Clarkland Farm's Nancy Mitchell Dies at 83

Nancy Carroll Marr Mitchell, who along with her husband, Fred Mitchell, own and operate Clarkland Farm north of Lexington, died peacefully at the farm with family members Nov. 3. The longtime horsewoman was 83.

Mitchell was born June 3, 1938, the daughter of John Wesley Marr and Mary Dillard Hazelrigg Marr.

While the Mitchells hit the big time due to the exploits of the foals from 2016 Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady , they have produced top runners for decades off the farm. Established in the 1700s, Clarkland Farm has been in Nancy's family since 1774. She grew up on the farm where 1931 Preakness Stakes winner Mate was also raised.

"I would get out of school every day at noon so I could come home and clean stalls and break yearlings," Nancy Mitchell told BloodHorse in 2013. "My father always said, 'Don't let your studies interfere with your education.'

"I'd take pedigree books to school and kids would come up and ask, 'Is that a good book you are reading?'

"I worked at The Blood-Horse doing research and cataloging for five years before I left to start a family."

The Mitchells were married in 1978. With Nancy's bloodstock background and Fred's knowledge of conformation, they made a potent pair in Central Kentucky.

"I've left pedigrees up to her, and she leaves the conformation up to me," Fred Mitchell said in 2013. "We'll come up with two or three stallions for the mares, and then I'll look them over for conformation to see which we'd prefer to breed to, and we've had good success doing that."

For more than 40 years, Nancy and Fred worked hard on the 400-acre farm, having a knack for finding value in broodmares and selling their offspring that would go on to prove to be hard-knocking, hard-running racehorses.

Nancy, along with M. Mooney and D. Johnson, bred Wind and Wuthering (No Robbery—J. A's Joy, by Johns Joy), winner of the 1981 William Hill Dewhurst Stakes (G1) and runner-up in the following year's Two Thousand Guineas (G1).

The Mitchells also raised Housebuster  for Robert Levy, one of their early clients. Housebuster won three grade 1s and was named champion sprinter of 1990 and 1991.

At the 2003 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Clarkland paid $47,000 for Comfort Zone. Three years later the Rubiano  mare produced The Pamplemousse , a son of Kafwain  who won the 2009 San Rafael Stakes (G3) and Sham Stakes (G3). Comfort Zone also produced the stakes-winning American Lady and grade 2 stakes-placed Emmzy.

The farm turned the breeding/racing world on its ear with the purchase of Leslie's Lady  (Tricky Creek —Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music ) for $100,000 at the 2006 Keeneland November sale. Her 2005 foal, Into Mischief   (by Harlan's Holiday), was a yearling at the time, but he became a grade 1 winner and later a breed-shaping stallion. Into Mischief has led the North American general leading sires list the last two years and is the runaway leader for 2021.

For Clarkland, Leslie's Lady produced Beholder  (by Henny Hughes ), a champion at 2, 3, 5, and 6 and a three-time Breeders' Cup winner for Spendthrift Farm.

After Beholder's second World Championships score, in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Santa Anita Park, trainer Richard Mandella quipped: "I'd like for them to raise my grandchildren."

Nancy, Fred, and Nancy's daughter, Marty, recognized the nick of Leslie's Lady with sons of Storm Cat  and later bred to Scat Daddy , producing 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Mendelssohn  . Mendelssohn was a $3 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by M.V. Magnier.

Leslie's Lady's 2018 foal, a daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  , rocked the auction market bringing a record $8.2 million at the 2019 Keeneland September sale. Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm purchased America's Joy, who tragically died earlier this year in a training accident at Saratoga Race Course while prepping for her debut.

Other yearlings out of Leslie's Lady were sold by Clarkland for $1.1 million and $300,000.

Leslie's Lady's Marr Time , a 2-year-old filly by Not This Time  , broke her maiden for Clarkland last month at Keeneland.

While Clarkland was a homebred operation, they did have one major client, boarding the mares for the late Bertram and Elaine Klein. Their son, Richard, still has several mares boarded at the farm and relies on Clarkland for breeding insight.

"Clarkland is like family to me," Richard Klein said. "We've been with them for 30 years and never had a cross word. It's been a great relationship.

"Nancy's passing is like losing a family member. She always had a smile on her face and was happy to have people out to the farm. She was kind and soft-spoken and she was a lady; a fine, fine lady. She was very quiet and kept to herself, but had a great eye for a horse and was a true horsewoman. It's a big loss to the family, but her memory will stay on."

Nancy is survived by her husband, Fred; daughters Jane Marr Buckner and Marty Buckner Ernst; sisters, Martha Marr Mooney and Mary Dillard Marr Johnson; and stepdaughters Robin Mitchell Arroyare and Tammy Mitchell Vansteenbergh. She was preceded in death by stepdaughter Regina Mitchell McDaniel.

A private service will held at a later date at the farm. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association or the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope.