From Calumet Farm to Meadow Stable, these 5 owners have defined the Kentucky Derby
Winning the Kentucky Derby once is a life-changing moment for any owner. Doing so on more than one occasion puts an owner in rarefied air. In the 149 previous editions of the Run for the Roses, only 17 owners boast multiple victories with horses they either fully or partially owned.
Here’s a list of five owners who have defined the Kentucky Derby heading into the 150th running of the race May 4 at Churchill Downs — and no surprise, every member of the quintet has multiple Derby victories.
Belair Stud
Belair Stud's roots in the thoroughbred industry date back to 1747, when horses from England were shipped to America and tended to at the stable's farm in Maryland. And the stable defined excellence in horse racing for decades. It owned two of the first three Triple Crown winners in Gallant Fox (1930) and his son, Omaha (1935). The pair remains the only father-son duo to win the Triple Crown. Belair Stud's other Kentucky Derby champion, Johnstown (1939), also captured the Belmont Stakes, coming up short of a Triple Crown thanks to a fifth-place finish in the Preakness Stakes. All told, Belair Stud won 12 Triple Crown races: three in the Kentucky Derby, three in the Preakness and six in the Belmont (tied with James R. Keene for most by an owner). The stable won more than 630 races all time, with five horses (Gallant Fox, Granville, Johnstown, Nashua and Omaha) later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
How much more Belair Stud could have accomplished will never be known.
William Woodward Jr., who took over from his father in leading Belair Stud, was killed on Oct. 30, 1955. His wife, Ann Woodward, shot and killed Woodward Jr. Following his death, Belair Stud sold all of its holdings in the equine industry.
Edward R. Bradley
He went by many names: E.R. Bradley. Edward R. Bradley. Col. Bradley.
Another befitting name: "Winner." And, "Hall of Famer."
His 28 Derby starters — every horse's name started with a "B" — is tied for most all time (alongside Calumet Farm), while Bradley's four Derby victories are the second most of any owner (trailing Calumet Farm's eight).
It began with Behave Yourself in 1921. It ended with Brokers Tip in 1933. In between, Bubbling Over (1926) and Burgoo King (1932) also captured the Run for the Roses. But despite those successes, none of Bradley's horses ever won the Triple Crown.
The Kentucky Derby was Behave Yourself's only victory after turning 3. Bubbling Over didn't race again after injuring his tendon in the Derby win. The Derby was the lone triumph, in 14 starts, for Brokers Tip. Burgoo King was Bradley's best bet at a Triple Crown sweep; the horse went on to win the Preakness but did not compete in the Belmont. The reason provided for his absence varies; in some circles, it's reported Burgoo King had an injury that wouldn't heal in time to run in the longest of the three Triple Crown events; other sources claim "a paperwork problem" sidelined the champion thoroughbred.
Whatever the reason, it's a story befitting his colorful owner, who ran a Palm Beach, Florida-based casino — the legality of which is murky, though The Palm Beach Post noted it "operated for 50 years without being robbed or raided" — as well as other gambling halls across the country. According to The Palm Beach Post, Bradley even vowed he knew "Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid" and also "helped capture Geronimo." (Proof of these claims remains unsubstantiated.)
Bradley's non-equine exploits — tall tales or not — arguably exceed what he accomplished in the horse racing industry, illustrious as it was.
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm's eight victories in the Run for the Roses are an ownership record. And one that might be unbreakable. It's twice as many as the next-closest owner (Bradley's aforementioned four). The aforementioned Belair Stud had three Derby wins, and it hasn't operated in nearly 70 years. No other ownership group has more than two.
If the pride of Lexington's Derby mark is ever to be challenged, other owners better get to work.
As it is, the stable is one of only two (along with Belair Stud) to produce a pair of Triple Crown horses: Whirlaway in 1941, then Citation seven years later.
Along with its record number of Derby wins, Calumet also holds the ownership record for Preakness victories, with seven.
That's wrapped into another record for the stable: Calumet's 17 wins in Triple Crown races (it also has two Belmont victories) are the most for any owner all time.
A whopping 11 thoroughbreds from Calumet Farm — Alydar, Armed, Bewitch, Citation, Coaltown, Davona Dale, Real Delight, Twilight Tear, Two Lea, Tim Tam and Whirlaway — are in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Meadow Stable
Meadow Stable would have earned a spot on this list even if Secretariat had been its only Derby winner; that's what happens when you own the most famous — and most dominant — racehorse in history. Everyone knows Secretariat's numbers at this point. How he still holds the fastest times in all three Triple Crown races. How awe-inspiring his 31-length victory at the Belmont was.
To only focus on Secretariat, however, is giving short shrift to Riva Ridge. A year before Secretariat's all-time great 3-year-old campaign, Riva Ridge not only won the Derby but added the Belmont title, too. While forever overshadowed by Secretariat, Riva Ridge went on to have a Hall of Fame career in his own right.
Two Hall of Fame horses. Five Triple Crown victories. In consecutive years.
All thanks to the Chenery family.
Meadow Stable was founded by Christopher Chenery, a Virginia native. After his death, just months before the 1973 Kentucky Derby, his daughter, Helen "Penny" Chenery, took over as the stable's president — and also became its public face.
Countless books, and even a movie, later, and it's not outlandish to posit that Penny Chenery (and by extension, Meadow Stable) is the most well-known owner in the history of the Kentucky Derby.
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney grew up wealthy and lived a life of affluence until his death in 1930 at the age of 58. He was the son of William C. Whitney, who then was the secretary of the Navy. The younger Whitney later married Gertrude Vanderbilt of the influential Vanderbilt family that descended from railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Whitney, who also was a gifted polo player, inherited a large stable from his father. The son made good use of it, putting together an ownership career that earned a spot (posthumously) in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Whitney bred 192 stakes winners, a mark that stood for more than half a century (surpassed by E.P. Taylor). He was America's top breeder in earnings (individually, plus years shared with his son, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney) 11 times. He was the country's top owner in earnings on eight occasions. And he won 10 Triple Crown races as an owner: two Kentucky Derbies (1915 with Regret and 1927 with Whiskery), four Preakness Stakes (Royal Tourist in 1908, Broomspun in 1921, Bostonian in 1927 and Victorian in 1928) and four Belmonts (Tanya in 1905, Burgomaster in 1906, Prince Eugene in 1913 and Johren in 1918).
Yet his biggest gift to horse racing might have been Regret, who in 1915 became the first filly to cross the line first in the Run for the Roses. No greater authority than the Kentucky Derby's own website cited Regret's win over the colts as giving the race "credibility" it sorely sought.
"I do not care if she never wins another race, nor if she ever starts in another race, she has won the greatest race in America and I am satisfied," Whitney said after the victory, per the Kentucky Derby website.
Honorable mention
Bashford Manor Stable: The Louisville-based operation, run by George Long, became the first owner to win the Derby more than once (Azra in 1892, followed by Sir Huon in 1906). Though neither Bashford Manor nor Long owned 1899 Derby winner Manuel, Long bred the horse. He later became a director at Churchill Downs. The Bashford Manor Stakes, held each year at the track, honors the name of Long's former stable, which his heirs sold to the Buechel Woman’s Club in 1951.
John and Fannie Hertz: A husband-and-wife duo, the Hertzes owned Stoner Creek Stud in Paris. There, the pair bred two Kentucky Derby winners: Reigh Count in 1928, followed by Count Fleet in 1943. Both horses are now in the Hall of Fame; Count Fleet was inducted in 1962 and Reigh Count in 1978.
King Ranch: The largest ranch in the U.S. is responsible for both Kentucky Derby champions from the Lone Star State. Assault won the Run for the Roses in 1946, then went on to capture the next two legs of the Triple Crown. Middleground won the Derby (and Belmont) in 1950.
Arthur B. Hancock III: Horse racing is in Hancock's blood — he's the grandson of Claiborne Farm's founder, Arthur Boyd Hancock. Hancock III's father, Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock Jr., continued to grow the farm. Now the owner of his own stable, Stone Farm in Paris, Hancock III has carved out a piece of history for himself: He's a part owner of two Kentucky Derby winners (1982 with Gato Del Sol and 1989 with Sunday Silence). Gato Del Sol was held out of the 1982 Preakness but went on to finish second in the Belmont. Sunday Silence prevailed in the Preakness but came up short of the Triple Crown thanks to an 8-length win by Easy Goer in the Belmont. But Sunday Silence bounced back to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, earning the American Horse of the Year award for 1989 and going into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
Bob and Beverly Lewis: Another husband-and-wife team, the Lewis couple collected two Derby victories in a three-year span. Silver Charm won the Run for the Roses in 1997, with Charismatic matching the feat in 1999. Both horses went on to finish first in the Preakness, but neither could bag the Belmont to complete the Triple Crown; Silver Charm lost by three-quarters of a length to Touch Gold in New York, while Charismatic took third after suffering a career-ending injury in the race. Silver Charm went into the Hall of Fame in 2007, while Charismatic, who died in 2017, netted American Horse of the Year honors in 1999.
Starlight Racing: The group, founded by Jack and Laurie Wolf in 2000, has two of the past six Derby winners as part of a pair of ownership consortiums. In 2018, Starlight was part owner of eventual Triple Crown winner Justify. Two years later, Starlight owned a piece of Derby winner Authentic, who was named the American Horse of the Year in 2020.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Notable Kentucky Derby owners who have raced at Churchill Downs