Fair Hill Training Center is a

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

training center based in Fair Hill,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It was owned by

William du Pont, Jr. William du Pont Jr. (February 11, 1896 – December 31, 1965) was an English-born American businessman and banker, and a prominent figure in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He developed and designed more than 20 racing venues, including F ...

of the well-known

Du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...

, who bought the land in 1926. Dupont invested a substantial amount of money to make the property a leading breeding and training farm for his

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. The State of Maryland purchased Fair Hill in 1974, converting the then property into an equine training complex and a natural resource center. There are 17 privately owned barns, with more than 450 stalls. Each barn has its own set of turn out paddocks and porta pens. Barns here at Fair Hill were individually named after some of the du Pont thoroughbred champions such as Parlo, Chevation and Fairy Chant. There are two race tracks: a mile dirt track and a 7/8-mile track with an artificial surface (Tapeta). The campus also includes 3,000 acres (12 km²) of grasslands and woods which can be used by trainers who wish to take their horses out on trails.

Location

Fair Hill is close to many racetracks, including Delaware Park (Delaware), Laurel Park and

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

(Maryland), Parx Racing and

Penn National Race Course Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racing track and casino in Grantville, Pennsylvania, east of Harrisburg. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment. The track opened ...

(Pennsylvania), Monmouth Park Racetrack and the Meadowlands Racetrack (New Jersey),

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

and

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

(New York), and

Charles Town Races Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a casino, hotel and Thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racing complex located in Charles Town, West Virginia, 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., Washington D.C. It is owned by Gam ...

(West Virginia).

Major successes

Fair Hill's grade one successes include the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

( Barbaro, Animal Kingdom), the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

(

Better Talk Now Better Talk Now (February 25, 1999 – June 27, 2017) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2004. His racing career stretched over nine seasons, during which he won 14 times, five of them Grade ...

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

( Round Pond), the Arlington Million ( Kicken Kris), the

Barbaro Stakes at Delaware Park The Barbaro Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race once run annually in mid July at Delaware Park Racetrack in Stanton, Delaware. It is now run in October. Previously known as the Leonard Richards Stakes, in 2007 it was renamed in honor ...

( Xchanger) and (

Chelokee Chelokee (April 15, 2004 – May 2, 2014) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Bred by Foley Farms Bloodstock, he was sired by multiple stakes winner Cherokee Run. He was out of the mare Dixie Ghost, who is the daughter of Missi ...

), and the

Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf held annually in October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky ...

(Film Maker).

References

Fair Hill Training Center (official site)

* ttp://www.jimcoarse.com Fair Hill Training Center Photography by Jim Coarse
Fair Hill AlexBrownRacing

External links

Tapeta track surface homepage
{{coord, 39, 42, 40, N, 75, 51, 51, W, region:US-MD_type:landmark, display=title Cecil County, Maryland Sports in Maryland Horse farms in Maryland