Calumet Farm is a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

breeding and training farm established in 1924 in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegrass, a well-known horse breeding region. Calumet Farm has a record history of Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners and 11 horses in the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

History

Founded in

Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a northern suburb of Chicago. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2020 census population was 20,579. It is part of Libertyville Township, whi ...

, the

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

breeding operation was moved to the more favorable climate of Kentucky by W. M. Wright. At a time when

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...

was the most popular type of

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

, in 1931 the farm's trotter "Calumet Butler" won the most prestigious event of the day, the Hambletonian. After Wright died in 1932, his son Warren Wright, Sr. took over the business and began converting it to Thoroughbred breeding and training. His acquisition of quality breeding stock saw Calumet Farm develop into one of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

's most successful stables in Thoroughbred racing history. Calumet Farm was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991. The

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

named its baggage car #5868 the "Calumet Farm". A key move was acquiring part ownership in

Blenheim Blenheim ( ) is the English name of Blindheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which was the site of the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Almost all places and other things called Blenheim are named directly or indirectly in honour of the battle. Places ...

, a stallion imported from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and its foundation sire,

Bull Lea A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includ ...

. Calumet Farm has produced ten

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

winners, more than any other operation. The farm is also the leading breeder and owner of

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade I race run over a distance of ...

winners, with seven each. Two of the farm's colts have won the U.S. Triple Crown and three females the Triple Crown for

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

. Under Warren Wright, Sr. and his wife Lucille Parker Wright ,who inherited the property on his death in 1950, Calumet was the top money-earning farm in racing for 12 years. Lexington Kentucky - Calumet Farm (3579042786) (2)

Lexington Kentucky - Calumet Farm (3579042786) (2)

Calumet Farm's winners of the

are: Whirlaway (1941),

Pensive Pensive (February 5, 1941 – May 20, 1949) was a bright chestnut Thoroughbred racehorse that in 1944 won the first two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown. Pensive also began only the second sire line "hat trick" in the Kentucky Derby, as his son P ...

(1944),

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose o ...

(1948), Ponder (sired by Pensive - 1949),

Hill Gail Hill Gail (April 19, 1949 – May 27, 1968) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. One of the leading American two-year-olds of 1951, Hill Gail recorded his most important success the following spring when he won the 1952 Kentucky Derby. He was ...

(1952), Iron Liege (1957),

Tim Tam Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit introduced by the Australian biscuit company Arnott's in 1964. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light hard chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. H ...

(1958),

Forward Pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiro ...

(1968 by DQ),

Strike the Gold Strike the Gold (March 21, 1988 – December 13, 2011) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1991 Kentucky Derby. Upon the death of 1987 Derby winner Alysheba in March 2009, Strike the Gold became the oldest living Ke ...

(1991) and

Rich Strike Rich Strike ( foaled April 25, 2019) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 2022 Kentucky Derby, racing at 80–1 odds. Rich Strike is the second-biggest longshot to have won the Kentucky Derby after Donerail (91–1 odds) in 1913. ...

(2022). Two of these greats, Whirlaway and Citation, are

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three ...

champions. Eleven of the farm's horses have been inducted into the

. Other well-known horses include

Nellie Flag Nellie Flag (1932–1953) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was retrospectively named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of 1934. She was the first horse bred by Warren Wright's Calumet Farm to win a stakes race. An early favor ...

, Armed,

Two Lea {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Two Lea , image = , caption = , sire = Bull Lea , grandsire = Bull Dog , dam = Two Bob , damsire = The Porter , sex = Filly , foaled = 1946 , country = USA , colour = Bay , breeder = Calumet Farm ...

Mar-Kell Mar-Kell (1939–1966) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Her dam was the 1934 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Nellie Flag, and her sire was the 1930 Epsom Derby winner Blenheim, who had been imported to the United States in ...

, A Gleam,

Twilight Tear Twilight Tear (1941–1954) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. At age two, she won four of her six starts, finishing second and third in her other two starts. Her performances earned her the title of 2-year-old filly honors in ...

, Mark-Ye-Well, A Glitter,

Bewitch Bewitch (1945–1959) was a Thoroughbred race horse born in 1945 at Calumet Farm, Kentucky, United States in the same crop in which the stallion Bull Lea produced Citation and Coaltown. Each of them was eventually inaugurated into the Thoroughb ...

Coaltown Coaltown (1945–1965) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse of whom '' The New York Times'' said "was probably the most underrated Thoroughbred of the 20th Century." Coaltown was nicknamed "The Goose" by the stable em ...

Real Delight Real Delight (1949–1969), was an American Thoroughbred race horse. Background She was bred by the famous Calumet Farm of Lexington, Kentucky. Her sire was one of America's foundation stallions, the influential Bull Lea (sire of seven Hall of ...

Bardstown Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, Our Mims, Davona Dale,

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown. With each successive ...

, and Before Dawn. In 1969, the Keeneland Association honored Calumet Farm with its Keeneland Mark of Distinction for their contribution to Keeneland and the Thoroughbred industry. Lucille Wright died in 1982 and according to the terms of her first husband's will, the farm went to the heirs of their only child, Warren Wright, Jr. (1920–1978). John Thomas Lundy (J.T.), who married Lucille "Cindy" Wright, took over as head of operations and president. Calumet Farm won the 1990 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder. In November of that year, details surrounding the death of 15-year-old

- America's leading sire of the time—and the collection of a $36 million insurance policy—brought a cloud of suspicion over the business. Under Lundy, mismanagement and fraud had left the farm with massive debt that led Calumet Farm to file for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

protection in 1991 as they were losing $1 million a month. After years of legal proceedings, in 2000, Lundy along with Gary Matthews, the farm's former attorney and chief financial officer, were convicted of fraud and bribery and sent to prison. In 1992, a trust established by

Henryk de Kwiatkowski Henryk Richard de Kwiatkowski (February 22, 1924 – March 17, 2003) was a Polish-born member of the Royal Air Force who became an aeronautical engineer, made a fortune in business in North America, and who owned Calumet Farm, one of the most ...

, a Polish-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, purchased Calumet Farm, saving it from possible liquidation. Since 1992, the farm has been fully restored to its former beauty. In 2012, the Calumet Investment Group bought Calumet Farm from the de Kwiatkowski Trust for more than $36 million. Calumet Investment Group in turn leased it to Brad M. Kelley, believed to be a member of the investment group. Kelley's horses race under the name of Calumet Farm, but they carry Kelley's black and gold racing colors, as the original "Devil's Red and Blue" silks of Calumet had been sold to a Brazilian investment group. The win of

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term " oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a rive ...

in the 2013 Preakness Stakes marked the return of Calumet to the winner's circle of a Triple Crown race for the first time since 1968.

History

References

Further reading