Fertile ground for raising Thoroughbreds since 1897, Walmac is undoubtedly one of Kentucky’s most historical horse farms. The sprawling Paris Pike property, located in the heart of horse country, boasts significant ties to history. Once part of a larger property that was owned by Ben Ali Haggin and encompassed the modern-day Spendthrift, Gainesway, and Elmendorf, Walmac has produced top-quality horses for generations.
According to the National Register of Historic Places: “Robert Wallace McIlvain’s purchase of 281 acres which he named Walmac was not the beginning but the continuance and culmination of fine stock production on the land. Over 200 acres of it purchased in 1936 had constituted Charles F. Speed’s “Montclare,” a saddle horse farm from 1928 until that year. Just prior to Speed’s ownership, it had been the Paris Pike portion of the 420-acre estate acquired by Silas K. Nichols in 1917-18 from the vast Elmendorf empire of J.B. Haggin.
Purchased in 1976 by renowned horsemen John T.L. Jones, Jr.—regarded as one of the Thoroughbred industry’s most influential figures—Walmac Farm, today, stands poised to usher in a new era of influence since being acquired by Gary Broad in 2018.
Walmac has been home to more than 100 stallions through the years, including such prominent stallions as Nureyev, sire of more than 20 champions; Miswaki, the sire of 97 stakes winners and an important broodmare sire; Successful Appeal, a high-class sprinter and influential stallion; and the famous stayer Alleged, a two-time winner of the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, just to name a few.
“We’re excited about resurrecting historic Walmac Farm,” said Gary Broad. “We have been working hard the last three years making improvements to Walmac, and the timing is perfect to launch the stallion operation with Core Beliefs, a horse that we really believe in.”