he would still be longing for the days in Virginia.

Love will do that :D

I'm sure he's happy now but leaving Hickory Tree would be hard on anyone - right down to the barn cats I'm sure!

ThreeHorseNight

Oct. 6, 2006, 01:12 AM

Glimmerglass

Oct. 6, 2006, 12:51 PM

Oh my. My, my, my. I grew up not far from there, and went to the beach nearby, but I grew up a whole world apart from that! No, worlds apart from that!

You should've stopped by and asked if they would've let you board your horses there :D Luckily 80 acres of the estate is under preservation easements and the community is trying to buy another 40 acre chunk of the estate - leaving just 20 for the manor house.

One does hope that if the stables are parted from the mansion and under county control that it doesn't fall into disrepair as "Caumsett" did. Although is doing better under Pal-O-Mine (http://www.pal-o-mine.org/facility.php) current leased use.

dressagedevon

Oct. 6, 2006, 01:03 PM

it is rumored to be TomKat purchasing Llangollen, that was on another post. Not sure if its true

michellllp

Oct. 6, 2006, 03:02 PM

I drive by the Columbus, NJ property pretty often and oh my my it does take your breath away. In the last couple of years quite a few large training facilities in NJ have turned into "estate" developments.

farmgirl88

Oct. 6, 2006, 08:59 PM

NOpe, Darley did have horses at the barns...it was the training stable for them according to my sources..:)

VirginiaBred

Oct. 6, 2006, 11:08 PM

Do you know anything about who is purchasing Llangollen and what their plans are for the property?

Thanks for any insights!

See the thread on Off Course entitled, Tom Cruise for your answer to this question..............;)

Glimmerglass

Jan. 8, 2007, 07:32 PM

Slow down of the real estate market? I think not.

The magnificent Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg, VA (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html), the stables of the late Mrs. DuPont Mills (most notably the runner Devil's Bag) is now under contract. Hopefully the buyer is snatching up the entire offering and not the recently broken up two parts.

An equisite offering!

Still available but the price reduced is the architecturally magnificent Nydrie Stud, Albemarle County, VA estate of recently retired Breeders' Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr.: $6.75 million for the historic 592 acre stables (http://www.landofc.com/listings/files/2/200511111247Nydrie%20Broch.pdf?PHPSESSID=cbc144675 4330f0c13aee17d16a1d32f).

Xctrygirl

Jan. 8, 2007, 08:23 PM

Oh Lad will be so sad.

His temp home is gonna be sold. Boo Hoo. J/K. He wouldn't leave his girlfriend now for all the tea in China,

~Emily

merrygoround

Jan. 8, 2007, 08:48 PM

Whoa, never realised Pete Bostwick was related to the Clark's. Somehow all that money seems to have chukkered away.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 8, 2007, 09:39 PM

Whoa, never realised Pete Bostwick was related to the Clark's. Somehow all that money seems to have chukkered away.

A funny pun there :D

Pete's mother was Marie Stokes and Ambrose Clark's wife was Florence Stokes, her sister.

The legendary Pete who you could say happily died in the saddle during a polo match (heart attack) was of Standard Oil money. So the Singer sewing machine fortune of Brose was almost unnecessary and only a minor portion left to Pete and others after his death in '64. Brose left much of his property and possessions outside of Cooperstown to various entities, but the core of his fortune remained with the family trust/foundation which still exists today.

Pete's famous Village Farms Polo field in Gilbertsville, NY [his stepfather was a member of the community's founder] is still there as are the numerous stables, outbuilding, cottages and the like. Other Bostwick family members still have property there and of course in South Carolina.

A rather interesting family, the Bostwicks.

One of Pete's late sisters, Dorothy Stokes Bostwick Campbell continued to live in Cooperstown (like Brose) at her magnificent estate - Leatherstocking Falls - and in Florida until her death in 2001. She was perhaps the least "horsey" of them all. Instead of horses she had the first helicopter pilots licenses issued for a woman and was also a champion yachatsman along with her first husband.

His other sister, Lillian Bostwick Phipps, who died in 1987, owned the champion jump er Neji and was married to Ogden Mills Phipps (deceased '02). Her surving son Ogden is pretty well known in the racing world ;)

His brother Dunbar Bostwick, who died in 2006, was a polo player like Pete and had a 6-goal handicap. Based in Vermont he would be inducted into the Trotter Hall of Fame. Some interesting elements from his obit in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/28/sports/othersports/28BOSTWICK.html?ex=1296104400&en=0c0627e160dd748e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss):

He bred, trained and raced winning standard-bred trotters, including Boyne, Nibble Hanover, Chris Spencer, Kuno, Speedy Tomali (named New Jersey Horse of the Year in 1986) and Super Speedy. His most famous horse, Chris Spencer, ended a successful year lame as a 2-year-old, prompting Mr. Bostwick to use a now-common practice of swimming horses to train them.

He did so twice a day, piloting a small motorboat on Lake Champlain and making the horse perform the trot without the weight of pounding a dirt track. Chris Spencer made a celebrated comeback, training in Vermont and even traveling by air to California to win the prestigious Hollywood Stakes race in 1952.

They don't seem to make sporting families quite like the Bostwick-Clark-Phipps clans any more in America.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 18, 2007, 11:16 AM

On the topic of stables for sale, did by chance the Stonerside facility at Saratoga Springs, NY (http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2005/02/01/cx_sc_0201how_ls.html) ever get sold? It seemingly dropped off the market - Sotheby's Realty has no mention of it nor does the original listing agent, Roohan Realty. The 105 acre Stonerside Stable (nee Whitney Greentree) training center, which adjoins the Saratoga Race Course backstretch, had been listed for $19 million.

SOLD to none other then the family with all the toys - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Saratoga's legendary Stonerside farms is sold for $17.5M to train horses like Travers winner Bernardini

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
Albany Times Union (http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=554872)
Thursday, January 18, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The ruler of Dubai has purchased Stonerside Stable, a prestigious 106-acre horse farm that adjoins Saratoga Race Course, for nearly $17.5 million.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who leads the tiny Persian Gulf nation, bought the huge parcel on Nelson Avenue from Robert and Janice McNair, owners of the NFL's Houston Texans, according to a property transfer filed in the Saratoga County clerk's office.

Jimmy Bell, president of the Lexington, Ky.-based Darley Stud Management, which is owned by Sheikh Mohammed, came to Saratoga Springs Tuesday and closed on the property, he said.

The McNairs had bought it and an additional 14 acres east of the Northway eight years ago for $5.5 million. Sheikh Mohammed will continue using the farm to train and race horses, Bell said.

"I could tell you what people think of it, but horses think more of it," Bell said. "It's just a great, relaxing environment for these young horses to develop and thrive, and Sheikh Mohammed is always interested in providing his horses the best environment."

The farm includes a one-mile training track, 46 stalls in two stables, a mansion and a dairy barn that has been converted to an Adirondack-style lodge.

Conflicts between Robert McNair's racing and football training seasons were behind the decision to sell, Stonerside Stable business manager David Sorrell said in 2004, when the property was first made available. Darley Stud Management has leased the farm from Stonerside the last two thoroughbred racing seasons.

The property was marketed locally by Tom Roohan of Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs, who could not be reached for comment. In 2004, its assessed value was $6 million, according to city property records. A current assessed value could not be obtained Wednesday.

Darley anticipates renovating the on-site oval to include a new synthetic Polytrack surface, Bell said. The company presently has no plans to build more stalls or housing on the site, he said.

"The emphasis is really about the horses," Bell said. "Having been guests of the property, you can tell the positive impact on the horse's overall attitudes, and they appeared to thrive in that environment. This is an opportunity to give these horses every chance to be successful on the racetrack."

Darley's Bernardini, winner of Saratoga Race Course's Travers Stakes in 2006, trained as a 2-year-old at Stonerside, Bell said.

The farm is separated from the track property by a gate.

Betsey Cushing Whitney and her husband, the late John Hay "Jock" Whitney, had owned the property for decades.

Bell said it was doubtful the ruler of Dubai could ever find time to visit his new estate.

"Sheikh Mohammed has numerous farms throughout the world, and one thing that can be said is that he and the Maktoum family are great stewards of the land," Bell said.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 18, 2007, 06:14 PM

Regarding McNair's ownership of the former Greentree Stables there in Saratoga: BloodHorse 1-18-07 (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=37138)

In a statement released by Stonerside, Robert McNair noted that "Janice and I have enjoyed our time at our Saratoga home, but since buying the Houston Texans of the National Football League, we've been unable to spend as much time in Saratoga as we had planned to." The McNairs had purchased the one-time John Hay and Betsey Whitney estate in the late '90s for $5.5 million, and had done extensive renovation to the home and property.

The McNairs never did have horses on the property, which was leased for the first couple of years they owned it to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, then to Sheikh Mohammed's Darley operation. The McNairs listed the property for sale in 2004, then took it off the market one year later, subsequently leasing it once again to Darley for the past two years.

Never used the perfectly located facility for Stonerside horses .. amazing!

Glimmerglass

Feb. 21, 2007, 02:17 PM

If you enjoyed Seabiscuit here is where some of it was filmed ...

Stony Oak Training Facility, Bourbon Co, KY near Claborne, et al $7,500,000 605 Acres (http://www.justicerealestate.net/StonyOak.html)

The stone bridge overwhich Seabiscuit gallops when "allowed to just be a horse again" is part of this estate.

It has an indoor, covered 1/8 mi track. The private outdoor 1-mile oval dirt track is registered with Daily Racing Form for published works. It has a 1 1/16 turf gallop track, etc.

Glimmerglass

Feb. 21, 2007, 03:11 PM

The music video to promote the StonyOak facility (http://www.justicerealestate.net/StonyOakphotos.mov) is something right out of [i]Wildfire. Interesting music choice ...

InVA

Feb. 21, 2007, 03:22 PM

InVA

Feb. 21, 2007, 03:28 PM

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2125989]Slow down of the real estate market? I think not.

The magnificent Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg, VA (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html), the stables of the late Mrs. DuPont Mills (most notably the runner Devil's Bag) is now under contract. Hopefully the buyer is snatching up the entire offering and not the recently broken up two parts.

QUOTE]

I do believe they bought the entire thing - both "parcels". And they are keeping the employees and tenants...

Glimmerglass

Feb. 21, 2007, 03:38 PM

Slow down of the real estate market? I think not.

The magnificent Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg, VA (http://www.armfieldmillerripley.com/properties/hickorytree/index.html), the stables of the late Mrs. DuPont Mills (most notably the runner Devil's Bag) is now under contract. Hopefully the buyer is snatching up the entire offering and not the recently broken up two parts.

I do believe they bought the entire thing - both "parcels". And they are keeping the employees and tenants...

"They" being who I understood was James R. and Mary Lea Treptow of Warrenton ... CEO and Chairman/Magellan Resources .. I could be wrong

Glimmerglass

Feb. 22, 2007, 01:49 AM

Stony Oak Training Facility, Bourbon Co, KY near Claborne, et al $7,500,000 605 Acres (http://www.justicerealestate.net/StonyOak.html)

While they share video from Seabiscuit - video clip in question (http://www.justicerealestate.net/seaclip.mov) - in the real estate promo it is worth pointing out a slight bit of geography.

The film's riding scene actually begins on Stoner Mill Farm, which was also [like Stony Oak] a part of Xalapa. Stoner Mill contains the scene's smaller bridge and cemetery. The rest of Seabiscuit's emancipating run was shot on Stony Oak.

DanniS

Feb. 28, 2007, 09:18 AM

Thanks to all who have posted on this thread, especially Glimmerglass.
This is wonderful viewing and reading.
These properties are what dreams are made of, just gorgeous.

Please keep posting as I'd love to see more of the properties in the US
Better than poor little old, drought-ridden Australia:(

DanniS

Feb. 28, 2007, 09:32 AM

Thought I'd offer up one of our biggest.

http://www.realestate.com.au/realestate/agent/hale+real+estate+south+australia/zpcahy/page3/7099801

InVA

Feb. 28, 2007, 09:44 AM

"They" being who I understood was James R. and Mary Lea Treptow of Warrenton ... CEO and Chairman/Magellan Resources .. I could be wrong

You are correct.

Drvmb1ggl3

Feb. 28, 2007, 10:46 AM

Glimmerglass

Feb. 28, 2007, 11:14 AM

Try this one (http://www.offalyproperty.com/kinnitty_castle.htm?gclid=CP-kw8qy0YoCFTjTJAod8jJ2gw)
€14m (around $18m) seems like a lot for 61 acres, but you're surrounded by a National park and forest, so plenty of trails and the house itself isn't bad I suppose.

Interesting. I was always partial to once famed polo-playing Ms. Renata Coleman's "Humewood Castle" (http://www.humewood.com/hume1.html) which was sold not too long ago for continued development. I have a lovely brochure for the property :) Purchased for €25m to Galway developer John Lally it was brilliant deal for Coleman who bought it for under €1.2m in 1992.

It was everything anyone could ever want - and also not need or be able to enjoy alone - on the Emerald Isle who is into horses and countryside.

Glimmerglass

Apr. 19, 2007, 11:32 PM

Back on the market - Highland Farms for $19.5 million in Bourbon Co, Kentucky (http://www.justicerealestate.net/2001Winchester.html) a far cry from what it was pitched for in around 2001/2002.

The stables portion on 417 acres [which was the birth place of Derby Winner Gato Del Sol] is on the market for another $5.2 million or so (http://www.justicerealestate.net/1855WinchesterRoad.html).

At that time the whole 2,000 acre estate was listed for $40 million to $60 million. (Today the mansion alone is listed on just 270 acres) For the $60 M price tag back then (http://www.magnificentproperties.com/kentucky_horse_farm) you got "one Kentucky Derby winner - Real Quite, 115 breed mares, 30 barns and 19 other homes" plus the 35,000 sq ft. stone mansion.

The property was built by George Hofmeister who lost most of his fortune due to a series of unfortunate circumstances. A head on collision with a delivery truck in Nov 1998 made things worse. In fact he was in a wheelchair for five months afterwards. Per his attorney at the time "unable to oversee dozens of businesses across the world, his net worth declined from $196.7 million to negative $6.5 million."

George also went on to sue a number of folks including Bob Baffert and Mike Pegram (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2001/November/13/Real-Quiet-lawsuit-headed-to-court.aspx) over Real Quiet then later a number of insurance companies.

LyndaPellitteri31

Apr. 20, 2007, 03:20 AM

This thread has been absolutely fascinating!!! I LOVE IT!!!:D It is soo neat hearing stories about the "old" families and these farms, and seeing these pictures. What gorgeous places. It is so sad to see them sold as parcels. I guess that having these places just isn't economically viable anymore. I mean, I sure wouldn't buy one, but it sure is nice to see people that can afford them and keep them together.

QHJockee

Apr. 21, 2007, 10:46 PM

While we're at it, the old Wraparound training center adjacent to LA Downs is up for sale at a mere $3million....of which I wouldn't pay $300,000 for it! Back when the listing of this property was still a rumor, Harrah's was also rumored to be interested.

River Point Equestrian Center (http://www.lacdb.com/jsp/listings/listing_overview.jsp?listingID=1096649)

PS This is the training center where a majority of Ruffian was filmed.

Weatherford

Apr. 22, 2007, 04:28 AM

special

Apr. 22, 2007, 10:03 AM

Acertainsmile

Apr. 23, 2007, 10:13 PM

Wondering if they sold Old Frankfort Stud?? We had a couple of horses for Mr. Plemmons last year, didnt know his farm was for sale....

Glimmerglass

Jun. 15, 2007, 06:41 PM

re: valuation of Saratoga Springs' largest household, the Breyo property at 51 Winding Brook Drive

Albany Times Union June 15, 2007 - "Spa panel: $20M home value stands" (http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=598204&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=6/15/2007)

The assessment now stands as it is, and would cost its owner $436,000 in annual taxes. But Breyo, who could not be reached for comment, can now challenge the board's ruling through an Article 7 lawsuit.

The city assesses property at 83 percent of market value. (At 83 percent, the annual property taxes would be $98,000 for the city, $56,000 for the county and $282,000 for Saratoga Springs School District.) Franck's full valuation of the Breyo's home and 29-acre property was $24 million.

In light of this Westchester if not Fairfield like county assessment / property valuation for a Saratoga residence you have to wonder how much Sheik Mo will be assessed with the former Greentree Stables and mansion!

SOLD to none other then the family with all the toys - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Saratoga's legendary Stonerside farms is sold for $17.5M to train horses like Travers winner Bernardini

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
Albany Times Union
Thursday, January 18, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The ruler of Dubai has purchased Stonerside Stable, a prestigious 106-acre horse farm that adjoins Saratoga Race Course, for nearly $17.5 million.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who leads the tiny Persian Gulf nation, bought the huge parcel on Nelson Avenue from Robert and Janice McNair, owners of the NFL's Houston Texans, according to a property transfer filed in the Saratoga County clerk's office.

The farm includes a one-mile training track, 46 stalls in two stables, a mansion and a dairy barn that has been converted to an Adirondack-style lodge.

The property was marketed locally by Tom Roohan of Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs, who could not be reached for comment. In 2004, its assessed value was $6 million, according to city property records. A current assessed value could not be obtained Wednesday.

Darley anticipates renovating the on-site oval to include a new synthetic Polytrack surface, Bell said. The company presently has no plans to build more stalls or housing on the site, he said.

Edited to add: for the record: Saratoga Race Course is assessed with a land value (http://www.oarsystem.com/ny/saratogasprings/subject.asp?swis=411589&sbl=17900000020010000000) of $6.3 million and total with buildings at only $40.68 million.

msj

Jun. 19, 2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:
The assessment now stands as it is, and would cost its owner $436,000 in annual taxes. But Breyo, who could not be reached for comment, can now challenge the board's ruling through an Article 7 lawsuit.

The city assesses property at 83 percent of market value. (At 83 percent, the annual property taxes would be $98,000 for the city, $56,000 for the county and $282,000 for Saratoga Springs School District.) Franck's full valuation of the Breyo's home and 29-acre property was $24 million.

WOW!! :eek: And I thought my taxes were bad...:( :rolleyes: Good old NY - they don't call NY the "land of taxes" for nothing. :(

Glimmerglass

Jun. 19, 2007, 03:09 PM

Not that I would consider this estate's stabling (which is barely shown in the pictures) as being "wow", the prior ownership is however interesting:

Clovely Estate, Warrenton Virginia, on 124 acres with 30-stalls (http://www.reutersinc.com/bin/web/real_estate/AR75880/ACTIVATE_FRAMES/HOME_SEARCH/Middleburg/1119355690.html)

The c.1728 stone/brick/clapboard manor house was owned for a period of many years by Texas multi-millionaire Nelson Bunker Hunt, who operated the estate as a thoroughbred racing and breeding facility.

Hunt, best known outside of racing circles, as the spectacularly failed co-architect of the attempt to corner the world's silver market via his International Metals Investment Co. LTD in 1979/1980. He declared bankruptcy in September 1988. A famous Hunt quote: "People who know how much they're worth generally aren't worth too much."

Racing wise he was of course once a major player with horses such as his two favorites: the great filly Dahlia and the famed hard charger Exceller. 3-times a winner of an Eclipse for being a Champion Breeder, etc.

Nelson, wasn't poor despite the bankruptcy, and per this 2001 Forbes Magazine article (http://members.forbes.com/forbes/2001/1008/224.html) was begining to return to horse racing at the start of this millennium.

Who knows maybe there are some "pieces of eight" burried on the Clovely property :D

Glimmerglass

Jul. 16, 2007, 05:15 PM

I don't think I'd ever call it cheap but the very, very lovely Northwood in Oyster Bay Cove, NY (North Shore LI) (http://www.sothebysrealty.com/PropertyDetails.aspx?R=104021391&Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Nty=1&PSeq=0&N=12&Dn=0&No=0&Ntk=PropertySearch&Ns=P_USDPrice%7c1&D=*long+island*&Ntt=*long+island*) has been dropped down from $43 million to just $36 million (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzrich4899873sep22,0,6690294.story?coll=ny-business-print) for the 140 acre estate of the Schiff family.

The Schiff's have continued with their racing interest, most notably Peter Schiff (who owns Northwood Ventures, named so in honor of the family estate) and his Fox Ridge Farm, Inc. That stable owns Naughty New Yorker and Riskaverse (http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=12661) as well as steeplechasers trained by the noted Tom Voss. He also is a Jockey Club member, on the Board for NYRA, et al

Before you run out to buy just remember before this mega sale ever occurs the current taxes are approx $195,120 annually so look for them to go above $250,000 post sale. I doubt a steeplechase outfit based there would ever be in the black techincally, in any given year, with the IRS :)

Just as a follow up ... this property is almost gone ...
NY Newsday July 13, 2007 "County to close on part of Gold Coast estate" (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bznort0713-story,0,2806648.story?coll=ny-business-leadheadlines)

excerpt

Nassau County will close Tuesday on an $11 million deal for a 33.5-acre chunk of Northwood Estate in Oyster Bay Cove.

Tuesday's closing will leave about 26 acres left of Northwood left for sale, a $20 million asking price that includes the 10-bedroom, French Norman- style mansion that the current owners renovated two years ago.

Glimmerglass

Dec. 20, 2007, 12:34 AM

Carol Ames

Dec. 20, 2007, 01:15 AM

sounds interesting; Are they looking to hire??

Glimmerglass

Dec. 20, 2007, 09:35 AM

Just worth mentioning - Lexington, KY based 315 acre Hurricane Hall (http://www.justicerealestate.net/HurricaneHall.html) the c.1790 historic estate and thoroughbred training and breeding facility is for sale at almost $9.3 million.

The centerpiece of the thoroughbred operation is its new one mile uphill polytrack designed to exacting standards and constructed by Keeneland and Martin Collins. Adjacent to the track is a new 1/8 mile circular covered polytrack indoor ride.

It does not appear that Teuflesberg (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2007/December/04/Teuflesberg-to-stand-initial-season-at-Hurricane-Hall.aspx) comes with the deal, despite standing in 2008 at that facility ;)

Texarkana

Dec. 20, 2007, 09:41 AM

Dang, that's a pretty sweet property. I think I might have to go ask the bank what I'd have to do to get a mortgage for $9 million, besides sell them my first born child and my soul...

Glimmerglass

Dec. 20, 2007, 10:11 AM

Texarkana

Dec. 20, 2007, 10:46 AM

Interesting timing but yesterday it was announced Silver Wagon will also stand at Hurricane Hall (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2007/December/18/Silver-Wagon-to-stand-at-Hurricane-Hall.aspx); he joins Artie Schiller, Bellamy Road, and English Channel plus the aforementioned Teuflesberg.

Where are they going if the property sells? I assume they're just moving locations if they're still adding stallions to the roster.

Glimmerglass

Dec. 28, 2007, 11:04 AM

As an aside and not for sale, but certainly costing a very pretty penny or rather euro ...

Ireland's Limerick Leader Dec 28, 2007 "Further setback for McManus estate" (http://www.limerickleader.ie/3419/Further-setback-for-McManus-estate.3625615.jp)

RACING tycoon JP McManus's plans to complete his €100m mansion has suffered a further setback after planners have decided to delay a decision on whether to allow construction for a grand entrance to go ahead.

Construction actually started in August 2004 on the 38,372 square foot mansion (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/construction-starts-on-jp-mcmanus-mansion-mother-of-all-stately-homes-483407.html)

Worth noting that while an Irish citizen McManus is actually a tax exile (http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2002/03/03/story98702728.asp) in Geneva, Switzerland. What does that mean? For a maximum 280 days he is allowed to spend in Ireland in any two-year period and retain his status as a Irish tax exile.

Anyhow, it (or Martinstown Stud) will make for a nice retirement home for his (partially owned) The Green Monkey :D

Glimmerglass

Jan. 12, 2008, 04:31 PM

Not sure what this means for the Grand Slam of Grass in 2008. The $1 million Virginia Derby is still on the schedule to be broadcasted live on CBS on July 19, 2008

In case anyone is interested in buy an entire race course .... (as spied by equidaily.com)

January 12, 2008 Richmond Times-Dispatch "Colonial Downs is for sale" (http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-01-12-0164.html)

Jacobs said the sale of Colonial Downs will be handled by Libra Securities, which specializes in the sale of smalland medium-size gaming properties.

BloodHorse 1-12-08 "Report: Colonial Downs on Market" (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43115)

Jacobs said in the statement as reported by the newspaper: “Unfortunately, we have been unable to secure the tools necessary to allow us to grow live racing in Virginia to its full potential.”

Glimmerglass

Jan. 28, 2008, 10:04 PM

Just worth mentioning - Lexington, KY based 315 acre Hurricane Hall (http://www.justicerealestate.net/HurricaneHall.html) the c.1790 historic estate and thoroughbred training and breeding facility is for sale at almost $9.3 million.

It does not appear that Teuflesberg (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2007/December/04/Teuflesberg-to-stand-initial-season-at-Hurricane-Hall.aspx) comes with the deal, despite standing in 2008 at that facility ;)

Look who is in contract to buy the training part of the estate (Jan 28, 2008) (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43377):

The training division at Hurricane Hall near Lexington is under contract to be sold to suspended trainer Patrick Biancone and one of his longtime clients, Fabien Ouaki, said farm president Ben Walden Jr. on Jan. 24. The deal is scheduled to close within 90 days, according to Walden.

"We are focusing on the stallions," said Walden of the decision to sell Hurricane Hall's training operation. "The stallions have always been the heart and soul of our business plan. They're where we see our future."

Interesting ....

Barnfairy

Jan. 28, 2008, 10:15 PM

So...in this way Biancone will be able to continue day to day training while he is suspended?

Texarkana

Jan. 28, 2008, 10:45 PM

So...in this way Biancone will be able to continue day to day training while he is suspended?

Yup, and he can keep his snake venom in the fridge without worry. :lol:
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Drvmb1ggl3

Jan. 28, 2008, 11:38 PM

So...in this way Biancone will be able to continue day to day training while he is suspended?

He wouldn't anywhere else. How come they don't do farm inspections in US racing jurisdictions?

Glimmerglass

Jan. 29, 2008, 10:53 AM

How come they don't do farm inspections in US racing jurisdictions?

Well the US Constitution was written with a very specific intent, and that was to keep the law out of private homes unless there is a written document signed by a judge and based on probable cause. I'd hate to see the ACLU brought in to defend Patrick.

That said it's a shame this farm in Lexington already has taken the more suited name (http://www.cobrafarm.com/) ;) Although that farm is named for the golf club company of the same name and was renamed after once having been Due Process Farm. It's prior owner (jailed swindler Robert Brennan) and that choice of name is almost sick.

JER

Jan. 29, 2008, 11:29 AM

How did Biancone get into the US with his prior record in Europe and HK? I realize it was before 9/11 but still, you'd think a guy who'd traveled the globe seeking new jurisdictions in which to operate -- and had the record to prove it -- would have a hard time getting a US work visa and a state license.

Must me something to do with money. I've heard it works.

Drvmb1ggl3

Jan. 29, 2008, 11:51 AM

Well the US Constitution was written with a very specific intent, and that was to keep the law out of private homes unless there is a written document signed by a judge and based on probable cause. I'd hate to see the ACLU brought in to defend Patrick.

LOL.
You make it a condition of getting a trainers lisence, just like they do elsewhere. So if someone is supposedly training out of said farm, i.e one of Biancone's surrogates, an inspector shows up and checks the joint out. If he's ruled off then he can't be on a premises where horses are trained.
No need to go waiving the constitution.

Linny

Jan. 29, 2008, 12:34 PM

Drvmb1ggl3

Jan. 29, 2008, 03:56 PM

In the horseshow world trainers get baned and keep training because they are banned from participating in shows, not operating a training business.

I don't know the extent of Biancone's ban but I do know that he's not permitted to operate a racing stable in his name. I would guess that he gets around the rule by operating a private facility with no horses running in his name. He doesn't need a license to train horses on his own property.

Considering his international reputation, I am not sure why any state would have granted him a license but sadly this kind of thing happens alot.

Since most training of racehorses is done on track, farm inspections simply don't occur here. Shy of making him where a tracking device there is no maner of keeping Biancone away from race horses. Trainers who break and start horses and who work with them at re-hab farms (coming back from injury etc) are often not licensed as they don't enter horse to race in their name.

Show horse trainers are not lisenced by a state governing body. Race horse trainers are.
In that sense training on a farm is no different than other forms of businesss that are state of federal liscenced like for example Day Care centers, Slaughter house etc etc, all of which are subject to routine randon checks. There is no constitutional infringment involved.

Sure, there is nothing to stop Biancone buying a farm and having horses on it. But if those horses race they have to run under someone's name. All the authorities would have to do is ask the "trainer" (the person who's name the run under) to see his facility. IF they show up and portly PAt is standing on the side of the gallops giving instructions, then everyone is in a heap of trouble. If the "trainer" has a seperate facility somewhere or a bunch of empty stalls at the track, then they ask to see the horses, and if they are not present (because they are over at Pat's) then he has some serious explaining to do. That is how it is done elsewhere.

If Biancone is allowed to set up and train clandestinly then it makes a mockery of the sport of racing. It's bad enough that the likes of Asmussen can get a suspension and then hand off their whole operation to Blasi and business continues as normal withou missing a beat. It's not good for racing.
If you're ruled off, you should be ruled off, which means you should be barred from tracks and all training facilities, public and private.

pinkdiamondracing

Jan. 29, 2008, 07:24 PM

Unfortunately, the Asmussen/Blasi thing is the whole reason the Biancone incident ended up the way it did..Sadly for the horses, Patrick the Butcher is going to be able to circumnavigate the rules once again, all the while laughing in the face of the horse racing authorities. IMHO he should have been asked to leave the country and never return, just like he was in Hong Kong

miss_critic

Jan. 29, 2008, 09:20 PM

Unfortunately, the Asmussen/Blasi thing is the whole reason the Biancone incident ended up the way it did

What do you mean?

Blacklabs

Feb. 3, 2008, 09:58 PM

Here's another wonderful property up for sale and home to "Hank" from the Budweiser commercial on the Super Bowl this evening.They raise Clydesdales.

http://www.beaverchasefarms.com/ForSale0.htm. Note page 7 with the collection of vehicles.

"Nestled just off the dining, shopping, and recreational tourist pathways of Boyne, Charlevoix, Bay Harbour, and Pestosky, is Michigan’s premier equestrian estate. Today, the beaver have turned over their lake, forest, and meadows to a truly magnificent “up North” estate

The estate’s design focuses on both elegant country living and entertainment. Its main residence, stable apartments, and cabin-in-the-woods provide over 10,000 square feet of living space, eight bedrooms, eight full and two half-baths, a free-standing, completely equipped and heated collector car garage, and countless other amenities.

The stables include a150 x 250 foot riding arena, fully equipped tack, kitchen and bathroom, nine super-sized stalls, ample storage for hay, feed, and equipment, and two free-standing pasture barns. Fencing and paddocks? There are miles…

No expense was spared in creating this truly elegant country living experience. Add the ten-minute drive to some of the Midwest’s top-rated restaurants and private airport access, and Beaver Chase Farms proves itself a one-of-a-kind offering."

"The Stables – Equestrian Elegance

Currently home to championship Clydesdale breeders, the stables offer all the amenities needed by the true enthusiast. The stables offer nine large stalls, spacious aisle way, tack, and storage space. Heated watering, stall drainage, sliding stall windows, and a large birthing stall provide for easy care. A kitchen-tack room, full bath, and laundry room add to the ease of operations. A nearly 35,000 square foot riding arena with halogen lighting, overhead sprinklers and large gated doors provides comfort all year round."

Glimmerglass

Feb. 10, 2008, 09:41 PM

Glimmerglass

Mar. 13, 2008, 11:33 PM

Sale of the historic Bluegrass Heights Farm near Lexington, located at the corner of Old Frankfort Pike and Alexandria Drive.

BloodHorse 3-13-08 "Padua Buys Bluegrass Heights Farm" (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=44055)

Satish and Anne Sanan bought the property from the Davis family — Horace “Colonel” Davis III, his wife Kathi, and mother Marian — for an undisclosed price. The approximately 275-acre farm adjoins Three Chimneys’ Old Bradley Place division and will be managed by, and become an operational division of, Robert and Blythe Clay’s Three Chimneys Farm.

Interesting story of the property owner:

The farm foaled and raised two Kentucky Derby winners—Black Gold (1924) and Burgoo King (1932).

Black Gold, who has one of the most romantic stories in Thoroughbred racing, is out of the mare Useeit, who was raced by Al Hoots.

In 1916, Hoots and his mare were banned from racing for life when he refused (with a shotgun in hand) to surrender her after she was claimed from a race. Hoots, a year later on his deathbed, dreamed that his mare would become the dam of the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

Before he died, Hoots made his wife promise to breed Useeit specifically to Black Toney. Three years later, after oil had been struck on Hoots land, Mrs. Hoots fulfilled her promise to her husband, sent Useeit to Bluegrass Heights Farm to be bred to E.R. Bradley’s Black Toney, and the resulting foal was Black Gold.

Glimmerglass

Mar. 13, 2008, 11:37 PM

Another Lexington property that was used in the movie Seabiscuit:

Lexington KY - Xalapa Training Center - $8.125 million (http://www.justicerealestate.net/AlmagestFarm.html)

Video clip - Seabiscuit shot at Xalpa (http://www.justicerealestate.net/seaclip.mov)

Glimmerglass

Mar. 24, 2008, 04:00 PM

This deal makes Mo's purchase of the former Whitney Greentree stable complex next to Saratoga Race Course for under $20M like it was merely pin money!

DRF 3-24-08 "Sheikh Mohammed buys Aussie operation" (http://www.drf.com/news/article/93175.html)

In a deal worth about $453 million, Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum has privately purchased Bob Ingham’s entire Woodlands Stud operation in Australia, adding 9,000 acres and about 1,000 horses to his worldwide Thoroughbred empire.

Worth noting I belive that is $453M AU$ which is with the sliding US dollar about $410 million USD.

Acertainsmile

Mar. 24, 2008, 08:56 PM

I can't say I'm familiar with the name, but the Tacaro Farm (and estate) has been on the market for a few years now.

The price has dropped from a bit north of $5M down to $4.3 million today. The 1930 brick estate in Tracy's Landing, MD with European-style brick stables and barns is purportedly "a very prominent horse property". However I could find just one citation of the farm with horses in a recent Maryland Thoroughbred newsletter. Without an onsite training track I suppose it's not worth mentioning but perhaps someone knows the name.

Virtual Tour of Tacaro Farm (http://www.homevisit.com/tour/mrisTour.asp?id=23869)

Listing - Tacaro Farm , Tracys Landing, MD (http://www.horseproperties.net/index.php?option=com_hotproperty&task=view&id=580&Itemid=27)

I'm familiar with this farm... we had a client who kept a mare there... and I was less than impressed. The barns are old cattle barns, (I think they bred some kind of fancy cows) the stalls have low ceilings, and in one barn there is a room with a huge fireplace where they burn the trash a few times a week.. Way to close to the horses, and enough smoke to gag you.

The house is lovely though!

Drvmb1ggl3

Mar. 25, 2008, 10:31 AM

This deal makes Mo's purchase of the former Whitney Greentree stable complex next to Saratoga Race Course for under $20M like it was merely pin money!

DRF 3-24-08 "Sheikh Mohammed buys Aussie operation" (http://www.drf.com/news/article/93175.html)

Worth noting I belive that is $453M AU$ which is with the sliding US dollar about $410 million USD.

People might not be grasping the significance of this transcation. This is the single biggest bloodstock deal in history..... Half a BILLION dollars. That's more than they were willing to pay for Liverpool FC a year ago. It's on such a grand scale that the deal is subject to approval by the Australian government's Foreign Investment Review Board.
Mind boggling.
This, with their increasing interest in Japan, plus the large chunks of real estate they've owned in Kentucky, Ireland, England, France and already in Aus, makes for quite an empire the McToums have now.

Glimmerglass

Mar. 25, 2008, 10:47 AM

People might not be grasping the significance of this transcation. This is the single biggest bloodstock deal in history..... Half a BILLION dollars.

Agreed that it is impressive (and frankly blew me away when I saw it) and then of course both good and bad. Good in that such a massive investment is being made in to racing in general and bad in that it only further tightens the grip by one player on the global industry.

By comparison: Stock "MECA" - Magna Entertainment Corp which owns Gulfstream Park and the Maryland Jockey Club (http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=MECA) - plus the Maryland tracks has a total market cap of just $40 million US. Yep, less then 1/10th the purchase made by Mo yesterday of a mega farm. Or if you want to look at it another way equal to the purchase of 2 and 1/2 Green Monkeys.

Texarkana

Mar. 25, 2008, 10:52 AM

Or if you want to look at it another way equal to the purchase of 2 and 1/2 Green Monkeys.

What would be a worse investment-- purchasing 2 1/2 Green Monkeys or the Maryland Jockey Club? It's a tough call... :lol:

Glimmerglass

Apr. 8, 2008, 05:15 PM

It has been on the market quietly for a while, price undisclosed, one-time partner in Curlin: Satish and Anne Sanan’s Padua Stables (http://www.paduastables.com/) of which their operation relocated from FL to Kentucky (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2007/July/27/Padua-Stables-to-relocate-to-Kentucky.aspx):

Listing - Ocala, FL Padua Stables on 769-acres (http://www.joanpletcher.com/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=53) including a 1-mi turf course. One curious item is the listing agent - Joan Pletcher - any relation to Todd?

Link goes to a video of the property, etc.

Glimmerglass

Apr. 22, 2008, 05:54 PM

Look who is in contract to buy the training part of the estate (Jan 28, 2008) (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43377):

The training division at Hurricane Hall near Lexington is under contract to be sold to suspended trainer Patrick Biancone and one of his longtime clients, Fabien Ouaki, said farm president Ben Walden Jr. on Jan. 24. The deal is scheduled to close within 90 days, according to Walden.

"We are focusing on the stallions," said Walden of the decision to sell Hurricane Hall's training operation. "The stallions have always been the heart and soul of our business plan."

It would appear that this purchase is what has gotten Patrick (possibly) in trouble again with the Kentucky authorities. DRF 4-22 "Biancone faces new probe" (http://www.drf.com/news/article/93896.html)

Excerpt

Under an agreement that Biancone accepted with the authority in October, he was prohibited from training horses or setting foot on any racetrack grounds for a six-month period, from Nov. 1 to May 1, with the exception of the Keeneland January sale.

In January, Biancone and a partner, Fabien Ouaki, reached an agreement to purchase a 120-acre property that includes a one-mile training track with an artificial surface near Lexington. The property was previously owned by Hurricane Hall, a stallion farm, and the sale was expected to close in June.

So if you are supposed to not train horses in Kentucky it isn't a wise thing to buy a training facility within Kentucky ... although the date of closing on the property appears to be after the window of restriction.

Hurricane Hall is still listed for sale for the time being (http://www.justicerealestate.net/HurricaneHall.html)

Glimmerglass

May. 8, 2008, 12:53 PM

Sadly as expected, the "Chantilly of the Chesapeake" - Tapeta Farm (http://www.tapeta.com/main.html) has been put on the market following Michael Dickinson's exit from training.

Dickinson seeks buyer for farm

Daily Racing Form: May 7, 2008
By GLENYE CAIN OAKFORD

Trainer Michael Dickinson has put his custom-designed Tapeta Farm in Maryland on the market for an undisclosed price, he confirmed Wednesday.

Dickinson, a Breeders' Cup-winning trainer and the developer of the Tapeta synthetic surface that is named for his farm, said he has decided to downsize to a smaller property now that he is no longer training. Dickinson stopped training in 2007 to devote himself to his Tapeta Footings business.

Tapeta Farm covers 196 acres in North East, Md., on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Dickinson purchased the property in 1996 and developed it as a Thoroughbred training center according to his own design. The farm includes the main residence, 55 stalls in barns built by the Amish, and two Tapeta all-weather surfaces, one a half-mile round gallop and the other a one-turn mile up an incline.

The farm also features a unique set of three turf exercise tracks, one Dickinson calls "Noah's Ark" that is seeded to be resilient during wet weather, a second that is designed for normal conditions, and a third designed for use during exceptionally dry weather.

Tapeta has had no horses on it since December 2007.

"We've had a few inquiries," Dickinson said, adding that he and his wife, Joan, intend to purchase property nearby.

"I don't need a 200-acre garden," Dickinson said. "We're very happy on the farm at the moment, and we love the area, so we're only going to move a mile or two away."

Unlike say the Stonerside estate at Saratoga (nee Greentree Farm) which was listed for sale but restricted to horsemen, it doesn't appear the same is being applied here :( Too many developers on the shores of MD hungry for land to not protect it.

Texarkana

May. 8, 2008, 01:45 PM

So who wants to chip in with me to buy Tapeta Farm?

That is truly one of my favorite properties. Maybe I'll be able to purchase one of the 150 single family waterfront homes they'll put up in its place.

:cry:

Glimmerglass

May. 9, 2008, 11:20 AM

In case anyone was wondering what happend to the horses that did live at Tapeta Farm, they have been dispersed to different trainers over the last year (http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45075.htm) and of course Da Hoss is happily still at the Kentucky Horse Park. Agreed that any chance that such a turnkey gem should be lost (http://www.tapeta.com/pictures.html) or even mothballed from being an active, working stable is a shame.

Glimmerglass

May. 13, 2008, 06:12 PM

Looks like for the mega-sale in Saratoga Springs last spring (2007) of the former Whitney Greentree Stable complex (then Stonerside Saratoga) to Sheik Mo was completed well after an exclusive contract between a representing realty agent and seller had expired ;)

Times Union 5-13-08 "Stonerside Stables dispute dropped" (http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=688221&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=5/13/2008)

SARATOGA SPRINGS NY -- A city Realtor has dropped a suit claiming it was owed a 5 percent commission on the nearly $17.5 million sale of the Stonerside Stables horse farm on Nelson Avenue.

Roohan Realty of Broadway sued Kentucky-based Stonerside Stables, LLC, last May in state Supreme Court in Saratoga County. It alleged the stables' owner, Robert McNair, who also owns the Houston Texans football team, "failed and refused" to pay the real estate company an approximately $875,000 contracted commission on the horse farm's sale to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the ruler of Dubai.

But attorneys representing McNair said Tuesday that Roohan Realty dropped the suit because it had no case. The 2004 contract (that promised the company commission if the prestigious 106-acre property sold) expired after a year, well before the farm was sold in January 2007, said Randall Ezick, local counsel for Stonerside Stables.

"They got sued when there was no basis for it," Ezick said of his client.

Owner Tom Roohan did not respond to a request for a comment. Michele Anderson, his attorney in the case, confirmed the litigation was recently discontinued, but declined to discuss it.

Stonerside Stables is located at 36 Nelson Ave., which adjoins Saratoga Race Course. It includes a one-mile training track, 46 horse stalls in two stables, a mansion and a dairy barn that has been converted to a lodge.

Robert McNair and his wife, Janice, purchased the horse farm and 14 acres of property east of the Northway for $5.5 million in 1999 from the estate of Betsey Cushing Whitney. Sheik Mohammed's Darley Stud Management now operates it.

JER

May. 13, 2008, 10:08 PM

What's the asking price for Tapeta?

(Just asking in case it's affordable. :winkgrin:)

Glimmerglass

May. 13, 2008, 11:44 PM

What's the asking price for Tapeta? Per the article it is undisclosed. I cannot find the listing agent either. The address is 100 Piney Creek Lane and a 10-acre residence at 700 Piney Creek is listed for $990k. So my guess is it would be listed for several times that however North East, MD isn't exactly Easton, MD or anything in Talbot Co. so it has its limits.

Glimmerglass

Aug. 29, 2008, 02:37 PM

Still no listed (or disclosed in public) price for Tapeta Farm

There is a very simple website for the listing (http://www.tapetafarmforsale.com/gallery/gallery.html)

Glimmerglass

Sep. 1, 2008, 04:23 PM

Exit the McNair family from the racing scene - wow!

Stonerside Stables (all of it - everything) sold to Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum (Darley). As noted in this thread Mo bought the McNair's Stonerside operations in Saratoga Springs NY (nee Greentree Stables) last year so that started the process.

DRF Sep 1, 2008 "Sheikh Mohammed buys Stonerside" (http://drf.com/news/article/97860.html)

Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Darley organization added to its considerable holdings Monday by purchasing nearly all the assets of Robert and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable in Paris, Ky.

No price was disclosed. The private transaction includes the 2,000-acre Stonerside farm property, a training center in Aiken, S.C., about 80 horses in training, and 170 broodmares, yearlings, and weanlings, according to a release Stonerside issued early Monday afternoon. The McNairs will keep Cowboy Cal, a 3-year-old Giant’s Causeway colt that won the Grade 3 Tropical Park Derby this year and was second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. They also will retain their homebred stallions Congaree, Bob and John, and Stonesider, and their other stallion interests.

Glimmerglass

Sep. 3, 2008, 11:45 AM

A slight correction on the Darley purchase of Stonerside/McNairs race operations. The deal cut in just 3-weeks won't totally exit the McNairs (http://drf.com/news/article/97915.html):

Stonerside owners Robert and Janice McNair will keep their racehorse Cowboy Cal and all of their stallions and stallion shares.

All the physical real estate, hundreds of broadmares, racing name, breeding name, etc will pass from McNair ownership.

Xctrygirl

Sep. 3, 2008, 07:26 PM

I cannot tell you how amazing of a purchase that is!!

Charlie and I were very fortunate to be allowed to come visit Stonerside in 2006 and we were toured around for 4 + hours and still didn't see it all.

The reason I was there was because the McNairs were Lad's breeders and his mother, sister and many younger relatives still romp around those fields.

I have some great pics from that day... but this is my favorite...

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m147/Xctrygirl/DSCN1076.jpg

That's me feeding Chilukki peppermints. She died the next spring.

And this is their entrance statue:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m147/Xctrygirl/DSCN1066.jpg

I'll miss the McNair's presence, but I still appreciate what they have done for racing and for my own personal life enjoyment!! ;)

~Emily

Glimmerglass

Sep. 22, 2008, 03:32 PM

You don't find homes of this note on the market these days without the stables long since lost or turnout carved up. Unionville, PA the famed and beautiful "Doe Run" estate (http://www.doerunestate.com/) and stables of the late Esther Driver du Pont (d. 1984). Her last husband was Englishman Sir John Rupert Hunt Thouron.

She was the original source of funds to create UPenn's famed veterinary New Bolton Center. Among her noted horses (raised at Doe Run) were the 1953 MassCap winner and 1944 American Grand National winner.

The 220-acre estate, with the 1937 stone mansion, remains complete with two separate stone stables with 28 stalls. The price tag of $15 million reflects all the significance that comes with its history and charm.

SuperSTB

Sep. 22, 2008, 03:55 PM

Glimmerglass

Sep. 25, 2008, 01:36 PM

(Originally posted January 8, 2007)

Still available but the price reduced is the architecturally magnificent Nydrie Stud, Albemarle County, VA estate of recently retired Breeders' Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr.: $6.75 million for the historic 592 acre stables (http://www.landofc.com/listings/files/2/200511111247Nydrie%20Broch.pdf?PHPSESSID=cbc144675 4330f0c13aee17d16a1d32f).

SOLD

Charlottesville VA's "The Hook" blog from July 22, 2008 'Historic horse farm off the market' (http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2008/07/22/historic-horse-farm-off-the-market/)

If you live in Esmont, you have a new neighbor. Make that neeeeiigggh-bor. After three generations in the Van Clief family and almost three years on the market, historic horse farm Nydrie Stud sold June 18 for $4.8 million to Nydrie Farm LLC, owned by Eric Shobe.

Breeding place of 1947 Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot and Natalma, dam of prolific sire Northern Dancer, the 575-acre Albemarle landmark was home to high-dollar horses until five years ago.

“It’s been very quiet at the farm since then,” says D. G. Van Clief Jr., who adds that the sale was a part of his family’s efforts to divvy up family assets.

The Van Clief family will keep several remaining farms– which total approximately 2,400 acres– surrounding Nydrie, including Old Woodville, the house where the four Van Clief brothers grew up.

Van Clief says he has fond memories of his childhood in Esmont. “Summers were spent working with the horses,” he says.

Van Clief is the only brother still involved in the horse industry, and he recently served as Breeders’ Cup president and chairman of Fasig-Tipton, a thoroughbred auction company.

Van Clief’s grandparents bought the Nydrie property from Douglas Forsythe in 1928, and his father, Daniel G. VanClief, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, took over the farm in 1945.

Located on the original Coles estate, where Thomas Jefferson’s family sought refuge during General Sir Banastre Tarlton’s raid on Monticello, the center of the estate is an ivy-covered brick barn. Once featured in Town and Country magazine, the slate-roofed barn was built in the late 1800s and added to in the 1930s. Other features of the farm include a pond and a brick bull ring.

One thing the new owners won’t be able to enjoy: the original Nydrie house (shown via this link, circa 1930’s (http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/news-nydrie-oldhouse.jpeg))– “that old pile of bricks built in 1891″ as Van Clief’s father called it in a 1978 news article. The 64-room mansion, believed to have been designed by Richmond architect David Wiley Anderson, was built to emulate a Scottish castle. The stunning gothic house deteriorated after the Van Cliefs stopped maintaining it due to high costs, and the family sold the house to Lewis Ramsey, a Buckingham contractor who had experience dismantling historic houses. After the house was razed in 1978, most of its parts were sold.

The farm stayed in the Van Clief family until the June sale. Shobe declined to comment on his plans for the land.

I assume this is Mr. Shobe's company (http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_f7gr5m)

Blacklabs

Oct. 14, 2008, 10:59 AM

http://www.equineproperties.com/properties1.html, second one offered. There's also a second home on this estate for sale with another barn and 9 acres.http://www.valleyviewrealty.com/farms.html

GENERAL COCHRAN FARM; AN HISTORIC MOHAWK VALLEY LANDMARK, located in Fort Plain, NY is an opportunity of a lifetime to acquire a rare piece of history of this magnitude. AND THE PRICE HAS BEEN REDUCED.

The Main House; built by General John Cochran, personal Physician to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. As payment for his services, received this property and built the Mansion in 1790. He was visited here by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Mohawk Chief Joseph Brandt and General Lafayette. John Cochran became the first Director of Hospitals and the First Surgeon General of the United States.

The Main Residence built in 1790: A 4,000+ sq ft Mansion, with 5 Bedrooms and 4 Baths, sits on a knoll well off the road, amidst mature maple trees, lovely plantings and expansive rolling lawns… a truly sylvan setting.

Although fully modernized, it maintains the authenticity and graciousness of yesteryear with period craftsmanship evident throughout. Wainscot, arched window alcoves, fireplace mantles, wall paneling, random width pine flooring and decorative colonial moldings have been meticulously restored and/or replaced to mimic their original condition. Authentic antique boards painstakingly milled and brought back to life for library and kitchen wall paneling.

The five large chimneys, which dominate the exterior architecture, serve an impressive total of 9 fireplaces. Each fireplace is faced with rare, handmade tiles, such as blue delft from Holland and ivory from France and Italy.

The Horse Facilities: There are 30 large stalls in the main barn and stud barn. These are well ventilated, oiled tongue & groove construction. The main barn also contains a hot & cold horse wash area, and wide blacktopped aisles, an office with ½ bath and laundry room.

177+/- Acres: Housing 5 barns, the largest being 40’x100’, built in 1886 with hand hewn beams, 5 paddocks with 15,000 feet of wooden fencing covering 20 acres. 3 turn-out sheds, a ½ mile training track, and over 1 mile of well maintained roadways. A guest house, manager’s house, tenant house, an apartment, a heated shop building and 2 entrances from the main road, both flanked by massive limestone pillars create the feeling of a bygone era.

Average annual income: This farm has generated $100,000 yearly from rental income, crop sales, and horse boarding. Additional income could be had if utilized as a bed & breakfast, full scale training facility or any number of other venues. The potential here is limited only by your own imagination.

Amenities: Over $500,000 has been spent to completely renovate and restore this unique property to its original grandeur. Although, to numerous to mention here, we welcome your inquires. Please contact us for additional information and to arrange for a visit.

The Estate offers this Unique Historic Landmark for the reduced price of only $1,176,200…E 433 NOWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES WILL YOU FIND A PROPERTY WITH THIS HISTORY, TRULY A ONE OF A KIND.

Glimmerglass

Oct. 30, 2008, 10:26 AM

Exit the McNair family from the racing scene - wow!

Stonerside Stables (all of it - everything) sold to Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum (Darley). As noted in this thread Mo bought the McNair's Stonerside operations in Saratoga Springs NY (nee Greentree Stables) last year so that started the process.

DRF Sep 1, 2008 "Sheikh Mohammed buys Stonerside" (http://drf.com/news/article/97860.html)

In case anyone wondered if the McNair's have any regrets (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6085058.html) - following the victories in the Breeders Cup of homebreds Raven's Pass in the Classic and Midshipman winning the BC JV - they don't:

But watching the races from their home, the McNairs were certainly there in spirit as two of the thoroughbreds bred by Stonerside won Breeders’ Cup stakes.

The sale of Stonerside Stable, which they acquired in 1994, was a difficult decision for McNair, but he has no regrets.

“We remain so proud of our organization and the staff in Kentucky,” McNair said. “Our goal was to breed, raise and train champions. The Breeders’ Cup victories are a culmination of 14 years of hard work, planning and preparation.”

Glimmerglass

Dec. 31, 2008, 12:24 PM

A possible future listing: Schuylerville, NY based Stonebridge Farm and a connected one in Gansevoort, NY (http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=755477). Each owned by Jeffrey Tucker, the founding partner of Fairfield Greenwich Group which (the Group - not Tucker) has lost $7.5 billion in the Bernie Madoff fiasco.

The losses have caused all construction on Tucker's vast farm to grind to a halt, and the properties' manager says Tucker will soon sell his horses. "It's going to be tough financial times," manager Dennis Brida said in an interview this week.

He said that rumors about the farm closing and laying off its 50 employees are false. But Tucker plans to carefully evaluate the farm and make necessary changes, Brida said, including unloading his 20 to 25 horses, some of which ran at Saratoga Race Course, in the coming months.

Tucker, a Manhattan resident, has worked in the finance industry for most of his life. He likes to spend weekends in a home he built on Stonebridge Farm because he loves horses, those who know him say.

If investors' money was used to buy Tucker's horse farms and a court decides against Fairfield Greenwich and Tucker in the case, the farms could be sold to satisfy the judgments, Zamansky said.

Such a development would be a blow to the area economy, said Bill Peck, supervisor of Northumberland, where Tucker's Gansevoort farm is located.

Everything at Stonebridge is "top shelf," Peck said, and Tucker tried to buy and hire local.

If Tucker cannot sustain the farm as is, there's hope at least one of the properties could be remade into a commercial operation.

"It's in a great location in a really great racing community," Brida said. "It will still thrive."

Glimmerglass

Jan. 6, 2009, 01:04 PM

SOLD to none other then the family with all the toys - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.Saratoga's legendary Stonerside farms is sold for $17.5M to train horses like Travers winner Bernardini

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
Albany Times Union
Thursday, January 18, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The ruler of Dubai has purchased Stonerside Stable, a prestigious 106-acre horse farm that adjoins Saratoga Race Course, for nearly $17.5 million.

Sadly - as cited by Equidaily - several of the old barns with a hell of a lot of history with them were razed in the last couple of months, Nov 2008 in particular. Barbara Livingston's captures of the carnage (http://www.barbaralivingston.com/gallery/album29) - thankfully her keen eye captured the moment for posterity. Lost for example was the barn Cigar used when Mott was based there a decade ago.

Purportedly the structures will be replace with similar buildings in keeping with the estate's architectural look.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 16, 2009, 06:37 PM

In case anyone wants to own a race track in Engaland you can buy the track that used to be part of one of England's most magnificent estates: Easton Neston, Towcester, Northamptonshire for £10,000,000 (http://resources.knightfrank.com/GetResource.ashx?id=65d86450-88d4-44fc-9951-a7ff669b73c4&type=1)

Towcester is pronounced "Toaster"

The racing and events business, including the land and buildings, are now for sale. Set in beautiful parkland in Northamptonshire, Towcester Racecourse is one of the most picturesque racing, hospitality and events venues in the UK. Since 1997, The Towcester Racecourse Company Limited (“TRC”) has implemented an extensive £10m investment programme redeveloping and modernising the facilities.

The Racecourse dates back to 1876, when Her Imperial Majesty, Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria, stayed at Easton Neston. The Empress was a keen rider and passionate about hunting. When she arrived at Easton Neston, a steeplechase meeting was held in her honour, which so delighted the Empress she decided to establish a race meeting of her own to be held on Easter Monday 1876. A course was laid out in Easton Neston Park and a stand erected for guests.

The magnificent country house - from c. 1680 - remained in the original family's hands until 2005 when a Russian-born but American-based businessman (http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article543677.ece) and his 30-yr old wife acquired it.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 21, 2009, 10:20 AM

Further on the activities at the ex-Stonerside Property at Saratoga Springs (nee Whitney Farm) which was acquired by Sheikh Mohammed and thankfully has been renamed back to its (almost) original name Greentree Training Center. For mailing purposes the property is listed as Darley Stud Management.

Google Satellite map of the property on Nelson Ave (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLG_en___US272&q=36%20Nelson%20Avenue%20Saratoga%20Springs%2C%20N Y&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl) - it is the one to the right of the page adjacent to the forest with a huge track. The two smaller tracks on the left of the page are the Saratoga harness tracks.

Looks like Darley will have a significant presence in Saratoga this summer,

Albany Times Union 1-21-09: "Greentree center makes room for more thoroughbreds" (http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=761772&category=REGION)

Workers at Greentree Training Center on Nelson Avenue, located at the edge of Saratoga Race Course, demolished the property's two stables to make way for larger, more updated versions. The wooden barns, which dated to the 1920s, had deteriorated from the weather and insects.

"It was really that the barns were becoming unsafe," said Jimmy Bell, president of Darley USA, the Lexington, Ky.-based racing operation that owns the horse farm. "They're very old and you get to the point of no return. The doors were sagging and you couldn't open them."

The barns will double the stable's capacity for Darley, from 46 horses to 95, Bell said, and the new barns, although bigger, will retain their historic feel. The new structures will be concrete block-based, but still have the same wood siding. Inside, air circulation systems and improved drainage will make the facilities easier to clean, Bell said.

Darley staff gave the project a strict deadline to be completed by May 1. The sheikh's horses will be trucked from Lexington, filling the new stables to capacity.

"It's a very ambitious schedule," said Tom Frost, founder and principal of Frost Architecture in Saratoga Springs. Frost and his staff were hired by Darley to create a master plan for the equine facility and design the new barns. Workers have been laying concrete blocks through the winter, even under tents during the recent snowstorms.

The 106-acre property has had only three owners. In 1938, John Hay "Jock" Whitney bought a piece of land that was part of the Yaddo estate, founding Greentree. The Whitneys owned the property for 61 years, then sold it to Robert McNair, owner of the Houston Texans football team, in 1999. McNair renamed the property Stonerside Stables.

The sheikh bought the property for $17.5 million in January 2007 and changed the name back to Greentree Training Center.

"It's the nicest piece of private property in the city," Frost said. "It's gone from the Whitneys to the McNairs to Darley."

Music Note - for example - was trained there last August (http://paulmoranattheraces.blogspot.com/2008/08/godolphin-fillies-work-at-greentree.html) in preparation for the Alabama Stakes over the private track at Greentree. OF course Proud Spell won that race in a thriller (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4_OyLjPC9U) ;)

msrobin

Jan. 21, 2009, 07:53 PM

Gosh why why why don't my numbers ever get called on lottery night? I mean I already got the money spent lol

Glimmerglass

Feb. 10, 2009, 03:33 PM

A possible future listing: Schuylerville, NY based Stonebridge Farm and a connected one in Gansevoort, NY. Each owned by Jeffrey Tucker, the founding partner of Fairfield Greenwich Group which (the Group - not Tucker) has lost $7.5 billion in the Bernie Madoff fiasco.

Looks like this prediction is one more step closer to reality with Stonebridge having to be sold.

Times Union Feb 10, 2009 "Not exactly tall in the saddle; Horse farm owned by investor damaged in scandal to go on sale" (http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=768533)

One of the most prestigious horse farms in New York could hit the selling block in the coming months, sources said Monday, after the farm's hedge fund owner lost billions in Bernard Madoff's alleged investment scheme.

Jeffrey Tucker, founding partner of the Connecticut investment firm the Fairfield Greenwich Group, is shopping for a real estate agent in the Saratoga Springs area to unload his 188-acre Stonebridge Farm in Schuylerville and a 230-acre satellite farm in Gansevoort, according to a local broker.

"We are currently in discussions with Mr. Tucker about representation of his properties," said John Burke, owner of Select Sotheby's International Realty in Saratoga Springs. "We are awaiting his decision on his selection of a firm."

In December, Dennis Brida, manager at Stonebridge, confirmed that Tucker had ceased all construction on the farms and would sell his two dozen horses stabled there.

Brida could not be reached for comment on Monday, but a source familiar with Tucker's situation said the sale of the farm could come "fairly soon."

Tucker is a prominent horseman and chairman of the horse racing group Empire Racing. He built an indoor arena, the first track in New York with a synthetic racing surface and multiple homes on Stonebridge Farm.

Hmmm I have say dubious is the statement of "One of the most prestigious horse farms in New York" .... I wouldn't put this one near the top IMHO.

As an aside Saratoga Sotheby's is representing Stoneridge (http://www.saratogasothebysrealty.com/detail/Stoneridge/306%20County%20Route%202/4105832) a nice horse farm which has been on the market since Bill Clinton was in the White House. It is owned by the daughter of the late Sigmund Sommer who owned Sham (http://www.shamracehorse.com/) ;)

Glimmerglass

Apr. 24, 2009, 02:19 AM

As expected - now listed for sale: Stone Bridge Farms - 425 acres - near Saratoga Springs, NY (http://www.stonebridgefarmsllc.com/) (Schuylerville, NY) listed for $18,000,000 in it's entirety. Or in three different packages. Among the elements are ...

* 7/8th's mile 22' wide training track (http://www.stonebridgefarmsllc.com/sherman.htm) with "Poly Track" surface with full drainage, PVC safety rail
* 4 Stall starting gate
* 12'-20' clocker's stand

And for workers ... the Burgoyne Hotel at 220 North Broad Street, Schuylerville, NY 12871
8 units used as staff quarters completely remolded and updated former Motor Inn

Glimmerglass

Apr. 24, 2009, 11:26 AM

Not exactly falling under the impressive category, but more of an aside with an interesting infamous past: Robert E. Brennan's NJ Mansion for his Due Process Stable is listed for sale (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124052731011950171.html#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26 s%3DSB124051831546149465%26articleTabs%3Dslideshow ) - although I think his family hasn't owned it in recent years. The stables themselves became part of the Due Process golf course; Brennan remains in the Fort Dix Correctional Facility for at least another year or so. Brennan's Due Process Stables (south) in Lexington, Kentucky today is the renamed Cobra Farm (http://www.cobrafarm.com/abouttheowner.htm).

Flashback: the penny stock swindler's 1980's tv ads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i-uOIuWfUE)

Glimmerglass

Apr. 24, 2009, 11:48 AM

The previously cited Stone Bridge Farms as mentioned in the Times Union 4-11-09 (http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=789192&category=BUSINESS)

"There is a network of people we have already been in contact with, some local, who are affluent investors with equestrian interests," Newell said Friday.

The asking prices are based on evaluations by an appraiser from Kentucky. Market conditions and the location of the properties were factors, Newell said, adding that the farms are noteworthy enough to get attention from buyers across the globe, even in a poor economy.

Glimmerglass

May. 4, 2009, 05:20 PM

Cited before the former Whitney stables of Greentree adjacent to the Saratoga Race Course now owned by Sheikh Mohammed are now getting new stables built on the property to resemble those taken down.

Schenectady Gazette Apr 25, 2009 "New barns go up at sheikh’s horse farm" (http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/apr/25/0425_barns/)

It was most recently called Stonerside Stables and was known as Greentree when it was the summer home of John Hay “Jock” Whitney and his second wife, socialite Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney.

Jock Whitney was a horseman, ambassador, industrial magnate, newspaper publisher and entertainment mogul who died on Feb. 8, 1982. He was a first cousin to Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, the late husband of socialite Marylou Whitney.

The original barns, which dated to the early 1900s, were becoming unsafe, Bell said.

“Some wood beetles had gotten into the wood, and we tried to patch and prop up. We’d done all the maintenance we could,” he said.

The new barns mimic the design of the old barns and use similar materials, including slate roofs.

“We tried to put it back as close to the original as we could,” Bell said. “We kept the same roof lines.”

Workers originally hoped to save the slate from the original roofs and reuse it, but it broke up during the demolition of the old barns.

Bell said the sheikh’s 2-year-olds will be trained at Greentree.

One curious addition not there under either the Whitney or McNair ownership:

The estate boasts a nine-hole golf course inside the training track, an 8,100-square-foot main house built in 1890 and nine other major buildings.

Glimmerglass

May. 8, 2009, 10:09 PM

Now those are some taxes Sheikh Mo is ponying up for the Spa facility!

Saratogian May 7, 2009 "Zoning change for Greentree Training Center?" (http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/05/07/news/doc4a023ff49f523363749439.txt)

The property is now zoned rural-residential and Darley is seeking a change to institutional racetrack-related, the same as Oklahoma Training Track, Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga Gaming & Raceway. The proposed change would bring Darley’s farm more in line with surrounding properties.

The improvements also have more than doubled the property’s assessment from $6.2 million to nearly $14.6 million.

By doing so, the owners also might apply for agricultural credits that could reduce the site’s assessment, and taxes, significantly.

Last year, under its old assessment, the property generated $143,087 in taxes — $35,510 city, $17,829 county, $93,000 school. Under its new assessment, which took effect March 1, the site is expected to generate $335,340 in taxes — $78,535 city, $41,786 county, $217,971 school.

Glimmerglass

Jun. 8, 2009, 07:07 PM

Worth citing is the recent expansion in mid-May of the lovely and historic Dixiana Farm - in Fayette County KY, somewhat near Lexington - which was purchased in 2004 by William Shively and had been restored. For $13 million, Shively has now reunited the horse farm to what it was (http://www.drf.com/news/article/104480.html) by buying Domino Stud:

The Domino Stud transaction included 365 acres, a one-mile training track, barns and paddocks, and other buildings. It brings Shively's total holdings in the area to 1,050 acres, which will serve as headquarters for his breeding and racing operation.

The history of the original property ...

The original Dixiana Farm is best associated with Charles T. Fisher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_T._Fisher) (Fisher Body Company/General Motors), who acquired it from the estate of James Cox Brady (http://www.hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=234805&ssid=87501&vnf=1) in 1928. Cox is best known today for his lovely New Jersey stables where the United States Equestrian Team's headquarters are.

Dixiana farm remained intact until 1947.

At that time Fisher sold some acreage to Royce G. Martin, who then launched Woodvale Stud. That property was resold several times and later became Domino Stud, which Kenneth Jones acquired for $9.75 million in 1989. Shively wanted to restore the connection five years ago, but Kenneth Jones wasn't interested in selling. (Domino was used, in part, in the filming of the movie "Seabiscuit" ) Kenneth Jones died Oct 30, 2008 (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/47843/kenneth-t-jones-jr-dead) at age 90, and in January his daughters approached Shively to see if he was still interested in the farm.

The Dixiana portion Fisher (d. 1963) kept was later sold by his estate (daughter Mary Fisher (http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075179/index.htm) campaigned Golden Ruler from the estate in the early 1960's) to Mary Lou Wibel in 1986 (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2002/August/27/Dixiana-Farm-placed-on-market-for-5-million.aspx). In 2002 the property was listed for sale (I have the brochure!) and Shively acquired that property from Wibel in 2004.

Domino Farm most recently enjoyed some big league attention when Miss Isella with Calvin Borell aboard (http://www.guampdn.com/article/20090503/SPORTS/905030326/Horse+bred+at+Jones++Domino+Stud+Farm+wins+race) won the Grade 2 $350,000 Louisville Distaff. Miss Isella was a homebred of Domino Farm.

Glimmerglass

Jul. 8, 2009, 10:39 AM

Now those are some taxes Sheikh Mo is ponying up for the Spa facility!

Saratogian May 7, 2009 "Zoning change for Greentree Training Center?" (http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/05/07/news/doc4a023ff49f523363749439.txt)

As a follow-up Sheikh Mo was granted the zone change last night (7/7/09) (http://www.poststar.com/blogs/?p=27505) on the former Whitney Greentree property in Saratoga Springs.

A list of “prohibited uses” were added for the new zone eliminating the ability of this or any future owner from instituting par-mutuel racing, hotels, motels, public restaurants and a concert hall at the site.

What the restrictive zoning category - which sets city precedent - does allow for are things like paddocks, a track, business-related suites, living quarters for employees and an assortment of other horse “training” related amenities. Like a heliport. (Go figure).

The property long known as a “gentleman’s farm” was once a part of Yaddo. The Trask family sold it to E.F. Sims in 1920, who then constructed horse stables and a training track. A decade later, Sims sold the lands to the Whitney Family for a price between $350,000 and $400,000, where it remained for more than 60 years.

Sheikh Mo worth mentioning paid the highest price last month for a country estate in England: a Suffolk estate for £45m - Dalham Hall (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6638124.ece), a grade II listed property near Newmarket once owned by Cecil Rhodes (a/k/a Rhodes Scholarship, the country of Rhodesia now Zimbabwe, and DeBeers Diamonds).

Forbes magazine estimates that Maktoum’s fortune has been halved to $6 billion over the past 12 months.

The Dalham Hall estate, one of the most impressive in East Anglia, is centred on a mansion built for Simon Patrick, the Bishop of Ely, in 1705. “It’s not really pretty, but a substantial and elegant family home with a very distinctive location,” said one person familiar with the property.

Maktoum already owns the neighbouring Dalham Hall stud, a 3,000-acre site from which he runs his global bloodstock empire and where he spends part of his time.

It is thought that the sheikh’s latest purchase, bought through his Darley Stud Management company, is mainly an investment, although he and his friends may well choose to make use of the estate’s shooting facilities.

By combining the estate with the stud, Maktoum will become one of Britain’s biggest foreign-born landowners.

Glimmerglass

Nov. 17, 2009, 08:51 PM

Glimmerglass

Nov. 18, 2009, 01:38 PM

The sales brochure for Michael Dickinson's Tapeta Farm (pdf) (http://www.tapetafarmforsale.com/Tapeta_Farm_brochure.pdf)

It has three turf tracks and two Tapeta surfaced tracks:

Three Turf Tracks

Normal Weather:
Measures 60 feet wide and 1 mile long with the best cushion of any turf track in the USA. Hall of Fame rider Braulio Baeza stated, “I’ve ridden on all of the best turf tracks in the USA and some in Europe, but the turf track at Tapeta Farm is easily the best I’ve seen.”

Dry weather:
Measures 40 feet wide and 1 mile long. Designed to ensure good going even through the most severe drought conditions. In 2002, during the worst drought in the past 60 years, while the temperature consistently stayed at or above 90 degrees and while going 6 weeks without rain, the summer (Dry Weather) track was in excellent condition.

“Noah’s Arc”:
Measures 40 feet wide and is 5 1/2 furlongs long. Designed to withstand excessive amounts of rain. After hurricane Floyd dumped 12 inches of rain in 12 hours, the turf track was able to be used the next day.

As cited before when first listed: (http://www.tapetafarmforsale.com/gallery/gallery.html) no asking price listing published.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 1, 2010, 10:01 AM

Not necessarily an impressive estate but rather an interesting added foray by Darley into Aiken, SC .... I wonder what Cot thinks of the new neighbors ;)

TB Times 12-31-09 "Darley buys Aiken property for new training center" (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2009/December/31/Darley-buys-Aiken-property-for-new-training-center.aspx)

...purchasing 360 acres in Aiken County with the intention of building a training facility.

The deal on the property closed on Wednesday [Dec 30] afternoon.

“Aiken has a history of developing young horses into race horses,” Darley USA President Jimmy Bell said. “Our search was about the health and welfare of the horse. There were a number of factors involved with our selection of Aiken—the history, the location, and the weather. The horses get a little bit of everything.”

There is no time frame as to when the training facility will be built, Bell said, but it will include a one-mile dirt track.

The property is about six miles from the Aiken Training Track, where Darley has about 65 horses in training. Darley will send its yearlings to be broken and its young horses to be trained at the new facility, Bell said.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 1, 2010, 05:53 PM

Worth adding to the news of Darley buying the land in Aiken, SC is that Per the Augusta Chronicle back on Nov 2009 (http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/08/met_554944.shtml) cited that Darley has been looking to expand in that area:

Darley made an offer to purchase the Aiken Training Track earlier this year, but was unsuccessful.

"The board of directors rejected it because it was going to turn private, and we were all going to be squeezed out," said Mr. Stevens, the track president. "They are very interested in the Aiken area."

Darley currently has 65 horses at the track. Mr. Jones, a trainer for Darley, declined to comment on the stable's plans.

There is a possibility that Darley could buy land on the outskirts of Aiken and build its own training facility.

"I'm working with them now to identify a property that will suit them for the future in Aiken," said Ms. Haslup, the trainer who is also a Realtor for Meybohm. "It will help the whole local economy."

Timex

Jan. 1, 2010, 07:51 PM

According to what we were told when working for John Morrison at Stone Bridge, the mare farm (there are actually 3 properties, the training facilityn the mare farm and the yearling farm) had a very interested potential buyer, with a deal in the works (not sure how that's progressed) and as of the end of October, there hadn't been any serious inquiries on the other 2 properties, although another trainer, not sure who yet, is supposed to sign a lease on the training facility and move in this march. So we'll see on that. Anyone have a spare $17 million or so want to buy the place? It is a beautiful place to work. 7/8 mile training track, nice big indoor, 2 equicizers, good turnout, something like 50 stalls, 15 minutes or so from the Saratoga track..... Sigh, if I thought it would do any good, I'd start saving my pennies.....

Glimmerglass

Jan. 2, 2010, 05:35 PM

According to what we were told when working for John Morrison at Stone Bridge, the mare farm (there are actually 3 properties, the training facilityn the mare farm and the yearling farm) had a very interested potential buyer, with a deal in the works (not sure how that's progressed) and as of the end of October ...

I wouldn't hold out much hope for a quick sale and in fact I'd expect it to remain on the market (not unlike Stonerside's Saratoga facility aka Greentree) for a couple of years plus.

http://www.sirehorse.com/

A recent firesale price for a trophy property (albeit non horsey) shows that people expect bargains in this era and $17M was always (IMHO) a laughable price. Llenroc sold for $1.8M, previously asking $13M and even $30M once (http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/12/21/story8.html)

Timex

Jan. 2, 2010, 06:45 PM

Nah, glimmer, no one's holding their breathe on that one! Tucker is a nice guy, and its a nice facility, I'd like to see someone in there using the place and at least contributing to its upkeep.

Mara

Jan. 2, 2010, 07:13 PM

Glimmerglass

Jan. 8, 2010, 11:58 AM

I've read Cot's book and he tells a very funny story about the time they had one of the Sheikhs (don't know if it was one of the Maktoums or Khalid Abdullah) to his home for a luncheon which had been planned to the nth.

Unfortunately, almost every dish had some sort of pork product in it! He said the Sheikh and his entourage were more than gracious and good-natured about it - Campbell and his wife were mortified, of course.

Classic stuff :D

Well if you too would like to perhaps join the thriving Aiken community and are looking for just maybe a bargain you're in luck with an Absolute Auction:

"The Balcony" in Aiken's Historic District will be auctioned Feb 9, 2010 (http://www.grandestatesauction.com/upcoming-auctions/auction-details.cfm?auc_id=02B6BA5A-19B9-E193-F454D7441D938CCB&start_row=11&prev_start_row=1). With no minimum or reserve the 11,600 sq ft 5-bedroom noted brick manor house, 3-bedroom guest cottage, plus 20-stall restored stable complex with paddocks on 5.8 acres but within riding distance to Hitchcock Woods and the Aiken Training Track .. all will go under the gavel.

The property also has it's own dirt track as well. (http://activerain.com/blogsview/1395206/equestrian-property-in-aiken-south-carolina-to-sell-at-real-estate-auction)

As a point of reference the property sold last in 2007 for $2.8 million.

It was built for Seymour H. Knox (http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/28/obituaries/seymour-h-knox-is-dead-at-92-buffalo-banker-was-art-patron.html?pagewanted=1) of Buffalo NY, an heir to the F. W. Woolworth fortune and an avid polo player, in 1930 and was designed by Manhattan-based architect Julian Peabody.

Peabody was married to Celestine a North Shore socialite known for her skills as a rider, and was the sister of polo player Thomas "Tommy" Hitchcock. Both Celestine (age 39) and Julian (age 53) died in a tragic sinking of the luxury passenger ship - Mohawk (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,788538-2,00.html) - after a collision with a freighter in 1935.

Glimmerglass

Oct. 27, 2010, 09:36 AM

Another NYS breeding farm (I assume its the same) listed for sale.

Berkshire Stud $17.5 million: Pine Plains, NY (http://www.luxuryportfolio.com/property/pine_plains/berkshire_stud.cfm) also seen in this marketing video here : Berkshire Stud (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfRbv1OgfJw).

http://www.berkshirestud.com/

One of the bred and owned runners just raced in the Maid of the Mist Stakes at Belmont (http://www.drf.com/news/bandbox-never-right-joey-head-sleepy-hollow-stakes): Hessonite.

vineyridge

Oct. 27, 2010, 04:54 PM

Not racing, but Acorn Hill Farm in Madison, VA is being sold at a foreclosure auction on November 18th of this year. They are most noted for imported Irish Sport stallions and for sending quite a few of theirs to Phillip Dutton of eventing fame for training and competition.

There are links to the auction in the Sport Horse breeding forum.

merrygoround

Oct. 28, 2010, 09:28 AM

To take us back to the earlier posts re: the Bostwick's. Pete's old polo camp in Gilbertsville, NY is up for sale again.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3028873722-197-Centennial-Farm-Ln-Gilbertsville-NY-13776

Glimmerglass

Oct. 28, 2010, 10:12 AM

To take us back to the earlier posts re: the Bostwick's. Pete's old polo camp in Gilbertsville, NY is up for sale again.

There were no takers for that property so they pulled back the amount of land offered and dropped the price too. Tianderah, the adjacent estate, remains unchanged at $3M ;)

Where one of the former Bostwick polo barns (since razed) stood here, this new stable/home was built: offering - 'Morning View Stables' - which has been on the market for several months (http://www.landwatch.com/Otsego-County-New-York-Farms-and-Ranches-for-sale/pid/144006280#).

Most of the Bostwick barns, tenant houses and the polo fields remain owned by Albert Geldmacher of Sag Harbor (LI) and under the NYS Breeding farm of 'Centennial Farm (www.centennialfarmofnewyork.com)' which has raced a few homebreds at NYRA tracks and Finger Lakes.

Back on the market (although sold before) is Nydrie, the former Daniel G. Van Clief family's stud far, in Esmont, Albemarle County VA. The farm which produced 1947's Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot was sold June 18, 2008 for $4.8 million to Nydrie Farm LLC, owned by Eric Shobe (http://www.readthehook.com/dish/index.php/historic-horse-farm-off-the-market/). However it returned on the market in May 2010, sadly being potentially marketed as a 'buy it and preserve or develop':

Historic ivy covered brick courtyard barn showcases this magnificent Albemarle landmark on 585 acres of rolling fields and forest. Approved for 35 building parcels, this is an ideal conservation easement candidate. Spectacular setting for significant home overlooking barn complex with Green Mountains as backdrop. Good water, rich tradition.

Shobe is looking for a tidy profit with it marketed at $6,250,000 (brochure) (http://landofc.com/listings/files/2/201005031119Nydrie%20Broch.pdf?PHPSESSID=738de4970 bbc4e6f59002737da1c5a22) - well above the $4.8M paid 2-yrs ago.

bugsynskeeter

Oct. 28, 2010, 12:20 PM

Stonewall was listed for sale this week after the owners signed the property over to the bank they owed. The property had a really nice ad in this past week's TT.

Glimmerglass

Oct. 28, 2010, 12:40 PM

Stonewall was listed for sale this week after the owners signed the property over to the bank they owed. The property had a really nice ad in this past week's TT.

Yep, they finally gave up the legal challenges but it allowed them avoid a few other problems. Oct 20, 2010 Herald-Leader "Stonewall Farm ownership relinquished, put up for sale" (http://www.kentucky.com/2010/10/20/1486689/stonewall-farm-ownership-relinquished.html)

Cincinnati Capital Corp., which bought the debt on the farm from a Pennsylvania bank, announced Tuesday it has seized control of the 260-acre property.

By signing over the deed, the Hais fields avoid a formal foreclosure action, said Joseph M. Engelhart, CEO of Cincinnati Capital, which is acting under the name Stonewall Acquisitions.

"Stonewall Farm is a prized asset and one that we expect will gain considerable interest from buyers around the world," Engelhart said in a statement. "This farm is a showstopper. ... The 5,600-square-foot main residence is completely updated and elegant in all respects. The horse facilities are some of the most unique and discriminating in the world. ...In the coming weeks (we) will begin to entertain offers from prospective buyers."

Per The Daily Racing Form the asking price is $10.75M (http://www.drf.com/news/stonewall-farm-back-market-1075m-asked) and there has been interest for the noted stable operations adjacent to Lane's End Farm.

"We've had a number of people come forward as the rumor mill has been churning," Englehart said. "The farm's priced right, and I expect it to get a lot of action."

Englehart declined to say how many inquiries Cincinnati Capital has had about the Stonewall property but added, "The folks that have expressed interest so far are in the Thoroughbred industry and are not from the Lexington area."

Separately Justice Real Estate in Lexington has been marketing just the Broodmare portion of Stonewall (http://www.justicerealestate.net/property/broodmaredivisionofstonewallfarm-99.html) for $3.8 million on 113 acres.

pnalley

Oct. 30, 2010, 01:18 PM

I'd like to see the appraisals on those properties and get a chunk of the commission!

Shoot just previewing them would be fun!

Glimmerglass

Nov. 4, 2010, 07:20 PM

Not quite an impressive equestrian facility but still its a horse racing landmark of sorts not too far away from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. The Post family having recently rebuilt the property were trying to establish an annual tradition of having the Kentucky Derby connections stay here after the race for an extended party. They'll never get anything even close to this price whatsoever ....

11-04-10 "Want to buy your own castle? Bluegrass landmark is for sale (http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/04/1510357/want-to-buy-your-own-castle-bluegrass.html)

Post's asking price is $30 million, but that's negotiable.

Charles Martin, general manager of CastlePost and a real estate broker, and Bill Moore, a Versailles attorney who represents Post on a pending legal matter, confirmed Thursday that the castle and its surrounding 50 acres on U.S. 60 are for sale. Martin said there has been no local print advertising about the castle because prospective buyers for the property are more likely to come from overseas.

Post is flexible on the asking price, Martin said, should talks move to the nitty-gritty terms of a contract.

"Everything is negotiable," Martin said.

The Woodford County Property Valuation Administrator's Office lists the castle's assessed value at $4.5 million. Its 2010 property tax bill is $27,981.91, said Woodford County Sheriff Wayne "Tiny" Wright.

The castle, near the Fayette County line, has been a Central Kentucky curiosity for more than 40 years.

Lexington contractor Rex Martin Sr. — no relation to Charles Martin — started building the castle in 1969, but it sat unfinished and empty for decades.

Then Post, a Miami lawyer and a graduate of Lexington's Lafayette High School and the University of Kentucky, bought it for $1.8 million in 2003. While it was being restored, a May 2004 fire burned the house.

In 2008, it opened as The CastlePost, a luxury bed-and-breakfast, to guests, who could make use of a swimming pool, tennis court and grand ballroom. It has 16 rooms for overnight guests that range in price from $325 a day for the State Room to $1,250 a day for each of the four "Royal Turret Suites."

Guests at CastlePost have included Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki Al Faisal; Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, president of the Federation Equestre Internationale; and her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of Dubai, a leading buyer of horses at Keeneland.

CastlePost has hosted several charity fund-raisers for the Salvation Army, the Scott County Humane Society and other organizations. Martin said charities raised $700,000 through events there in 2009, and are on track to raise about $500,000 this year.

http://www.thecastlepost.com/

Glimmerglass

Nov. 9, 2010, 12:00 PM

A portion of Kelso's home is now on the market. Following the death of Allaire du Pont in January 2006 at 92 the family has chosen to sell off 200 acres of the Chesapeake City, MD property on the banks of the Bohemia River.

The remaining 700+/- acres including the farm office, her family home, and the lovely cemetery where Kelso, his sire and dam, and others are buried will continue to be in the possession of Allaire's daughter, Lana Wright, et al.

Sotheby's listing 11-2009 'Woodstock Farm' $3,665,000 - listing here (http://www.sothebysrealty.com/en/PropertyDetails.aspx?R=104200274&N=12+149+4294941820&curr=USD&No=5&PSeq=0) - offered in as many as 4 parcels.

In addition to the partial farm sale the dispersal of Bohemia Stables horses started last week at Keeneland (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/53344/bohemia-dispersal-will-start-at-keeneland).

UPDATE: It now appears the heirs are disposing of the nearly 700 acres which make up Bohemia farm - including Kelso's grave.

Nov 2010 - Sotheby's Real Estate: Bohemia Stable (Woodstock Farm) - $8,995,000 USD (http://www.sothebysrealty.com/en/PropertyDetails.aspx?R=104260505&N=12+149+4294941820&curr=USD&No=2&PSeq=0)

Own a part of Thoroughbred horse racing history! Almost 700 acres of fabled Bohemia Stable, the same fields where Hall of Fame racer Kelso was raised. Kelso was the only champion to be crowned Horse of the Year 5 times and is arguably the greatest horse in US racing history.

First time ever offered to the public; truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is a true Horse Farm with every imaginable habitat all situated on the Bohemia River of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The property boasts multiple breeding and training facilities; broodmare barns, tenant houses and the main house of Mrs. Allaire duPont.

Kelso's grave from Sotheby's (http://media.sothebysrealty.com/SIRImages/804C9B27-61A0-4C6C-B451-83DD3DADEF73-6_PMAS.jpg)

Glimmerglass

Nov. 9, 2010, 12:11 PM

An aside with Bohemia Stable/Woodstock Farm: going back to a Sep 2001 article on the farm and Mrs. DuPont (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/weekly-feature-articles/2001/september/29/mid-atlantic-region-grande-dame-of-woodstock.aspx)

Kelso's sire, Your Host, was a story in his own right. A winner of the Santa Anita Derby, he went off as the 8-to-5 favorite in the 1950 Kentucky Derby and led for a mile before tiring. A broken leg the following year ended his racing career and very nearly his life. His breeder, Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer, browbeat Lloyds of London into paying off promptly on the insurance policy. (Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law, William Goetz).

Lloyds paid off and subsequently sold Your Host to a syndicate as a stud prospect. Allaire duPont purchased shares in Your Host and in 1956 sent her Count Fleet mare Maid of Flight to him. The result was Kelso, named for her friend Kelso Everett.

Just as Kelso's career began to take off, Your Host reinjured his leg and was euthanized. He had sired 16 stakes winners but had never again been bred to Maid of Flight. When developers later took over the farm where the stallion was buried, duPont had his gravestone shipped to her own farm, where it still rests next to Kelso's.

Hopefully no one will have to do the same for Your Host (again) and Kelso if their home is developed!

Included in the aforementioned sale of Woodstock Farm is be "Kelly's" private 8-acre paddock too:

When he was not barnstorming and making appearances on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School's large animal hospital at New Bolton Center or the Grayson Foundation, Kelso lived in his own eight-acre paddock at Woodstock. There he received thousands of visitors and letters from his fan club.

Soon duPont began hunting and jumping Kelso without any special training or reeducation. "One day my daughter said to me, 'Come on, why don't you ride Kelso?' He loved to hear voices, and I would just say, 'Now, Kelly' when we neared a hedge or wall, and he would jump them effortlessly," duPont remembered.

In the fall of 1983, the 26-year-old Kelso was paraded with Forego before the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He developed colic the following day and died.

Glimmerglass

Nov. 14, 2010, 09:57 PM

Quietly being offered [although less so via an advert in The Wall Street Journal Nov 12, 2010] is the well known - the former Walter P. Chrysler estate of historical significance North Wales ('http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Fauquier/030-0093_North_Wales_1999_Final_Nomination.pdf") in Warrenton, Virginia purchased by Texan Michael V. Prentiss in 1996.

The entire estate (with some protective easements) is one of the largest estate in Fauquier County with a listed 1,466 acres. The huge 30,000sq ft+ stone mansion (http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Fauquier/North%20Wales%20-%201998%20-%20Front%20elevation.jpg), stables, guest house, farm, et al is being offered for an undisclosed price via agent McLean Faulconer Inc.

Per the Breeders' Cup bio on Prentiss (http://www.breederscup.com/bio.aspx?id=10057)

Has 27 broodmares at North Wales, which covers 1,500 acres and is one of the largest commercial breeders in Virginia. Primary purpose is breeding but Prentiss keeps a few horses to race. Stands no stallions at North Wales and primarily sends his mares to Kentucky stallions and occasionally to Maryland, Florida and New York Prentiss visits Lone Star Park often and called it a "wonderful racetrack."

ETA: Images of North Wales with stable complex, etc from VA's Film Office (http://va.reel-scout.com/loc_detail.aspx?id=3884&g=&cid=9)

Carol Ames

Nov. 15, 2010, 02:17 PM

I thought Langollen had been purchased by a couple; and was in operation for recycled race horses. Juliet Graham operated out of there?:confused:

Glimmerglass

Nov. 15, 2010, 02:39 PM

I thought Llangollen had been purchased by a couple; and was in operation for recycled race horses. Juliet Graham operated out of there?

I don't know about the ex-race horses, but principally the owner (Maureen Brennan) operates polo from there. See Virginia Polo - "VIP" (http://www.vipoloclub.com/about-virginia-polo.htm)

Glimmerglass

Nov. 29, 2010, 12:15 PM

onthehill

Nov. 30, 2010, 12:02 PM

I don't know if anyone is looking for a place - but - this facility has been up for a LLLLONG time in New Jersey; right in the heart of equine country (a minute off Route 78). Please note I am not an agent, nor do I have interest in this place. It is a beautiful facility and I (and am sure many others) would NOT like to see this developed.

NJ has a good Preserved Farm Land program with very helpful incentives.

This was a thriving Standardbred farm, at one time.

http://www.lanalobell.com/Home.html

I think someone lives in the main homestead. However, the farm buildings and homes are in disrepair.

Glimmerglass

Nov. 30, 2010, 12:35 PM

This was a thriving Standardbred farm, at one time.

http://www.lanalobell.com/Home.html

Yep, on the market forever and a day. In the last year there has a been a strong marketing push to unload this property. Lots of small ads in the Wall Street Journal for the property but almost always as development opportunity. There is a massive glut of horse farms in New York and with the near demise of NJ's racing (or at least impending significant change) I don't see anyone picking this up who is interested in a racing outfit.

It was once 495 acres, then marketed with 175 acres but now is offered with only 132. I can only assume chunks have been lost to development like the former Cowperthwaite 434-acre estate sold to John DeLorean and then lost in bankruptcy and now developed by Donald Trump.

The farm which has been around since the American Revolution became a commercial breeding facility in 1977 and went into bankruptcy in 1990.

You can see the empty mansion as well as the derelict cottages on the property and others here at this site for rentals with film / photo shooting locations (http://www.thelocationcompanyny.com/houses/3462-bp.htm)

An article from the Star-Ledger back in 2008 (http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2008/08/these_bare_pastures_bred_champ.html) on the property:

In the 1970s and 1980s, Lana Lobell Farms in Bedminster had four "Hambo" winners: Speedy Crown in 1971, Steve Lobell in 1976, Speedy Somoli in 1978, and Mack Lobell, considered the greatest trotter of all time, in 1987.

After a nearly 20-year run of unmatched success, Lana Lobell Farms went bankrupt.

"I guess people wondered how something so good could go bad," McNamara said.

Leavitt moved on and rebounded. Today he runs Walnut Hall Farms in Lexington, which his wife, racing heiress Meg Jewett, owns.

"After all the good things he's done, some people won't let him forget what happened with Lobell farms. It was a dark period for him, one he doesn't like to revisit."

And so there is nothing on the farm to mark its legacy.

"No plaques, no stones, no sculptures," said Farrelly. The bronze horse statue in driveway was put there by the current owner, not Leavitt.

onthehill

Nov. 30, 2010, 04:04 PM

It is sad. I've driven past this place from time to time for 30+ years. Horses always looked so peaceful out in the pastures. I think at one time, it may have subdivided into a couple of smaller farms (one possibly a small hunter/jumper operation, because there are a couple of abandoned jumps in one of the paddocks) and were rented out.

This truly could accomodate any form of equestrian operation from either form of racing - to H/J, Eventing, etc.

Glimmerglass

Dec. 30, 2010, 04:45 PM

Jenny Craig's significant So. California stables - and now one of her homes too, separately - is on the market for $29,950,000 (http://catherineandjasonbarry.com/listings/rancho-paseana-farm-29950000/). Just 5-miles from the Del Mar Race Course the 228 acre training facility has its own 3/4 mi training track. It's "the largest Thoroughbred Horse Farm in all of San Diego County."

Video of the property here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Cwl0fL5_4)

(The property was first developed by former San Diego Chargers owner Gene Klein with input from trainer D. Wayne Lukas. It was known then as Rancho del Rayo. (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/28/a-rebirth-of-derby-dreams/) Klein died in 1990, for $27M it was bought by Jean-Laurent Andreani. He went bankrupt, the bank foreclosed and the facility was purchased by the Craigs in 1995 for $6 million. They renamed it Rancho Paseana after their two-time Eclipse Award-winning mare, Paseana.)

Her Rancho Santa Fe house, adjacent to it, @ just under $9M (http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2010/12/jenny-craig-trims-her-real-estate-fat.html)

The Craig Family Trust on Dec 26th at the re-newed dirt Santa Anita track took two fast wins: Sidney's Candy won handily the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIEgTCr6ZHY). Then Twirling Candy won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOJCsy4qLMc). While he sliced a few fractions off Spectacular Bid's record time for the same distance (7F) and in the same race (1980) let it be known Bid totted 126-lbs while Candy hauled a mere 118-lbs. (http://equibase.com/static/entry/SA122610USA-EQB.html#RACE8) Put 8 more lbs on Twirling Candy and he couldn't touch Bid's time.

Glimmerglass

Dec. 30, 2010, 05:03 PM

Quietly being offered [advertised in The Wall Street Journal Nov 12, 2010] is the well known - the former Walter P. Chrysler estate of historical significance North Wales in Warrenton, Virginia purchased by Texan Michael V. Prentiss in 1996.

The entire estate (with some protective easements) is one of the largest estate in Fauquier County with a listed 1,466 acres. The huge 30,000sq ft+ stone mansion, stables, guest house, farm, et al is being offered for an undisclosed price via agent McLean Faulconer Inc.

And now it's listed on their site at $22,950,000

North Wales - 7392 Ironwood Lane Warrenton, VA 20186 (http://mcleanfaulconer.com/propertylisting/?mls_acct=000000&datasource=Custom)

Property brochure (12-2010) (http://mcleanfaulconer.com/uploads/propertylisting_additional_file/North%20Wales%20Brochure.pdf)

SuperSTB

Dec. 31, 2010, 01:00 PM

I asked hubby to buy them for me... he wants to know if they'll take a check :lol:

Serious drool time...

Susan P

Dec. 31, 2010, 01:37 PM

I met Michael Dickinson, nice man. If he wants to downsize maybe he would consider Elk Creek Ranch and he could make it beautiful instead of just adding more stalls to that barn. Not a pretty barn in my opinion. http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/14236384/1304-Glen-Hope-Road-Oxford-PA/

I feel like I'm in the slums compared to some of these farms. The Elk Creek track looks pretty good I think, but I can't compare it to the others.

Sadly as expected, the "Chantilly of the Chesapeake" - Tapeta Farm (http://www.tapeta.com/main.html) has been put on the market following Michael Dickinson's exit from training.

Unlike say the Stonerside estate at Saratoga (nee Greentree Farm) which was listed for sale but restricted to horsemen, it doesn't appear the same is being applied here :( Too many developers on the shores of MD hungry for land to not protect it.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 2, 2011, 04:14 PM

I met Michael Dickinson, nice man. If he wants to downsize maybe he would consider Elk Creek Ranch and he could make it beautiful instead of just adding more stalls to that barn. Not a pretty barn in my opinion.
I feel like I'm in the slums compared to some of these farms. The Elk Creek track looks pretty good I think, but I can't compare it to the others.

Isn't that where Michael Gill ran his operations out of? I'm sure the place is haunted from the dubious acts conducted there on many equines. I say burn it to the ground and bring in a priest for good measure to try and bless the earth again.

Give me North Wales and I'll be delighted :)

Someone mentioned the former Pete Bostwick estate in Otsego, Co. NY in what I can only say is a bizarre plan the listing agents have increased the price from $995k to now $1.6M (http://bearspringrealty.com/properties/CountryHomes/608R/). Good luck with that plan in 2011!

VirginiaBred

Jan. 2, 2011, 07:16 PM

Give me North Wales and I'll be delighted :)

Where is it (as in, off what main road)?

*edited to add - interesting article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100502503.html

lilypondlane

Jan. 2, 2011, 08:58 PM

Great article, Virginia Bred!

Glimmerglass

Jan. 2, 2011, 09:39 PM

I acquired a copy - its right near me - several years ago of the proposed development plan for North Wales (and its then 4,000+ acres) from the late 1960's.

Complete with engineering drawings, economic studies, proposed community outline, et al it was enthusiastically pitched as the future for what slowly much of Loudoun County communities have become in the 40-years since: dense housing.

Thankfully nixed, then the Disney America plans a couple decades later, it was a turning point in the area's future. The current owner of NW has done a solid job of restoring, expanding, and preserving the property.

Bing's birds-eye view with their mapping feature (http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9LjczOTIrSXJvbndvb2QrTGFuZStXYXJyZW50b24lMmMrV kErMjAxODYlN2Vzc3QuMCU3ZXBnLjEmYmI9NTguNzI1NTA1ODU 2MjM2OSU3ZS0zOS43Nzg2MTAyMjklN2UxOC45ODQzMjA5NDg1O TM3JTdlLTEzNS41NzkzOTE0Nzk=)

Acertainsmile

Jan. 3, 2011, 09:12 AM

Isn't that where Michael Gill ran his operations out of? I'm sure the place is haunted from the dubious acts conducted there on many equines. I say burn it to the ground and bring in a priest for good measure to try and bless the earth again.

Give me North Wales and I'll be delighted :)

Someone mentioned the former Pete Bostwick estate in Otsego, Co. NY in what I can only say is a bizarre plan the listing agents have increased the price from $995k to now $1.6M (http://bearspringrealty.com/properties/CountryHomes/608R/). Good luck with that plan in 2011!

Yes, Elk Creek was MG's house of horrors.

Glimmerglass

Jan. 28, 2011, 03:07 PM

One of the most significant plantations in Virginia, Carter's Grove (http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/jamesriver/car.htm), on 400 acres was acquired Dec 19, 2007 by the founder of CNET - Halsey Minor (43) - for $15.3 million plus an undisclosed amount for an adjacent 76 acres.

And like so much of HM's dealings as of late there is unpaid debt in his wake ...

Jan 28 2011 Virginia Gazette "Colonial Williamsburg to foreclose on Carter's Grove" (http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2011/01/27/news/doc4d41f04743686226965677.txt)

In a message sent out about 4:30 p.m., President Colin Campbell said Carter's Grove LLC "has failed to make on time the final two payments due on its mortgage obligation" and is "in default under the terms of the mortgage financing."

The process, Campbell added, "is intended to end with a public auction of the property." That auction is scheduled for Feb. 15 at the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse.

The Hook 1-28-11 "New foreclosure: Williamsburg to auction Halsey Minor mansion" (http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/28/new-foreclosure-williamsburg-to-auction-halsey-minor-mansion/)

The Gazette notes that West Coast resident Minor, who has been named California’s greatest tax delinquent, also owes back taxes on Carter’s Grove.

Last week, an Atlanta-area court ruled against Minor on all counts in litigation between him and his lender on the Landmark, a proposed 101-room luxury hotel in Charlottesville. Although Minor may appeal, the ruling could pave the way for completion of what has been widely seen as an unfinished eyesore towering over the Downtown Mall.

Ironically this will be the 2nd big Virginia estate courthouse auction of that week: Ms. Patricia Kluge's Albemarle House will be auctioned (http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/18/reversal-of-fortune-albemarle-house-goes-on-the-block/) the next day:

Creditors have slated February 16 as the day that Albemarle House will be sold on the steps of the Albemarle courthouse, the owner of the Georgian mansion allegedly in default on the nearly $23 million mortgage.

And some shockingly still think that HM could be a savior for horse racing with him bidding on race tracks. Right.

VirginiaBred

Jan. 29, 2011, 11:27 AM

Wow.

Langfuhr

Feb. 1, 2011, 10:36 PM

Ha! My horse came from North Wales!

MintHillFarm

Feb. 2, 2011, 03:30 PM

I also noticed in this week's Blood Horse that Padua Stables in Ocala is for sale...
Asking price $35,000,000. Maybe the Sanans want to downsize. It's over 760 acres. The listing is on www.joanpletcher.com

Langfuhr

Feb. 2, 2011, 06:37 PM

Padua's FL farm has been on the market for well over 2 years now. He's culled a lot and moved to Lex.

Flashy Gray VA

Feb. 2, 2011, 08:35 PM

Whoa, I didn't know about how far Pat Kluge's fortunes had fallen, guess I always picture her from the go-go 80s :eek:

Love this:

And for a woman who in her pre-winemaker days was frequently described as a socialite, Moses chooses an unexpected film character to compare her to: The Black Knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", who continues to fight even after his arms and legs are hacked off.

Says Moses: It’s a mere flesh wound.

Glimmerglass

Feb. 3, 2011, 11:01 AM

Halsey Minor wrote a rebuke to the Colonial Williamsburg claims with Carters Grove (http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2011/02/03/news/doc4d4883735691d672477521.txt) Feb 3, 2011 in the Virginia Gazette. As expected he'll use the courts to shield any attempts to remove him from ownership. In typical HM style he's also peppering the comment section with his jabs at those who voice disagreement.

Colonial Williamsburg cannot sell Carter’s Grove on the courthouse steps, as dramatic as that may sound. It is owned by me as a corporate entity, Carter’s Grove LLC. By putting it into bankruptcy I would stop Campbell’s courthouse fantasy, so the story in the memo is pure fiction.

Why would I put Carters Grove into bankruptcy? It’s the only course of action that can potentially rid this historic treasure of the single most destructive action ever taken by any historic preservation organization ..

The Daily Racing Form also on Jan 31st covered the news: Halsey Minor faces auction of property in foreclosure ([url="http://www.drf.com/news/halsey-minor-faces-auction-property-foreclosure)

Glimmerglass

Feb. 16, 2011, 09:56 PM

Ironically this will be the 2nd big Virginia estate courthouse auction of that week: Ms. Patricia Kluge's Albemarle House will be auctioned (http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/18/reversal-of-fortune-albemarle-house-goes-on-the-block/) the next day.

While Bank Of America (the mortgage holder - 3 different loans) of Albemarle House did win back the property @ $15.26 million - the loans total $22.82M - the interesting twist is the losing bidder: Donald Trump. And he views this as just one battle in the war.

C-Ville Feb 16, 2010 "Donald Trump makes bids for Kluge properties clear" (http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991704080566501&act=post&pid=12031602111965434)

Trump reportedly has the right of first refusal on Albemarle House via an interest in a 200-plus acre tract of land currently held in the John W. Kluge, Jr. Trust.

Trump is now sitting on the sidelines with his advisers (including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom) trying to work out a deal to acquire the property from the bank. The real estate mogul and television personality already has an agreement to acquire the 200-acre lot, and is working on a deal for the winery.

Maybe he'll want to get into steeplechasing :D

By the way the Court House action of Carter Grove was canceled (http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2011/02/15/news/doc4d5a9a566fa39898762630.txt) for now. As expected Minor filed for bankruptcy with the holding company and it halted the delinquency auction.

Glimmerglass

Mar. 18, 2011, 10:24 AM

Almost six years after it last sold ($3.395M) Ashleigh is back on the market. The Delaplane, Virginia (Fauquier Co) property (http://franklymls.com/FQ7554182) listed for $3.950 this was previously home to the revived Manhasset Stable of the Whitney family.

The Manhasset Stable was the nom de course for the racing outfit established in the early 1930s by Joan Whitney Payson. She named the stable for Manhasset, New York where she grew up. Her daughter, Sandra Helen Payson of Delaplane, Virginia, began using the name again during the mid 1970s when she became involved in racing. Eddie Gregson trained for Sandra Payson's racing stable on the West Coast of the United States and on the East Coast, James E. Picou and later, Nick Zito.

The stables ceased and the property put on the market after the 2004 death of Sandra Payson (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/classified/paid-notice-deaths-payson-sandra-h.html) - whose late mother Joan Whitney Payson owned Greentree Stables on Long Island and Saratoga Springs, NY plus the NY Mets.

Built circa 1840, the Greek Revival manor house was originally home to Margaret Marshall, the granddaughter of Chief Justice John Marshall, and was built on land she was given from the family’s Oak Hill estate.

Video of the property from 2005 prior to it's sale that same year (http://playhardproductions.com/vid_ash.htm)

Susan P

Mar. 18, 2011, 11:30 AM

Well I've been there a lot at night but even in the daytime I felt like I just wanted to get the heck away from the place. It gives me the creeps. People want to walk all over and see what it's like in there, I don't, I want to go. I just wanted to get the cats out. I was trapping the cats that were left behind. The place is very creepy. I'd love to see it go, what a shame. There's nothing pretty about the barn, it's a plain jane barn, not even large stalls except for the broodmare stalls for foaling. The grounds aren't attractive either, but the land is great, nice piece of property made ugly. It didn't look this unappealing when the first owner had it and I had a tour when it was new.

There are more cats on the property and they will breed again and again but I took as many as I could trap. The last cat I trapped is running around my house, she was spayed a couple weeks ago. So that's one less breeding cat. She's sweet too. There are 2 more nice cats from there at my farm, one is deaf, a gray cat with a charming personality. She needs to live indoors but her buddy should go with her, she's too shy to be a barn cat.

I hope that property sells soon. Now that spring is here's it's starting to look more appealing from the road at least. The one attractive feature is the training track, but I would rather gut the interior of the barn.

Isn't that where Michael Gill ran his operations out of? I'm sure the place is haunted from the dubious acts conducted there on many equines. I say burn it to the ground and bring in a priest for good measure to try and bless the earth again.

Give me North Wales and I'll be delighted :)

Someone mentioned the former Pete Bostwick estate in Otsego, Co. NY in what I can only say is a bizarre plan the listing agents have increased the price from $995k to now $1.6M (http://bearspringrealty.com/properties/CountryHomes/608R/). Good luck with that plan in 2011!

Glimmerglass

May. 24, 2011, 03:39 PM

In case anyone complains about property taxes just look at the aforementioned North Wales in Warrenton, VA (http://franklymls.com/488372) at $91,485/yr, presently. Upon sale - far above original purchase - it likely will only go up.

Sure taxes in Westchester Co. NY put that $91k to shame, but that's a lot on top of the annual insurance, upkeep/maintenance, etc.

Glimmerglass

Jun. 30, 2011, 12:33 PM

A slew of big estates in Virginia's Loudoun - Fauquier hunt area have been put on the market in the last couple of months. If anyone ever wanted to the local squire with a grand old mansion, stables, paddocks and the rest here is an opportunity ;)

Examples ..

Canterbury, 373 acres, Warrenton, VA @ $14.5M (http://franklymls.com/FQ7628656) (last sold 2005)
see also for Canterbury (http://thomas-talbot.com/Property-Canterbury)

Bolinvar, 327 acres, Middleburg, VA @ $12M (http://franklymls.com/LO7584764) (last sold May 15 2008)
see also for Bolinvar (http://thomas-talbot.com/Property-BOLINVARhttp://thomas-talbot.com/Property-BOLINVAR)

ThisTooShallPass

Jul. 4, 2011, 08:17 PM

Lexington's Black Diamond on Paris Pike sold. Original list price $14M, last at $5.9M No idea of the actual sell price.

http://www.justicerealestate.net/properties.php?page=3

bugsynskeeter

Jul. 4, 2011, 08:39 PM

Lexington's Black Diamond on Paris Pike sold. Original list price $14M, last at $5.9M No idea of the actual sell price.

http://www.justicerealestate.net/properties.php?page=3

I know the man who bought it...we've asked him to let us come look at it once he has possession of it. Just want to see the inside in person :)

moonriverfarm

Jul. 5, 2011, 10:28 AM

Oooooh does he need a Horse Nanny??????? :winkgrin:

HydroPHILE

Jul. 5, 2011, 02:28 PM

I know the man who bought it...we've asked him to let us come look at it once he has possession of it. Just want to see the inside in person :)

Can you be the overly-ridiculous one and bring a camera with you? :D

Las Olas

Jul. 5, 2011, 08:54 PM

No idea of the actual sell price.

http://www.justicerealestate.net/properties.php?page=3

It sold for $3,014,500 as a foreclosure.

Glimmerglass

Aug. 29, 2011, 10:14 PM

It's a shame this semi-recently built facility is now being put on the market ...

Morningside Training Center - The Plains, Virginia, developed by the late (http://thomas-talbot.com/Property-Morningside_Training_Center)Arthur "Nick" Arundel

More images here (http://franklymls.com/FQ7669517)

111 acres in 3 parcels includes regulation polo field, cross country courses, outdoor ring, indoor arena, 5/8 mile track, 3-acre lake for swimming, stabling for 50 horses in 3 barns, 20 paddocks, main house/office, tenant house, 2 apartments.

rustbreeches

Aug. 29, 2011, 10:44 PM

I used to rent the 4 story manager's house on North Wales! Had a Silence of the Lambs basement. We moved out when Prentiss bought it. Just a little farther down Springs road is Canterbury. I knew the farm manager quite well and got to go through the house. Absolutely amazing. The rooms, the paneling, the kitchens, the meat room, the china room. Wow.

Years ago the Santa Gertrudis herd on Canterbury got out and wreaked havoc on the Fauquier Springs Country Club golf course, which is right next door. The club was going to sue for $50/hoofprint, until it was pointed out that the fairway of one hole is actually on Canterbury, and access would be denied. Suit got dropped like a hot potato

The track at Morningside is really tight for working. If you don't go into the turns a little high and wide and drop back down, you aren't going to make it through if you are doing more than 2 minute lick

Glimmerglass

Aug. 30, 2011, 09:23 AM

Years ago the Santa Gertrudis herd on Canterbury got out and wreaked havoc on the Fauquier Springs Country Club golf course, which is right next door. The club was going to sue for $50/hoofprint, until it was pointed out that the fairway of one hole is actually on Canterbury, and access would be denied. Suit got dropped like a hot potato.

One of the unique things I've read in a while :D Not to mention the 'its puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSa9mkAAWsg) reference.

I believe "Wiffletree Farm" (http://www.allenrealestate.com/homes/Whiffletree.html) (just sold) was once part of the greater North Wales complex too. That was quite a lot of land and stabling sold for cheap(er).

rustbreeches

Aug. 30, 2011, 02:23 PM

Whiffletree is always for sale. It sits between North Wales and Clovelly. Clovelly was owned by the Winmills for years and Whiffletree was also apart of the property. Mrs. Winmill lived in Whiffletree in her later years. She used lots of carriage parts in her decorating. They also owned Waverly, which is just up Springs road as well. If you can get the book "Gone Away with the Winmills" it is a great read. Written by a daughter of Viola and Bobby, it has alot of great info abot the area.

Clovelly has the oldest Belmont barn in VA. It was 28 stalls, but when it was sold by the estate of Sylvia Harrington, I think they took the 2 stud stalls and made wash racks. I went a many a turn around that shedrow trying to get horses fit for Casanove Pt to Pt when the fields were too bad to ride on

The large building in the stable complex at North Wales with the cathedral ceilings was actually built to show cows in. They used to also keep monkeys on North Wales, over on the Lees Ridge side.

judybigredpony

Aug. 30, 2011, 02:59 PM

Glimmerglass

Aug. 30, 2011, 03:11 PM

Whiffletree is always for sale. It sits between North Wales and Clovelly. Clovelly was owned by the Winmills for years and Whiffletree was also apart of the property.

I recall that being on the market just a few years ago, too: (pdf) 2007 - Clovelly (http://homes-online.com/market/dah/archive/08_03_2007/08_03_2007_dah_27.pdf)

The large building in the stable complex at North Wales with the cathedral ceilings was actually built to show cows in. They used to also keep monkeys on North Wales, over on the Lees Ridge side.

And an old tale (or is it tail under the circumstances!) regarding the monkeys: (http://web.archive.org/web/19970716130640/http://www.allenrealestate.com/article.html)

[Walter Percy Chrysler Jr.] raised monkeys on the property for scientific purposes, according to Allen's research. On one occasion, the monkeys escaped into the countryside, where they ran amuck in barns and hayfields, Allen said.

The mishap led to some good, according to an old story about the event. A notorious alcoholic, unaware of the escape, disbelievingly watched a group of monkeys play in his haystacks and, according to the legend, never took another drink, Allen said.

:D

smokygirl

Aug. 31, 2011, 12:02 AM

wow.. some of these are amazing.

Glimmerglass

Sep. 16, 2011, 10:41 PM

Below is the first time I've seen Michael Dickinson's Tapeta Farm (brochure) (http://www.tapetafarmforsale.com/Tapeta_Farm_brochure.pdf) actually listed with a price tag. The brochure doesn't and hasn't ever listed the price. However the just listed on MLS entry does:

Tapeta, Elkton, MD, asking $9.950M (http://franklymls.com/CC7684663)

Glimmerglass

Nov. 8, 2011, 06:10 PM

They flip horse(fields) don't they? ;)

Who knew in this economic downturn you'd still see equestrian estates - with a little extra gloss added - being listed for sale at double their last selling pricing (http://franklymls.com/FQ7721893) after just 5-years of ownership.

2006 sold price: $6,700,000
11/4/11 List Price: $14,900,000

Hey if they can get that kind of return ....

Glimmerglass

Jan. 6, 2012, 11:23 AM

While not an equestrian facility for racing - I don't even see a barn or stall - this is notable if only because of the ownership: Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon has listed her Cape Cod (Osterville, MA) estate (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577139633369567746.html?m od=WSJ_RealEstate_RIGHTTopCarousel). The late Paul Mellon bought the property with Bunny (his 2nd wife) and had all the structures built there in the 1940s.

It was recalled in a couple of articles in the 1970's that he would fly via private jet from Rokeby (Upperville, VA) to swim in the ocean at this estate and then fly to Saratoga to watch his horses run in the afternoon. Unfortunately Paul's name recent surfaced in the last few days with a slander lawsuit (against his estate's trustees) filed by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. (http://www.drf.com/news/thoroughbred-retirement-foundation-sues-mellon-estate-slander)

That aside, Bunny has continued to have the Rokeby's stables in VA part of the annual Hunt Country Stable tour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WupU0T8zm4A). The Cape Cod 26-acre waterfront compound is listed for $28.7 million. (http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-1185-0402237/26-acre-waterfront-compound-osterville-ma-02655)

CVPeg

Jan. 7, 2012, 11:02 AM

That aside, Bunny has continued to have the Rokeby's stables in VA part of the annual Hunt Country Stable tour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WupU0T8zm4A). .[/url]

After hearing Paul Mellon read this poem, I found much more to it - beautiful - put a lump in my throat this morning...

http://jmacneill.tripod.com/poem.html

Glimmerglass

Jan. 10, 2012, 03:30 PM

After hearing Paul Mellon read this poem, I found much more to it - beautiful - put a lump in my throat this morning...

http://jmacneill.tripod.com/poem.html

Ah, thanks for finding the entire poem, written by him, which really is lovely.

Below isn't an estate for sale, rather just an example of the sad turn of events of an estate built/owned by one of the big race owners (and a noted polo player) of the 20th Century - F. Skiddy von Stade. The remaining parts standing in Old Westbury, LI are slated to be razed in the next 30 - 60 days. Ah development isn't it great :(

Sports Illustrated August 5, 1963: "Saratoga Racing Centennial 1863-1963" (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075060/index.htm)

F. Skiddy von Stade (left) is past president of the Saratoga Association, and his family has been coming to their 90-year-old home for five generations—the steamboat that once brought patrons up from New York was named the Francis Skiddy. Pete Bostwick, Von Stade's son-in-law, is a leading steeplechase trainer.

Bing "bird's eye" view of the former Von Stade estate (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qsx4ck8w1sjd&lvl=19.431934722302266&dir=4.342105669521868&sty=b&form=LMLTCC)

(The indoor exercise/riding ring was according to former caretaker only added in the early 1980's and was not there in the 1960/1970's)

Here is the estate in absolute ruins in Nov 2011 (http://bygone.li-ruins.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=141) - the manor still "stands" but not the stables.

It was following the death of von Stade that the property passed William Entenmann and called Timber Bay Horse Farm on 110 acres. It was pitched - for development - for $15M on 40-acres in Feb 2010 (http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/real-li-1.812034/part-of-old-westbury-s-entenmann-estate-on-market-for-15-million-1.1738323).

William Entenmann III, who used Jonathan Sheppard as a trainer (http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com/news-cat/longtime-owner-william-entenmann-iii-dies/) died in Jan 2011. Timber Bay (the stable) enjoyed a lot of steeplechase success plus had an interest in Artie Schiller and bred 2002 Belmont Stakes winner Sarava.

CVPeg

Jan. 10, 2012, 10:16 PM

How sad - hate seeing these places in this condition. Since it says "former" Entemann estate, I wonder if the bank got it, or it could have been left to rot while they argued over the estate. As a real estate broker, have handled foreclosures, including some larger places in Saratoga & near Cooperstown. The banks never take care of them, and they were like that BEFORE the housing crisis.

Impressive - Yaw, Artie Schiller, & Sarava.

Well, the place almost lasted 100 years. I wonder how quickly the dozen or more McMansions will last, and what bright hue they'll be painted?!?

HUSGal

Jan. 11, 2012, 03:56 AM

Well, the place almost lasted 100 years. I wonder how quickly the dozen or more McMansions will last, and what bright hue they'll be painted?!?

^^^ Agreed! and it's such a shame...

Glimmerglass

Jan. 11, 2012, 11:51 AM

How sad - hate seeing these places in this condition. Since it says "former" Entemann estate, I wonder if the bank got it, or it could have been left to rot while they argued over the estate.

Ding. Ding. Ding. CVPeg, you win the prize as it was a mix of things:

Per the NYT June 2006 the estate was sold by William Entenmann in 1997 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02EFD71031F93BA25755C0A9609C8B 63&pagewanted=all):

The other [OW Village approved development] calls for 16 houses on the 40-acre property once home to the Entenmann family, of bakery fame, just north of the Long Island Expressway. That land was bought in 1997 by the Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County and High School of Long Island but was resold to a developer.

From another source:

A developer had purchased the estate back in the boom days off the School and filed plans for a subdivision which were approved by the Village.

He then lost the property in foreclosure and it was picked up by another developer who is seeing the project through. It had been for sale (post foreclosure) along with the approved subdivision plans for at least a couple of years.

Additional image of the now uninhabitable mansion in the last couple of months (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ysr2U8NdJM/Tw1-z6rC8cI/AAAAAAAAKrc/olAbaKyPN-s/s1600/VS%2BFront.jpg)