Brittany Farms owner George Segal announced today that a significant portion of the acreage that comprises Brittany Farms has been sold to Maurice Regan of New York.
Regan’s purchase of 565 acres still leaves Brittany with 271 acres, and, according to farm manager Art Zubrod, that’s exactly what the farm needs at the present time to accommodate both its horses and its business plan.
“Our broodmare band will be somewhere in the range of 45-55 mares by the end of the year. We have gotten to the point that we simply don’t need that many acres to support our herd,” Zubrod said.
The current 271 acres of Brittany Farms includes 121 acres that the farm purchased just recently a few miles south of the main farm, which is located on Pisgah Pike in Versailles, Ky.
“The new farm we purchased will be used primarily for raising yearlings and for turnouts,” Zubrod said. “It has some nice improvements on it, but will also need some additional structures. We shed-raise all of our horses, so we’ll need to build four yearling sheds immediately. We’ll also need to build a good number of support structures such as a hay storage building, maintenance shop, and shed.
“We still have the 150 acres of great pasture on Pisgah Pike, and that will be primarily for broodmares,” he added.
The original 411 acres of what was to become Brittany Farms was purchased by Segal from noted breeder William R. Shehan in December of 1985. Subsequent acquisitions had seen the farm grow to 715 acres before the recent transactions.
The Brittany broodmare band, which has produced numerous World Champions and Horses of the Year, had grown to about 150 mares just a few years ago.
Segal said that he wants to make everyone aware that Brittany Farms is still in business, and will continue to breed, raise and sell champion Standardbreds.
“I have been in this business as an owner since 1974 but as an enthusiast for a lot longer. I am still an enthusiast. However, I am also 77 years old and some prudent planning is in order,” Segal said.
“Art, Leah (Zubrod’s wife and Brittany office manager) and I discussed the future of the farm and came up with a plan. One of the major aspects of the plan was the care our racehorses receive after their two year old campaign. So many young horses are never as good after their first year of racing, but I always felt that ours most often came back even better,” he continued.
According to Segal, Brittany Farms is very pleased to be able to keep their long-time crew together. In addition to the Zubrods, Patty and Dale Logan and foaling man Bill Walker all have been with the farm since the mid to late ’80s.
Also staying on are the office staff of Donna Schulte and Mary Sewell, both employees of over 20 years, and Stephanie Ball, who has been with Brittany Farms for seven years.