Walker Hancock

That must have been a good sandwich. It was certainly a memorable one. Walker Hancock of Claiborne Farm distinctly remembers eating subs from Jersey Mike's one fall afternoon in 2021 with Daisy Phipps Pulito and Claiborne's farm manager Bradley Purcell in Claiborne's conference room. The three of them sat down over those sandwiches to hash out mating plans for the Phipps mares for 2022. "It all goes back to some Jersey Mike's subs," said Hancock with a laugh. "We did the matings for her mares for that following year that...

One of Kevin Lay's fondest memories with Blame involved an unexpected olive branch from a 9-year-old girl. Years ago, Lay was giving a tour through Claiborne Farm's stallion complex. When the group reached Blame's stall and the amicable stallion stuck his head out to greet the visitors, a young girl pointedly turned her back, refusing to look at the horse that had caused her such devastation in the infamous 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. A few weeks later, the farm received a hand-drawn portrait of Blame with a note stating...

The first installment in the 2026 OwnerView webinar series was held Mar. 17 and featured a discussion of the benefits and challenges of breeding Thoroughbreds to race, the conference series said via a Thursday press release. Guests included Carrie Brogden, Machmer Hall Farm; Kate Galvin, Godolphin; Len Green, D.J. Stable; and Walker Hancock, Claiborne Farm. The event, hosted by The Jockey Club of America and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, was presented by Bessemer Trust, Keeneland and Dean Dorton Equine. Panel sponsors included the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Airdrie...

Claiborne Farm has released the stud fees for multiple Grade I winners and newly-minted stallions, Mindframe (Constitution--Walk of Stars, by Street Sense)--set at $50,000 LFSN--and Johannes (Nyquist--Cuyathy, by Congrats), who checks in at $10,000 LFSN and is eligible for the farm's new "Breed Twice, Breed for Life" incentive program, according to a press release from the breeding operation. Mindframe was the only older horse in America to win two Grade I races in 2025, highlighted by a statement victory in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs, where he...

$3.7-Million Lush Lips Tops Book 1 by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Alan Carasso LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale blitzed through its opening session Tuesday with 17 offerings--including a pair of weanlings--selling for $1 million or more and figures up dramatically from the auction's Book 1 session in 2024. "It was a really strong day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "The broodmare market was very, very strong. We had 15 who brought $1 million or more, seven of those brought $2 million or more. The weanling...

Johannes (Nyquist--Cuyathy, by Congrats), the winner of the GI Shoemaker Mile as well as five other graded stakes on the turf, will begin his stallion career at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., following a final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, the farm announced Tuesday. The 5-year-old enters this year's Breeders' Cup with nine wins in 15 starts and earnings in excess of $1.2 million. Of those nine wins, eight wins have come in stakes company, and six were against graded stakes competition....

A share in Grade I winner Mindframe (Constitution--Walk of Stars, by Street Sense) will be offered at the second edition of the Keeneland Championship Sale, to be held in the Del Mar Paddock on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The share in the 4-year-old, a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', will be consigned by Claiborne Farm, where the bay is also expected to take up stud duty in 2026. "We are pleased to offer this special opportunity to participate in the stallion career of a truly outstanding prospect, Mindframe," Claiborne President...

GI Preakness Stakes winner War of Will (War Front) will relocate from Claiborne Farm to New York's Rockridge Stud for 2026, the farm announced Sunday. "We are honored to have this opportunity with Gary [Barber] on another stallion and thrilled to have Claiborne dipping a toe into the NY market," said President of Rockridge Lere Visagie. Barber added, "I am very much looking forward to supporting War of Will in the lucrative New York breeding program. With the new Belmont facility coming online with three surfaces, I know War of...

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) has re-elected David O'Farrell as chairman of its board of trustees, along with new members serving three-year terms Jonathan Green, Walker Hancock, Dean Reeves and Adrian Wallace, the organization said via a press release on Wednesday. Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Billy Koch, Braxton Lynch, David O'Farrell and Francis Vanlangendonck. Following its annual members meeting, trustees met to elect officers for the association. Officers named for 2025-2026 are: David O'Farrell, chairman, Garrett O'Rourke, vice-chairman, Dan Metzger, president; Brant Laue, secretary; and...

"The first big firework that's gone off since I got here," acknowledges Jacob West. "And I will say this: I think it'll put the other farms on notice. I think people are going to say, `woah, they're back. Not exactly a new shooter, obviously--but reloaded.'" The new stallion seasons and bloodstock manager at Claiborne Farm is at pains to stress that the recruitment of Mindframe (Constitution) only builds on the work of his universally esteemed predecessor Bernie Sams. After all, the last stallion brought here by Sams, who's still sharing...

Mindframe (Constitution--Walk of Stars, by Street Sense), most recently winner of the GI Churchill Downs Stakes, will take up stud duties at Claiborne Farm at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Sunday evening. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his 13 3/4-length debut victory at Gulfstream Park last March, the dark bay colt was second--beaten just a half-length by Dornoch (Good Magic)--in the GI Belmont Stakes in just his third trip to the post. He was second again after recovering from a stumbling start in the GI...

Claiborne Farm and Lane's End Farm will return as the co-sponsors of the Former Broodmare division at the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium Oct. 8-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Former Broodmare division offers a competition avenue at the Makeover for recently retired broodmares to compete alongside the traditional retiring racehorse division in all 10 offered disciplines. Broodmares are pinned and recognized separately, competing for their own pot of $10,000 in prize money. "At Claiborne, we've always believed in supporting the full journey of a horse--from...