Brookdale Farm is a former

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

breeding and training farm located at 805 Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township in

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north ...

. Thomas Lloyd acquired the property in the late 18th century. In 1872, David Dunham Withers established the horse breeding and training operation. By 1889, the farm included . In 1968, of the farm were bequeathed by Geraldine Morgan Thompson to the county to create Thompson Park.

History

In 1774, Thomas Lloyd bought along the north bank of the Swimming River. By 1786, he had built a large house here. The acreage had increased to by 1798. After his death in 1812, the property was divided and passed through several owners. In 1872, David Dunham Withers, active in the horse racing industry, bought for his Brookdale Stable. In 1893, William Payne Thompson purchased the property. His son, Lewis, married Geraldine Morgan Thompson in 1896. They became full owners of the property by 1899.

Historic district

The Brookdale Farm Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

encompassing the core part of the farm. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on November 9, 2020, for its significance in agriculture, architecture and entertainment/recreation from 1786 to 1932. The district has 19

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

and one contributing site. Thomas Lloyd built his Georgian house in 1786. It was renovated and expanded in

Colonial Revival style The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exposition, Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened A ...

by Harry Whitney in 1914. The Lloyd Barn was likely built in the 18th century. It was later upgraded by Geraldine Thompson. The two-story Ten Mare Barn was likely built by David Withers in 1883. The two-story, forty-stall Training Stable measures and is the largest building on the farm. Built starting , each section features a gabled

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

. With accompanying 102 photos. File:Thomas Lloyd House, Brookdale Farm, NJ.jpg, Thomas Lloyd House File:Lloyd Barn and Ten Mare Barn, Brookdale Farm, NJ.jpg, Lloyd Barn (right) and Ten Mare Barn (left)

Notable horses

Championship horses bred and/or trained at Brookdale Farm include: *

Broomstick A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

– winner of the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...

, 1904; a great sire *

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

– winner of the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, 1901 * Equipoise – the ''Brown Bullet of Brookdale'', won ten races in 1932 *

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

– winner of the Belmont Stakes, 1907 *

Regret Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision one did make were unfavorable. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decisi ...

– first

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

to win the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

, 1915 * Sysonby – won 14 of 15 starts 1904–1905 * Top Flight – won 12 of 16 starts in 1932, a record for fillies

References

External links

* {{coord, 40.3347, -74.1452, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title Middletown Township, New Jersey Horse farms in the United States Buildings and structures in Monmouth County, New Jersey American racehorse owners and breeders

History

Historic district

Notable horses

See also

References

External links