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| Company type | Horse breedingstud farm and Thoroughbred racingstable |
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| Industry | Thoroughbredhorse racing |
| Headquarters | 884 Iron Works Pike,Lexington, Kentucky |
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| Website | http://spendthriftfarm.com/ |
Spendthrift Farm is athoroughbredrace horse breeding farm and burial site inLexington, Kentucky, currently owned byEric & Tammy Gustavson.[1] It was founded in 1937 byLeslie Combs II and named for the greatstallionSpendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor,Daniel Swigert ofElmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather ofMan o' War.
Although Spendthrift Farm is known mostly as a commercial breeding operation, they maintain a small racing stable as well. Their most notable runners areBeholder, a four-timeEclipse Award winning mare; Lord Nelson, a three-time Grade I winning sprinter; Court Vision, who won theBreeders' Cup Mile; and Tamara, a Grade 1 winning daughter of Beholder and Bolt d'Oro.[2]
In 1966,Majestic Prince was foaled at Spendthrift, bred by Combs. The famous son ofRaise A Native later was returned to the farms and died there in 1981. In 1979, the greatTriple Crown winnerSeattle Slew was retired to stud and stood at Spendthrift until 1987.
Spendthrift Farms went public in 1983.[3] In 1984,Queen Elizabeth II visited Spendthrift Farms to view not onlySeattle Slew but alsoAffirmed as possible studs for her stable ofThoroughbreds containing 22 broodmares.[4]
In 1984, the Keeneland Association honored Spendthrift Farm with itsMark of Distinction for their contribution to Keeneland and the Thoroughbred industry.[5]
In 1988, Spendthrift Farms filed for bankruptcy.[6] The farm was acquired out of bankruptcy the next year byTerry McBrayer, Curtis C. Green, Henry "Cap" Hershey, and Williamdu Pont III.[7]
Spendthrift Farms was sold in a foreclosure auction toMetLife in 1993.[8] MetLife resold it to lawyer Ted Taylor the next year.[9] In 1995, Spendthrift Farm was the victor in alandmark case aboutseparation of powers before theSupreme Court of the United States. In 2000, the farm was acquired by Bruce Klein.[10] In 2004,B. Wayne Hughes, the founder ofPublic Storage, purchased the historic farm.
In 2020, as part of an ownership group with MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing, Spendthrift was named the leading owner for North American earnings due to a successful season for Authentic.[11]
Along with being a breeding facility in the 1960s and 70's, several important racehorses are buried at the farm. These include,Nashua,Never Bend,Prince John,Raise A Native,Gallant Man,Caro,Majestic Prince, and Valdez.
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Their 2026 stallion roster and their stud fees are:
The 1995United States Supreme Court casePlaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc. arose from a securities fraud lawsuit against the farm relating to its 1983 public offering of stock.
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38°06′33″N84°25′39″W / 38.109107°N 84.427595°W /38.109107; -84.427595
