About Us
Ashford Stud, owned by John Magnier and located in the heart of Kentucky’s famous Bluegrass, is Coolmore’s home in North America. While now much larger in size, the initial tract of land on which it was set amounted to just 465 acres. That land had previously formed part of an important cattle farm owned by Col. Edmund H. Taylor Jr. who founded the Old Taylor Distilleries in nearby Frankfort. Known as Hereford Farm, the property was developed around 1912 and operated as a cattle farm up until the late 1970s. At that time, Dr. Bill Lockridge’s grand vision saw it transform into a state-of-the-art stud, fit for the finest stallions in the world.
After three years of careful planning and construction, Ashford opened its doors for the 1982 breeding season. The stallion roster was headlined by Storm Bird, the highest rated two-year-old in Europe in 1980 when trained by the legendary Vincent O’Brien. Among the resident mares at Ashford in 1982 was Terlingua. Her mating to Storm Bird that year would have a lasting impact on thoroughbred breeding worldwide through the exploits of their prolific son Storm Cat.
When Ashford became part of John Magnier’s Coolmore operation in the mid-1980s, Storm Bird, along with the likes of El Gran Senor and Woodman, helped to establish Coolmore’s reputation on an international level through the late 80s and early 90s.
1996 marked the retirement to Ashford of Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch, who is out of a daughter of Storm Bird. Thunder Gulch would soon gain the distinction of being the first champion sire to stand at Ashford when he topped the general sire’s list in 2001. Not to be outdone, Ashford sires Hennessy (2001), Tale of the Cat (2003), Giant’s Causeway (2005 & 2014), Uncle Mo (2015), Scat Daddy (2017) and his son Justify (2023) all earned champion juvenile sire honors to add to those won by Woodman in 1990 and 1994. Giant’s Causeway also earned the distinction of becoming the first horse since Danzig to top the General Sires List on three occasions (2009, 2010 & 2012).
Just like our farm in Ireland is usually referred to as the Home of Champions, Ashford is home to some of the best young sires in the United States. The stallion roster is led by Triple Crown winners Justify and American Pharoah along with record-breaking sire Uncle Mo. With a fantastic combination of proven sires and exceptional young sire prospects standing alongside this illustrious trio, it’s safe to say Ashford’s iconic stallion barns will continue to house influential breed shapers for many years to come.