Post by bones on Sept 20, 2014 23:06:43 GMT -5
CARDINAL HILL
Established in the early forties by the Williams family, it was the largest established racing farm in the South. While it was responsible for putting out many incredible horses, it lived in the shadow of the mighty Calumet Farms in Kentucky. It wasn't until the early seventies that they began to shine when Everett Williams Jr. took over management for his ailing father. He pushed the stable to a whole new level, bringing in two dozen horses and dropping millions without even batting an eye. And soon a million dollar operation became a billion dollar operation as the nineties rolled past and at the turn of the millennium, Williams had made a grand name for himself. However, he died tragically of a sudden heart attack in 2005, and so the establishment was handed down to his grandson, the only man with a mind for horses and business. The young Williams inherited the stable grudgingly at first, having to give up his pursuit of the Olympics as a show jumper for it. However, he rose spectacularly to the occasion, adding new stables, a new practice track, and installing miles of new trails. He wasn't afraid to pour money into his grandfather's farm, but that came back to bite him when the recession hit. He lost his best trainer, and was forced to sell a third of his horses, and half of the twelve hundred acre farm, including a significant portion of the trails. Scrambling, he managed to save the farm and keep it running, but when the new owners moved in and immediately began to start up their own operation, the beginning of a vicious rivalry began. Cardinal Hill is a closed off stable. The property is lined with an elegant hedge to keep out prying eyes, and the gates put Calumet's to shame. The boarder between Cardinal Hill and Heritage Hall is a ten foot wide hedge, and a transition from the classic white panel fencing of Cardinal to the stained black fences of Heritage Hall. However, there is an odd truce between the two places. There was nothing to be done about the trails that connected each facility, and neither were willing to cut off such good training ground out of spite, so they grudgingly agreed to share it. It is the only place where Cardinal horses and jockeys ever meet Heritage horses and jockeys off the racecourse.
HERITAGE HALL
Heritage Hall came into being in 2010, not long after it was sold from Cardinal Hill. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson, they purchased it first as a place to build a vacation home, but when they realized the equine potential, they took advantage of it. Both of them were former dressage riders, so they knew their way around horses, but thoroughbreds were a new world for them. So they hired the very best, and quickly established a solid business. At first, they cared little about their next door neighbor, until they realized his horses were beating theirs left and right at the track. So they upped the ante and bought out some of the horses previously owned by Cardinal Hill, breeding with studs from all over the country and producing their own line of exceptional horses. Once they started giving the Cardinal Hill horses a run for their money, the competition became more heated, and the more it grew the worse it became. Soon even the jockeys working for separate barns were picking fights with each other, even outside of work. There is no such thing as a separation of business and personal life for the Clarksons, and everything is a competition to them. If you're outside of their little feud, they can be perfectly civilized. Might even ask you around for tea. There have been attempts at handling their feud in a civilized manner, but so far each attempt has resulted in a failure on both sides. Their only grudging agreement is the use of the trails shared between them. It's an unspoken rule that they remain open for both sides to have access for training purposes. To keep tensions lower, they have opened it up for anyone to train at to lessen the likelyhood that there will be a full blown confrontation. Of course...this doesn't stop that from happening every so often, but at least it's an effort. Heritage Hall maintains its property with a perfectionism that rivals any royal establishment. They also spend more money than both of the smaller stables combined, and only Cardinal Hill has more horses.
BLACKWOOD FARM
Established in the time of Seabiscuit, it spent a couple years in the local spotlight before it was shoved out of the way by the emerging Cardinal Hill in the forties. Owned by the Blackwood family, it was a small town, humble operation that put out nice quality horses from race horses to show jumpers. Every so often they had a horse that made it to the top, but they never produced enough to make a big name for themselves. However, this did not concern them, and so they continued their quiet existence on a hundred acres for many years. With several large barns, a practice dirt track, and a couple loops of simple trails, it's a handsome place, but it isn't one to write home about for most. In the early sixties, the farm was sold to another family, but in the spirit of it's original intent, they continued a low key, horse friendly operation. However, this same family also had a bit more money up their sleeves, upgrading the facilities and turning it into a proper operation, selling the warmbloods and bringing in a few extra thoroughbreds, making it a full on horse racing operation. The same family has continued to own the place for the last fifty years, and in 2011 the owner finally gave management over to her daughter, who has been running it alone ever since. Some say she's bitten off more than she can chew, but keeping in the groove of the place, she handles it all with a level head. Because if Blackwood Farm is known for anything, it's for it's quiet intelligence. Even the horses have a reputation - there's a saying at the local tracks that if a horse is going quiet, someone'll call it a Blackwood horse, because only the Blackwood thoroughbreds act like draft horses and run like the devil.
STONEBRIDGE FARM
The baby of the bunch, construction on this farm finished in the early months of 2013. It's a handsome property operating on three hundred beautiful acres, owned by a small family with a bit of cash up their sleeves, and a knack for horses. It was once a cattle farm, but when the Stone family stumbled upon it after deciding it was time to move their Kentucky horse operation, they saw a perfect opportunity. They remodeled the modest home for the purposes of fixing it up, and then spent three times the money turning the place into a working horse farm. They are the only farm that does not have it's own practice track, but they also have their own private trails, which means they don't have to go to the Heritage-Cardinal trails and get caught in the crossfire. They haven't really gotten the chance to show their colors yet, but the horses at Stonebridge Farm are hot headed and ambitious like the family that owns them. Every one of them is invested in the operation - Mr. Stone handling the money and sales, Mrs. Stone acting as the head trainer, and both of their grown children exercising horses, and one of them is an apprentice jockey. They're not afraid to get into trouble, and they're willing to take risks, which makes them ripe for the noticing by the big guns. They have yet to put out a horse that gets them noticed in the big leagues, but at the rate they're going and how hard they're working, it won't be long.
Established in the early forties by the Williams family, it was the largest established racing farm in the South. While it was responsible for putting out many incredible horses, it lived in the shadow of the mighty Calumet Farms in Kentucky. It wasn't until the early seventies that they began to shine when Everett Williams Jr. took over management for his ailing father. He pushed the stable to a whole new level, bringing in two dozen horses and dropping millions without even batting an eye. And soon a million dollar operation became a billion dollar operation as the nineties rolled past and at the turn of the millennium, Williams had made a grand name for himself. However, he died tragically of a sudden heart attack in 2005, and so the establishment was handed down to his grandson, the only man with a mind for horses and business. The young Williams inherited the stable grudgingly at first, having to give up his pursuit of the Olympics as a show jumper for it. However, he rose spectacularly to the occasion, adding new stables, a new practice track, and installing miles of new trails. He wasn't afraid to pour money into his grandfather's farm, but that came back to bite him when the recession hit. He lost his best trainer, and was forced to sell a third of his horses, and half of the twelve hundred acre farm, including a significant portion of the trails. Scrambling, he managed to save the farm and keep it running, but when the new owners moved in and immediately began to start up their own operation, the beginning of a vicious rivalry began. Cardinal Hill is a closed off stable. The property is lined with an elegant hedge to keep out prying eyes, and the gates put Calumet's to shame. The boarder between Cardinal Hill and Heritage Hall is a ten foot wide hedge, and a transition from the classic white panel fencing of Cardinal to the stained black fences of Heritage Hall. However, there is an odd truce between the two places. There was nothing to be done about the trails that connected each facility, and neither were willing to cut off such good training ground out of spite, so they grudgingly agreed to share it. It is the only place where Cardinal horses and jockeys ever meet Heritage horses and jockeys off the racecourse.
HERITAGE HALL
Heritage Hall came into being in 2010, not long after it was sold from Cardinal Hill. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson, they purchased it first as a place to build a vacation home, but when they realized the equine potential, they took advantage of it. Both of them were former dressage riders, so they knew their way around horses, but thoroughbreds were a new world for them. So they hired the very best, and quickly established a solid business. At first, they cared little about their next door neighbor, until they realized his horses were beating theirs left and right at the track. So they upped the ante and bought out some of the horses previously owned by Cardinal Hill, breeding with studs from all over the country and producing their own line of exceptional horses. Once they started giving the Cardinal Hill horses a run for their money, the competition became more heated, and the more it grew the worse it became. Soon even the jockeys working for separate barns were picking fights with each other, even outside of work. There is no such thing as a separation of business and personal life for the Clarksons, and everything is a competition to them. If you're outside of their little feud, they can be perfectly civilized. Might even ask you around for tea. There have been attempts at handling their feud in a civilized manner, but so far each attempt has resulted in a failure on both sides. Their only grudging agreement is the use of the trails shared between them. It's an unspoken rule that they remain open for both sides to have access for training purposes. To keep tensions lower, they have opened it up for anyone to train at to lessen the likelyhood that there will be a full blown confrontation. Of course...this doesn't stop that from happening every so often, but at least it's an effort. Heritage Hall maintains its property with a perfectionism that rivals any royal establishment. They also spend more money than both of the smaller stables combined, and only Cardinal Hill has more horses.
BLACKWOOD FARM
Established in the time of Seabiscuit, it spent a couple years in the local spotlight before it was shoved out of the way by the emerging Cardinal Hill in the forties. Owned by the Blackwood family, it was a small town, humble operation that put out nice quality horses from race horses to show jumpers. Every so often they had a horse that made it to the top, but they never produced enough to make a big name for themselves. However, this did not concern them, and so they continued their quiet existence on a hundred acres for many years. With several large barns, a practice dirt track, and a couple loops of simple trails, it's a handsome place, but it isn't one to write home about for most. In the early sixties, the farm was sold to another family, but in the spirit of it's original intent, they continued a low key, horse friendly operation. However, this same family also had a bit more money up their sleeves, upgrading the facilities and turning it into a proper operation, selling the warmbloods and bringing in a few extra thoroughbreds, making it a full on horse racing operation. The same family has continued to own the place for the last fifty years, and in 2011 the owner finally gave management over to her daughter, who has been running it alone ever since. Some say she's bitten off more than she can chew, but keeping in the groove of the place, she handles it all with a level head. Because if Blackwood Farm is known for anything, it's for it's quiet intelligence. Even the horses have a reputation - there's a saying at the local tracks that if a horse is going quiet, someone'll call it a Blackwood horse, because only the Blackwood thoroughbreds act like draft horses and run like the devil.
STONEBRIDGE FARM
The baby of the bunch, construction on this farm finished in the early months of 2013. It's a handsome property operating on three hundred beautiful acres, owned by a small family with a bit of cash up their sleeves, and a knack for horses. It was once a cattle farm, but when the Stone family stumbled upon it after deciding it was time to move their Kentucky horse operation, they saw a perfect opportunity. They remodeled the modest home for the purposes of fixing it up, and then spent three times the money turning the place into a working horse farm. They are the only farm that does not have it's own practice track, but they also have their own private trails, which means they don't have to go to the Heritage-Cardinal trails and get caught in the crossfire. They haven't really gotten the chance to show their colors yet, but the horses at Stonebridge Farm are hot headed and ambitious like the family that owns them. Every one of them is invested in the operation - Mr. Stone handling the money and sales, Mrs. Stone acting as the head trainer, and both of their grown children exercising horses, and one of them is an apprentice jockey. They're not afraid to get into trouble, and they're willing to take risks, which makes them ripe for the noticing by the big guns. They have yet to put out a horse that gets them noticed in the big leagues, but at the rate they're going and how hard they're working, it won't be long.