Nancy Knorr Polk, owner of Normandy Farm, passed away last Saturday in Lexington. The 75-year-old was surrounded by her daughters. Polk purchased the 250-acre Normandy Farm in 1997 and made restoring the historic property her life's mission.
“It is a wonderful old farm with a lot of history,” Polk said in a 2016 TDN interview. “I feel as if I'm a caretaker for the next person who comes along. I've done some restorations and tried to make it better than it was when I bought it. It's been a labor of love.”
Polk bred Grade I winners Daddy's Lil Darling (Scat Daddy) and Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday). Her homebred Daddy's Lil Darling, who won last year's GI American Oaks in Polk's colors, finished fourth in Saturday's GI Beverly D. S., while Mongolian Saturday captured the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
Polk, a native of Michigan, was a member of the Keeneland Club, the Thoroughbred Club, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the Kentucky Horse Park and the Lexington Country Club. She is survived by three daughters, Kathy, Susan and Jules, four grandsons, Patrick, Reilly, Reece and Morgan, her sister Katie and brother Fred.
A memorial celebration will be held Sept. 8 at the Lexington Country Club in Lexington. The service will begin at 3 p.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Center for Women, Children and Families or to Old Friends Farm. Arrangements are being handled by Milward Funeral Home.
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