Sierra Farm Owner/Breeder Hudon Dies at 80

Owner/breeder Edmond "Ed" Hudon died in the early morning of Sept. 13 on a farm he regularly described as heaven on earth. 

The big-hearted man with a playful, often mischievous, sense of humor leaves a big hole in the lives of his family, friends, and the employees of his Sierra Farm, who he treated as family. They find some solace, however, knowing Hudon, 80, celebrated accomplishing his biggest goals in racing and breeding during the past five months. 

Hudon's greatest personal achievement came April 22 at Santa Anita Park where his homebred gelding Nessy won the 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano (G3T), becoming the owner's first graded stakes winner.

"Ed just loved the San Juan Capistrano, since the days when Charlie Whittingham was winning it all the time," said Michael Callanan, who has been Sierra Farm's farm manager for 10 years. "To him, winning the San Juan Capistrano was as good as winning the Kentucky Derby, and here he gets his first graded winner in the San Juan Capistrano. Afterward, he told (trainer) Ian Wilkes: 'I can die a happy man.'"

Still ahead for Hudon, though, was a major accomplishment in the auction barn.

On the third night of this week's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, an American Pharoah  colt he and his wife Sharon foaled out of the multiple graded stakes winner Bsharpsonata sold for $1.4 million to Larry Best—the first seven-figure sale for the farm.

Sharon Hudon flagged Bsharpsonata as a prospect at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, despite Callanan's warning that the mare in foal to American Pharoah might be out of their price range.

"Michael told me, 'Well, we already have two mares in foal to American Pharoah, and she might be expensive,' Sharon Hudon said. 'I told him, 'I like Bsharpsonata. Follow her into the pavilion and see what happens.'"

The Hudons bought the mare that had already produced two graded-placed winners for $375,000.

"It was Ed's money that bought her but from the time she foaled the colt everyone on the farm touched that foal at some point, and we appreciate all of them," Sharon Hudon added.

Hudon was a co-founder of the California-based Sierra Aluminum with his partner, Bill Hunter. He got involved in Thoroughbred racing in the 1980s and campaigned top runners such as grade 2-placed stakes winner Surachai and stakes-placed winner Canyon Crest. He eventually began buying mares with Kentucky farm owner Brook Royster, who had picked out the Vigors mare Vigorous Search for $26,000. 

"Ed came out to look at her and told Brook she was the most horrible mare he'd ever seen in his life," laughed Callanan. "He tells him: 'If I'd seen her, I never would have bought the thing.' She ended being a foundation mare for Ed."

Vigorous Search produced Kentucky Whisper, a daughter of Southern Halo, who went on to produce grade 3 winner Volcat and black-type winners and graded-placed stakes winners Love to Tell (Stage Colony) and Special Skills (Bernstein). A Will Take Charge  colt out of Kentucky Whisper sold at the September sale Sept. 15 for $60,000 to Oracle Bloodstock.

Hudon also bred the winning Jump Start mare Jump Up, whose yearling colt by Include sold Sept. 15 at Keeneland for $250,000 to D.J. Stable.

The Hudons bought their 206-acre farm near Versailles, Ky., in 2002 from Royster, who had operated the property as Chance Farm. They made the farm their permanent residence in 2006. With an eye on value, the Hudons eventually built up a broodmare band that produces 20-25 foals a day. They keep a sharp eye on the commercial market, but the priority at Sierra Farm has always been—and will continue to be with Sharon and her daughter Rane Richards-Williams—breeding and racing athletes. 

"We're not just top end. We'll have horses from Book 1 to Book 6, and they'll all be racehorses," Callanan said. "The Hudons are so honest and just want to sell a good horse. 

"You know, Ed's whole game plan for life was to take care of the people around him. He was a very special man. I'll miss him every day."