Spendthrift Farm LLC
$1,520,915
2023 earnings
19%
2023 wins
$17,870,467
lifetime earnings
racing Record
2023 Stats
Career Stats
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10
Firsts
158
12
Seconds
113
8
Thirds
108
23
Unplaced
448
53
Starts
827
$1,520,915
Earnings
$17,870,467
$28,697
Earnings / Start
$21,609
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Bio
Owner: B. Wayne Hughes
Born: Sept. 28, 1933, Gotebo, Okla.
Died: Aug. 18, 2021, Lexington, Ky.
B. Wayne Hughes was introduced to racing by his father, who was a factory worker. In 2004, he bought Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky.
Owner: B. Wayne Hughes
Born: Sept. 28, 1933, Gotebo, Okla.
Died: Aug. 18, 2021, Lexington, Ky.
B. Wayne Hughes was introduced to racing by his father, who was a factory worker. In 2004, he bought Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky.
The historic farm, which was home to Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Affirmed, originally was purchased by Leslie Combs II in 1937. It descended into bankruptcy amid the crash of the Thoroughbred market in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Combs died in 1990. Ted Taylor purchased the main 496-acre tract of Spendthrift at a court-ordered bankruptcy auction in 1994. The next buyer was Bruce Kline and partners in 2000, then Hughes stepped in.
In 1972, driving along a Texas road, Hughes noticed a self-storage warehouse loaded to capacity, thought about the concept, and founded Public Storage. He parlayed a $50,000 investment into a fortune worth billions.
Hughes also created and supported the Parker Hughes Cancer Center in Minnesota, named after a son who died of cancer at age eight.
Among Hughes' biggest stable stars was Beholder, a three-time Breeders' Cup winner and four-time champion. Spendthrift also co-owned Authentic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year. Hughes and Spendthrift also enjoyed success as a breeding operation. Into Mischief, a Grade 1 winner campaigned by Hughes and a full brother to Beholder, became one of North America's leading sires, with Authentic among his progeny.
