NEWS
Chandler to receive Eclipse Award of Merit
Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:33 PM
ALICE CHANDLER AT THE 2005 KEENELAND SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE
Photo by Z
by Jeff Lowe
Alice Chandler, owner of Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing.
Chandler will accept the award January 26 at the 38th Eclipse Awards ceremony at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.
“I am just thrilled to be honored with the Eclipse Award,” Chandler said. “I have had a wonderful life with Thoroughbreds.”
Last spring, Chandler handed day-to-day management of Mill Ridge over to her son, Headley Bell. She founded the farm in 1962 from an original tract of 286 acres that she inherited from her father, Hal Price Headley, the co-founder and first president of Keeneland Association.
Chandler bred 1968 English Horse of the Year Sir Ivor and raced multiple Grade 1 winner Keeper Hill among many other major stakes winners. The farm has raised and/or sold several dozen Grade 1 winners, including Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Giacomo and Horse of the Year Point Given, and it is the current home to Barbaro’s dam, La Ville Rouge.
“Alice Chandler richly deserves to be honored for her lifelong contributions to the Thoroughbred industry,” said Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. “Her remarkable achievements as an owner and breeder, and her service to a wide range of racing organizations over many decades, make her an exemplary choice for the Award of Merit.”
Chandler sold Sir Ivor for $42,000 to Arthur “Bull” Hancock at the 1966 Keeneland July yearling sale on behalf of Raymond Guest.
“Sir Ivor’s influence provided a major turning point in opening up the American market to the European market,” said Keeneland Association President Nick Nicholson. “It convinced foreign buyers that North American pedigrees could be adapted to European training methods and win classic races.”
Through the years, Mill Ridge grew to 1,100 acres while Chandler maintained a hands-on role along with her husband, Dr. John Chandler. The farm has a sales division that regularly ranks among the leading consignors by gross receipts. In 2005, Mill Ridge sold eventual Group 2 winner Jalil for $9.7-million at the Keeneland September yearling sale.
Chandler also has served as chairman of the University of Kentucky Equine Research Foundation; president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association; a director of Breeders’ Cup Ltd., Keeneland, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; and a member of the Equine Drug Council and the Gluck Research Center.
“I believed it was important for me to take an active leadership role for these important programs and organizations,” Chandler said. “All of this has made for a terrific life.”
In 2006, the Kentucky Senate recognized Chandler for her lifelong dedication to her community and to the equine industry. She received the Winner's Circle award from the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2000. Five years later, she was the honor guest for the Thoroughbred Club of America's annual Testimonial Dinner.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
