LEXINGTON, Ky. — On more than 900 acres of green, hilly fields on the outskirts of Lexington sits the over 60-year-old farm, Mill Ridge.
It was once the dream and passion of Alice Headley Chandler, who started the farm in 1962 and is the grandmother of equine professional and general manager Price Headley Bell Jr.
Bell said three years after opening the nursery, Headley Chandler would breed the first American Horse Survivor to win a European race, later catching the eyes of royalty.
“This horse was born in 1965, so it was sold in 1966, and won the [Epsom Derby] in 1968,” Bell said. “As an aside, Her Majesty the Queen loved thoroughbreds, so Her Majesty [and] my grandmother became friends.”
Three generations later, as her grandson, he said they’re still caring for these horses and are now showing those interested where racing champions are born and raised in their first year of life while they’re with their mothers.
Mill Ridge has bred, raised and/or sold 39 Grade 1 winners since 2000. Some mares at the farm have birthed Grade-A stakes winners, such as Giacomo, who won the 2005 Kentucky Derby.
Today, Mill Ridge offers guided tours, during which visitors can drive across the farm and interact with the animals up close.
“To me, the best part of the farm and horses is just seeing them and listening to the birds and listening to them eat grass and just kind of allowing oneself the opportunity to daydream ... and dream about what this little one will become and what her mother will continue to be,” Bell said.
