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Alice Headley Chandler (January 15, 1926 — April 6, 2021) was an American
Thoroughbred racehorse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for 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 considered " ...
breeder and racing stable owner. Chandler is known for establishing Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2020, 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 ...
inducted Chandler under the Pillars of the Turf category for “extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level." Chandler's motto was, “Take care of the horse, and it will take care of you.”


Early life

Alice Molloy Headley was born January 15, 1926, in Lexington, Kentucky, to
Hal Price Headley Hal Price Headley (December 19, 1888 – March 22, 1962) was an American owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses and a founder of Keeneland who served as the race track's president from 1935 to 1951. He owned the 4,000 acre Beaumont Far ...
and Genevieve Morgan Molloy. Chandler's father owned Beaumont Farm, 4,000 acres of land in the western part of Fayette County, and was “one of the prime, and perhaps most important, of the original organizers of
Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...
,” an equine racing and sales facility in Lexington. Chandler attended Warrenton Country Day in Virginia, the
Ethel Walker School The Ethel Walker School, also commonly referred to as "Walker's", is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 plus postgraduate located in Simsbury, Connecticut. History Founded in 1911, the ...
, and the University Training School in Lexington. She married Howard Current Judy in 1944 and had two children, Patricia and Michael. Chandler remarried in 1950 to Reynolds Wait Bell and moved to Texas, where Bell worked in the oil industry. Chandler had two sons while married to Bell, Headley and Reynolds. Inspired by her father's legacy, Chandler returned to Lexington in 1959 to engage in horse breeding and sales. In 1972, she married equine veterinarian Dr. John A. Chandler. Alongside Chandler, “they worked tirelessly to turn Mill Ridge into a leading destination for top sires and mares.”


Mill Ridge Farm

In 1962, Hal Price Headley died and bequeathed to Chandler four mares and 286 acres of the Beaumont Farm, with which she founded Mill Ridge Farm. In 1968, Chandler became the first American woman to breed an
Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...
winner who was sold at auction,
Sir Ivor Sir Ivor (5 May 1965 – 10 November 1995) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in ...
, a stallion descended from
Alcibiades Alcibiades (; 450–404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently ...
, a champion bred by Chandler's father in 1927. Sir Ivor was sold to Raymond Guest, an American businessman and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, at Keeneland in 1966 for $42,000. After winning several major European races, Chandler's stallion influenced a shift in horse sales, emphasizing the U.S. commercial market and Keeneland, specifically. Mill Ridge Farm has raised and sold several notable horses since its founding, to include 2001 Horse of the Year
Point Given Point Given (March 27, 1998 – September 11, 2023) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2001 American Horse of the Year. That year, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational, and Travers Stakes, becom ...
, 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, and 2005 Kentucky Derby winner
Giacomo Giacomo () is an Italian given name corresponding to English James (name), James. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob (name), Jacob. People bearing the name include: *Giacomo Acerbo (1888–1969), Italian economi ...
. Since 2000, Mill Ridge Farm has raised or sold seven Breeders’ Cup winners and 36 Grade 1 winners.


Honors

Chandler's most prestigious honor is her induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2020 under the category of “Pillars of the Turf.” Her father was inducted only two years prior in 2018. Chandler became a member of Keeneland's Button Club in 2012, an award that honors individuals/farms who have “played a prominent role in the growth of the Keeneland Association.” In 2008, Chandler was given the Eclipse Award of Merit, one of the industry's highest honors, presented for “displaying outstanding lifetime achievement in, and service to, the Thoroughbred industry.” In 2005, Chandler was the Honor Guest for the Thoroughbred Club of America's Annual Testimonial Dinner, an event that honors “outstanding figures of the turf world.”


Death and legacy

Chandler passed away in her sleep at her home in Lexington, Kentucky on April 6, 2021. The Lexington-Herald Leader called Chandler a “pioneering horsewoman” and attributed Chandler as the conduit between the European horse industry and Keeneland. Chandler's legacy in the Thoroughbred industry endures through her children and grandchildren. Her son, Headley Bell, is the Managing Partner of Mill Ridge Farm. Bell's son, Price (named after his great-grandfather) is the General Manager. Mike Bell is a trainer, while Reynolds Bell is a bloodstock advisor and past president of the
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, i ...
.  


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Alice Headley 1926 births 2021 deaths American female horse trainers American racehorse owners and breeders Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Breeders of Epsom Derby winners Sportspeople from Lexington, Kentucky Businesspeople from Lexington, Kentucky Horse trainers from Lexington, Kentucky 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen