If you thought the best way to make money on the ponies was to hit the trifecta at Belmont Park, check out a copy of Darley’s 2009 stallion prospectus. That's where the real dough is.
Darley, the thoroughbred horse-breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, currently has 17 stallions standing at stud. They command between $7,500 and $150,000 dollars for every successful deed and during this breeding season they are working three times a day, with a goal of impregnating around 2,000 mares. That’s a pretty good return on investment, considering few of the stallions ran more than a dozen races in their entire careers.
Al-Maktoum is obsessed with horse racing. In addition to lending out his studs to eager buyers, he uses them to breed his own race horses in the hopes of winning the Kentucky Derby. Darley is just one of many horse breeding facilities the Sheikh runs in six countries.
Above: Sitting at the end of a long, winding, tree-lined drive, barely a stone’s throw from Lexington International Airport, Darley’s breeding operation is part old-school Kentucky horse park and part sleek, modern equine business. Al-Maktoum, who is also prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, bought Jonabell farm, named after respected horse man John A. Bell III, in 2001 and renamed it Darley.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Any Given Saturday, who ran a mere 11 races during his career, stands at stud at Darley. He gets a cool $30,000 for every foal he sires that “stands and nurses.” Any Given Saturday posted first-place finishes in the Haskell, Dwyer and Brooklyn handicaps. Now he wiles away his mornings in the green pastures outside Lexington, Kentucky and spends his afternoons “working.”
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Darley is spotless. Every inch of the breeding barn is pressure-cleaned each morning before the stallions are brought in to take care of business.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Darley offers regular tours of the facilities. The breeding barn includes a room for the veterinarian, video cameras to record the horse porn and a spotless environment for the Darley stallions to entertain their visiting mares. Although the mating rituals are filmed, no outside photography is permitted. In fact, the names of the mares are kept a closely guarded secret, at least until they foal.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Sheikh al-M visits his stallions at Darley once a year. He acquired the farm in 2001 and has steadily made improvements to the facility. This year, he has 17 stallions at stud, including homegrown favorite Bernardini, Hard Spun and Street Cry, who has already sired several top horses.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Hall of Fame thoroughbred Holy Bull, who ranks 64th on Blood-Horse magazine’s list of the top 100 racehorses of the 20th century, is at stud at Darley. Born in 1991, Holy Bull, a distinctive gray, is one of the resident old men at the farm, so he’s only asked to perform twice a day, earning $10,000 a shot. Among the famous offspring Holy Bull has sired is 2005 Kentucky Derby winner, Giacomo. Holy Bull, a longtime fan favorite, is an arresting sight as he wanders like a gray ghost across the bluegrass.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
The classic white wooden fences crisscrossing the undulating bluegrass are a thing of the past at Darley. The farm uses new-age plastic/vinyl/rubber fencing to protect the horses.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Groomer/handler Joe Mitchell appears to have his hands full with Bernardini. Bernardini is the pride and joy of al-Maktoum’s studs, born and raised at Darley. He won the 2005 Preakness Stakes, and commands an impressive $75,000 stud fee.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense stands at stud at Darley for $60,000.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Groomer Bruce Jensen gives Street Sense his daily bath at Darley. Jensen says that while Street Sense enjoys rolling around in the dirt, he likes the cleansing shower that follows even more.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
The crown jewel of the Darley farm trophy case is a replica of the Woodlawn Vase, signifying Bernardini’s Preakness Stakes win. The original vase resides at the Baltimore Museum of Art and is trotted out annually to be presented to the winner of the race at Pimlico Race Course. The sterling silver replica that the owner takes home is no mere trinket, however. It’s worth about $30,000.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner and the last thoroughbred to accomplish the feat, was buried standing up directly under his statue at Darley. Even though Affirmed died before the sheikh acquired the farm, he wanted to make sure the legendary stallion had a fitting memorial.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Darley continues to expand the size of its boarding stables, but you’d never know it by the seamless way the additions are blended in. Any work to be done is scheduled for completion well before the arrival of the owner, so when the sheikh’s jet touches down at Lexington International everything is spotless and waiting.
