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Horses were just a normal part of Josephine
Abercrombie’s life growing up in Texas. At the age of seven, she was introduced to American Saddle Horses
and as a young woman would become a record holder at Madison Square Garden for prizes won in a single season.
The horse show circuit led her to major competitions in Louisville and Lexington,
captivating her on her first visit to the Bluegrass in the 1940’s.In 1949, she took an interest
in thoroughbred racing and set up a racing syndicate involving her father, the late Houston oilman, J.S. Abercrombie, an
uncle and a couple of friends to purchase sales yearlings for training and racing. Doing
quite well in racing, she and her father acquired a 1,348 acre farm in Woodford County,
Versailles in 1952, establishing a thoroughbred-breeding farm and calling
it “Pin Oak”.
This farm was the former Hartland Farm that had been
owned by U.S. Senator Johnson Camden. Over the next 23 years
the farm expanded to 3,100 ac. Also becoming a farming operation,
raising Simmental Cattle, growing tobacco, corn, hay, straw
and asparagus. But
horses were its mainstay.
MAKE A PLAY winner of the 1953 Astarita
Stakes and ROMAN PATROL winner of the 1955 Louisiana Derby
were both Pin Oak yearling purchases.
Champion 2yo filly in Italy, GREASE was purchased as
a three-year-old and would go on to win three graded stakes
in France and place 2nd in the Coronation S.-GS
in England before retiring to the farm and becoming a graded
stakes producing mare.
Home-bred stakes winners include 1976 Preakness winner
ELOCUTIONIST, 1982 English St. Leger winner TOUCHING WOOD,
champion older mare in Italy MEDI FLASH< COOL (Manhattan
H.-G1, etc.), TREEE OF KNOWLEDGE (Hollywood Gold Cup Invitational
H.-G1, etc.), MOUNTAIN KINGDOM (G2), RIGHT ON (G3), FRENCH
FRIEND (F3), MR. WASHINGTON, INTERCEPTED, MAISON DE VILLE,
PORT OF MECCA, PUSS N BOOTS, TONKA WAKHAN, CIRCLE PLAY TIME
and WEDDING PICTURE.
After 35 years Pin Oak took a turn
in history when Ms. Abercrombie, in 1987, began developing
a new Pin Oak just down the road from the original farm.
The new farm, once a 750-acre hunting preserve, became
a labor of love – building roads, planting grass, constructing
barns and residences. It opened late in 1988
with the exclusive intention of raising Thoroughbreds.
The 1990’s were a most exciting
decade for Pin Oak as owner/breeder when LAUGH AND BE MERRY
won the Eclipse Award as champion turf female and as co-owner
of SKY CLASSIC when he won his Eclipse Award for champion
turf horse. It was also a momentous
time when PEAKS AND VALLEYS received the Canadian Sovereign
Awards for horse of the year and champion 3-year-old colt
and HASTEN TO ADD the Sovereign Award for champion grass horse
highlighted by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
(TOBA) recognizing Pin Oak Stud as the state and national
Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year in 1995.
Other prominent stakes winners produced
at the new Pin Oak Stud include CONFESSIONAL (G1), MISSED
THE STORM (g1), CHANGEINTHEWEATHER (G1), BROKEN VOW (G2),
ROCK AND ROLL (g2), AFRICAN DANCER (G3), BEWRAY (g3), CERTAINLY CLASSIC (G3),
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS (G3), FEDERAL FUNDS (G3), GREEN MEANS GO
(G3), LOOK DAGGERS (G3), SUSURRATION (G3), WINGED VICTORY
(G3), BEDANKEN (G3), EQUALITY (G3), GLARING.
To date, Pin Oak mares have produced
over 70 stakes winners.
Past and present notable mares include Miss Carmie,
Mandera, Grease (Ire), Imaflash, Star in the North, Beau Cougar,
Missed the Wedding, Great Finesse, Secret’s Halo, Strike
a Baland, Wortheroastsingold, Meteor Colony, Danka, Wedding
Picture, Wedding Vow, Weded Bliss and Whisper Who Dares.
There has always been an emphasis on
stallions at Pin oak.
Today, the stallion complex is the home of BROKEN VOW
(multiple graded stakes winner), CHANGEINTHEWEATHER (2yo G1
SW), MARIA’S MON (champion 2 yo colt), PEAKS AND VALLEYS
(Canadian horse of the year/champion 3 yo colt) and SKY CLASSI
(4-time champion).
For fifty years, Pin oak has been an
accomplished breeding and racing operation, but many still
recall it as “the asparagus farm”, “the
cattle show spott” or just simply as “Miss Josephine’s
place”. However
remember, Pin Oak has always been actively involved in its
community, state and racing industry.
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