Help Preserve the Legacy
of the Sanford Stud Farm
by supporting
the Friends
In the
1870’s, carpet-manufacturing
innovator Stephen Sanford was advised by
his physician to “buy a farm and a couple
horses” and enjoy the relaxing
atmosphere of life in the country
in order to escape from the
stressful environment of his busy
internationally acclaimed carpet business. It was a “therapeutic” decision
that would lead to one of the largest and most recognized thoroughbred
breeding facilities in the nation.
The
purple and gold colors of Sanford Stud Farm, also known as Hurricana for the
winds that blew over the farm from the Mohawk Valley below, would grace the
Winner’s Circle of the Kentucky Derby with George Smith. Sanford Stud Farm
was also the first American stable to win the prestigious English Grand
National Steeplechase.
Today,
only a few of the magnificent buildings remain. The training track is a
shopping mall and the monuments memorializing Sanford winners have all
been removed from their original
places of honor.
In
spite of the deteriorating buildings the Sanford Legacy lives on,
immortalized by the Grade II Sanford Stakes at Saratoga,
The Hollie Hughes Handicap at Aqueduct
and by the still-standing Broodmare Barn pictured above.
Please consider a membership or donation to the immediate goal of the Friends of
Sanford Stud Farm. The broodmare barn has been standing for nearly 200
years. However, due to the neglect of recent years, a significant portion of
this irreplaceable structure is facing almost certain collapse. Without your
support, one of Amsterdam's major landmarks could be lost forever.
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