Walker Hancock

It was the Christmas present the horses involved didn't deserve, and one that horse racing didn't need. Last month, the Kentucky Humane Society's Equine CARE program rescued 13 horses from a Franklin County farm, including War Envoy, a former stallion and Royal Ascot winner. The news soared around social media and made it onto international news pages Christmas week. "Former Irish-trained one-time champion racehorse found 'starving in a cold mud pen waiting to die' in the US," wrote The Irish News. "Ex-Aidan O'Brien Royal Ascot winner rescued in US from...

The Jockey Club has rolled out a new pilot project, the Mare Incentive Program, that waives registration fees for certain 2026 foals of mares that meet certain criteria in order to assist breeders with their mating plans, the organization said in a press release early Friday. "The Jockey Club is waiving registration fees for any 2026 foals of mares that are listed and that are introduced or returned to the breeding population in 2025 in an effort to stimulate interest in this group that appear to have left production," said...

The new Officers and Board Members for the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA) were appointed at its most recent meeting. Rob Tribbett of Watercress Farm will move from Vice President to become President, Scott Mallory has been named Vice President and Lakota Gibson will serve as Treasurer. Outgoing President Walker Hancock of Claiborne Farm will continue to serve the organization as Past President. The Board consists of 15 members: eight from the Top 20 consignors and seven from other consignors and commercial breeders. Each year a portion of the...

Claiborne Farm has secured the breeding rights to Grade I stakes winner Prince of Monaco (Speightstown--Rainier, by Medaglia d'Oro), who will enter stud at the Paris nursery at the conclusion of his racing career. The 3-year-old, winner of last year's GIII Best Pal Stakes and GI Del Mar Futurity, is expected to start next in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. He is coming off narrowly beaten runner-up efforts in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes and in the GI H Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. "Running a 103 Beyer [in the Best...

Claiborne Farm and Lane's End Farm have committed to a co-sponsorship of the Former Broodmare division at the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced Tuesday. First run as a pilot program in 2023, the Former Broodmare division is now an official competition avenue at the Thoroughbred Makeover, welcoming recently-retired broodmares to compete alongside the traditional retiring racehorse division in all 10 offered disciplines. Broodmares will be pinned and recognized separately, and compete for a separate pot of $10,000...

Jacob West will join the Claiborne Farm team in October as the Stallion Seasons & Bloodstock Manager, the organization said in a release Wednesday. West, a Kentucky native, graduated from UK with a degree in Economics. He began his career in the Thoroughbred industry at the ground level, first serving as a groom in Taylor Made Farm's broodmare division. From there, he ascended to barn foreman, divisional yearling manager, and then Buyer Account Manager. During his tenure at Taylor Made, West managed all aspects of his clients' investment portfolios, including...

In our walk of life, nothing succeeds like succession. As with any other form of agriculture, a horse farm is not just a business but a legacy sometimes shaped by several generations of rain-or-shine toil and kitchen-table lore. The balance sheet may happen to be in the black, or in the red--but that's just a moment in time. How does one put a price on the decades of patient nurture that have gone into land and bloodlines? Yet there's never any guarantee about the next generation, whether in terms of...

'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front--My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song), winner of the 2022 GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. in a stakes-record time of 1:33.29 at Keeneland, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., for the 2024 breeding season. A graded stakes winner at two and three in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis earned over $1.5 million as a homebred for Bass Racing. Annapolis was produced by My Miss Sophia, winner of the GII Gazelle S....

The Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA), whose 300-strong membership accounts for over 80% of the annual auction revenue in North America, elected new officers and board members at a recent meeting, the organization said in a release Wednesday evening. The CBA's 15-member Board features eight members from the top 20 consignors and seven members from other consignors and commercial breeders. Each year, a portion of the Board completes their term and new members fill the positions. Joining the board for 2024 will be Lakota Gibson (Gainesway), Jill Gordon (Highgate...

Turfway Park Racing & Gaming and Claiborne Farm have teamed up to present a three-race series which will reward top-three-finishing fillies and mares a future stallion credit when they retire from racing. Dubbed the "Make Your Mare" series, the top three finishers of the Dec. 2 Holiday Inaugural S., Dec. 9 My Charmer S., and Jan. 13 Likely Exchange S. will all receive "Claiborne Credit" on a $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 scale to be applied to future stallion fees. "We're very excited to partner with Claiborne Farm for this series...

The Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA) has named new officers and board members for 2023, including the move of Claiborne Farm's Walker Hancock from vice president to president. Rob Tribbett of Watercress Farm will serve as vice president, while Stone Farm's Lynn Hancock has been named treasurer and outgoing president Allaire Ryan will continue to serve the organization as past president. "The CBA is very appreciative of Allaire's work and progress she made during her time as president," said the new president. "She took the CBA to a new...

Claiborne Farm will be the title sponsor of the Former Broodmare division in its first year at the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. First announced in November of this year, the Former Broodmare division will welcome recently retired broodmares to compete alongside traditional retiring racehorses in all 10 offered disciplines, with broodmares pinned and recognized separately and competing for a separate pot of $10,000 in prize money. "Claiborne is pleased to be the title sponsor of the...