Leslie Combs II (1901–1990) was an American equestrian. He was the founder and owner of the

Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm and burial site in Lexington, Kentucky, currently owned by Eric & Tammy Gustavson. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' a ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

Biography

Early life

He was born in 1901.Edward L. Bowen, ''Legacies Of The Turf: A Century Of Great Thoroughbred Breeders'', Eclipse Press, 2004, Volume 2, p. 12

/ref> His father Daniel committed suicide when he was only fourteen years old. He attended

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

, where he roomed with George Swinebroad. He spent a year in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

working for Herbert F. Schlubach at the South American Plantation Company and contracted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

there. Mr. Schlubach was married to his aunt , Annette Combs Schlubach. He returned to Kentucky and worked for the

American Rolling Mill Company AK Steel Holdings Corporation was a steelmaking company headquartered in West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio. The company, whose name was derived from the initials of Armco, its predecessor company, and Kawasaki Steel Corporation, was a ...

in Ashland. He moved to

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

and started his own business, the Combs-Ritter Insurance Company.

Horsebreeding

In 1937, he bought 127 acres in Lexington from

Daniel Swigert Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

and called it Spendthrift Farm in honor of Spendthift. Together with his uncle Brownwell Combs, he owned Myrtle Charm and Myrtlewood. He was also the breeder of

Majestic Prince Majestic Prince (March 19, 1966 – April 22, 1981) was a Thoroughbred racehorse. One of the leading North American horses of his generation, he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1969. Background In September 1967, Majestic Prince ...

, later owned by

Frank M. McMahon Francis Murray Patrick McMahon (October 2, 1902 – May 20, 1986) was a Canadian oilman best known as the founder of Pacific Petroleums and the Westcoast Transmission Company. ''Time'' magazine called him "The man who did the most to open up nor ...

. Later, he advised

Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (born Florence Nightingale Graham; December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966) was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. By 1929, s ...

(1884-1966) of

Maine Chance Farm Maine Chance Farm was an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable in Lexington, Kentucky owned by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden. Elizabeth Arden raced under the '' nom de course'' "Mr. Nightingale" until 1943 when she adopted the name Maine ...

about which horses to purchase, including

Star Pilot ''Star Pilot'' ( it, 2+5: Missione Hydra) is a 1966 Italian science-fiction film directed by Pietro Francisci. It stars Leonora Ruffo as Chaena Plot Chaena is the commander of a spaceship from the constellation Hydra, which has crashed on the ...

Beaugay Beaugay (foaled 1943 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was voted the 1945 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Bred by Arthur B. Hancock at his Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, she was purchased at the 1944 July Select ...

, Jet Pilot, etc. He also revitalized the syndication of racehorses, buying

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through a syndication for US$1.25 million.

Personal life

He married Dorothy Enslow, daughter of the founder of the Columbia Gas and Electric Company, in 1924. He died in 1990.

Bibliography

Secondary sources

*Mary Marshall, ''Great Breeders and Their Methods: Leslie Combs II and Spendthrift Farm'' (Neenah, Wisconsin: Russell Meerdink Co., 2008, 178 pages).Google Books
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Leslie II 1901 births 1990 deaths Sportspeople from Lexington, Kentucky Centre College alumni American racehorse owners and breeders