VERSAILLES, Ky. — WinStar Farm, a leading Thoroughbred racing stallion and breeding facility, sits in the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass. A sprawling location, the site covers an area of over 2,500 acres.
What makes WinStar special, though, isn’t its size. What stands out are its residents, especially one in particular—the racehorse Tiznow.
Tiznow won the Breeders’ Cup in back-to-back years in 2000 and 2001, the only horse in the race’s history to do so.
“Tiznow is actually California bred, and he was a very successful race horse. He won six and a half million dollars on the racetrack and he’s the only horse to have ever won the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice,” said Adrienne Watts, Bloodstock and Marketing Assistant for WinStar Farm.
He is just one of many champions that call WinStar Farm, in rural Woodford County, home. And now that the Breeders’ Cup race has come to Keeneland this year, WinStar is even more of a tourist draw.
“Tiznow is very special to the farm. The owner, as well as the friends of the owners, come and visit him all the time. Tourists are very much attracted to WinStar because we do have Tiznow. He’s very well known. He’s got a lot of fans and it’s very special for people to be able to come out here and visit him,” Watts explained.
Tiznow’s racetrack earnings of $6.4 million rank him among the best of all-time as well. He also was the first horse to win an international sporting event on American soil following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
“So, when Tiznow defied the odds and crossed the finish line first, the announcer yelled, ‘And Tiznow wins it for America.’ So, you can just imagine the atmosphere in the crowd and how loud and exciting that was for them. He was nicknamed ‘America’s Race Horse’ because of that. It’s really that race and that experience that led WinStar and Tiznow to have so many fans after that day,” said Watts.
A race like the Breeders’ Cup, especially when it is at Keeneland, draws tourists’ attention to the farm and Tiznow. According to Watts, “The Breeders’ Cup brings different activities; it brings visitors and tourists out to see the farm and there’s kind of a special buzz around anything Breeders’ Cup related. So, people are coming out to see Tiznow and to kind of remember that race.”
Now in retirement, Tiznow is a prominent sire of quality racehorses including 2005 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Winner Folklore.