Claiborne Chronicles: Where Champions Are Made

Photos courtesy Alexa Ravit
Twenty-two.
It is a number that has stuck in my mind for two weeks. Twenty-two Thoroughbreds in the Hall of Fame were born and raised at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.
It was in Claiborne’s foaling barn that the legendary Bold Ruler and Round Table were born on the same night. It was in Claiborne’s breeding shed that six – yes, six – of the eleven American Triple Crown winners were conceived. And it is in Claiborne’s stallion cemetery that the immortal Secretariat is buried.
SECRETARIAT'S GRAVE AT CLAIBORNE FARM

On this farm, greatness is everywhere, and knowing what has been accomplished here is both humbling and motivating. It is humbling to walk by stalls affixed with names of current and prior residents- Secretariat, Orb, Bold Ruler- the list could go on for pages. Yet, these legendary names also serve as motivation to keep trying to raise and develop the next champion.
ORB IN HIS CLAIBORNE FARM PASTURE

CLAIBORNE'S FIRST ORB FOAL, A COLT

For the next three months, I will be spending most of my time at the foaling barn. This barn is occupied by mares who are closest to foaling (giving birth), as well as mares with newborn foals. After a mare foals, she and her baby stay there for a day or two before moving to a “nursery” barn with other mares and foals. The pair will then be replaced in the foaling barn by a new mare if she is showing signs that foaling is imminent. These signs include a full udder (“bag”) and drops of colostrum forming on the teats (“waxing”).
SPEIGHTSTOWN COLT

WAR FRONT COLT

GHOSTZAPPER COLT

I usually arrive at Claiborne at 6:30 a.m. and leave at 4 p.m. As a recent college graduate, the early mornings have been quite a struggle, but they are the norm when working with Thoroughbreds. As soon as the mares have eaten, they are turned out in groups into large fields for the day. If a mare is near her due date, her bag is checked carefully by management before being turned out. If a mare’s bag is full, her teats are waxing/dripping milk, etc. the day crew at the foaling barn will be sure to keep an extra close eye on her.
MARES RELAX IN THE SUN

After all of the horses are out, the chores at Claiborne are what you would find at any barn. Stalls are cleaned, the barn is swept, and hay, feed, and water are replaced. Whether one is raising a future champion Thoroughbred or a pasture pony, basic care and maintenance are the same.
Throughout the day, mares from the foaling barn are constantly checked. Every 15 minutes, at least one person walks to each paddock to see if any of the mares are showing signs of foaling. Some signs to look for include self-isolation, pacing, rolling, and lying down in discomfort. Mares usually do not give birth during the day, since darkness is better for protecting the newborn from predators. Even though horses have been domesticated for thousands of years, the tendency to foal at night has endured. Thus, I was not expecting to see a daytime foaling after only a week!
On Tuesday, February 10, one of the mares was found lying down in labor during a routine paddock check. She was brought inside, and within 30 minutes, a chestnut filly by Data Link had entered the world. The foaling was uneventful, and the baby girl was standing after 90 minutes. I had read about foaling in books, but to see it live is pretty incredible. The staff at Claiborne do a great job of supporting the mare through labor while also being as unobtrusive as possible. If the labor goes smoothly, she is mostly left alone, with staff available to support the baby as the mare experiences contractions.
CLAIBORNE'S NEW DATA LINK FILLY

Only time will tell if this particular filly has what it takes to make it on the racetrack. The journey from the foaling barn to the winner’s circle is long and arduous. However, if this foal has any advantage, it is that she will be spend the first part of her life on a farm that knows a thing or two about raising champions.