Thoroughbred nurseries are a place of new beginnings. Each spring the trees begin to bud, the grass becomes green again, and the next crop of foals arrive. Denali Stud has participated in this tradition for over three decades and has raised hundreds of future racehorses on its rolling acres, from the foals of Hall of Famer Serena's Song (Rahy) to 2011 GI Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}).
Last year, Denali Stud was the location of a different sort of new beginning as the site of the wedding of Conrad and Claire Bandoroff.
Conrad, the middle of three children of Craig and Holly Bandoroff, is now at the helm of Denali Stud as his parents take a step back to enjoy the fruits of their labor after 30 years spent developing the farm into the highly-regarded operation it is today. Recently, Conrad's wife Claire joined the team at Denali as the Director of Marketing and Hospitality to help lead the farm into its second generation of success.
Like Conrad, Claire was born into the horse business. She grew up on Idle Hour Farm in Paris, Kentucky, which was owned and managed by her father David Hager. Today her family is still involved in the industry as her mother Betsy Hager is on the team at Castleton Lyons and her brother Phil is growing a successful bloodstock agency, Taproot Bloodstock.
Claire found her own way into the industry in somewhat of a roundabout fashion. She studied Spanish and International Studies at the University of Kentucky and completed several internships with nonprofits in Lexington. At that time, she realized her passion for marketing. After graduating, she landed an internship at Kentucky Equine Research, an equine nutrition supplement company, and soon realized that her heart belonged to the horse business. She then took on a role at Cornett, a creative marketing agency in Lexington, where she worked for over two years managing the Lane's End Farm account. She assisted with the farm's stallion, sales and bloodstock needs while also collaborating with the agency's Keeneland account.
When Conrad and Claire got married last October, they put a lot of thought into how Claire fit into the future of Denali.
“We had a lot of discussion about if I was going to be a part of it or if I would be more in the background, and we decided that we wanted me to be very much involved,” Claire said. “Cornett was a tough job to leave because they were great and there are some brilliant people there, but I'm really excited about this next step as Conrad and I start to take over the reins a bit from Craig and Holly.”
“I'm a bit biased, but Claire has a very strong skill set and toolbox that she brings with her,” Conrad added. “She's extremely talented in the marketing field and I knew she would bring a skill set that we didn't really have at the time. We felt like Denali could benefit from her coming and working alongside my parents and me to continue to grow this family business into its next stage of evolution.”
Along with overseeing the farm's marketing needs, Claire hopes to expand the hospitality and tourism aspect of their operation.
“As we know with this industry, we need new fans in order for it to keep growing,” she said. “You never know who's going to come in the gate to be on a farm tour. With some of the tours I've had recently, these people have never pet a horse in their life and so it's really cool to see people spark an interest when they didn't know anything about horses to begin with.”
With the couple's decision to bring Claire onto the team came some important conversations.
“Obviously if you're married and working for the same business, there are going to be some boundaries you need to make,” Claire explained. “You don't want to be working or talking about work all the time. We decided that we would run pretty autonomously. I don't tell him what to do and he doesn't tell me what to do, but we do rely on each other for advice. I think we work really well as business partners and both of us value everyone's opinion. With the whole team at Denali, we're asking opinions from them and we value their input.”
Conrad had the opportunity to see first-hand how his parents' teamwork was crucial to building Denali.
“Growing up, I saw the partnership my parents had and it was different because their strengths complemented each other,” he noted. “My mom is not a horse person, she'll be the first to admit that, but her personality is so caring and vivacious that she is able to connect with people really well. She played a really important role in supporting my dad. It's not something that I ever gave much thought to as we were starting with our succession plan, but the more I observed it, the more I appreciated it. After watching them grow and build the business together, to be able to do that alongside my wife is very gratifying.”
Claire and Conrad at the 2021 Kentucky Oaks, where Denali Stud was represented by winner Malathaat as well as Travel Column | photo courtesy Claire Bandoroff
While the founders of Denali have taken a step back from the day-to-day operation of the farm, they are still very much involved in its future.
“With Craig and Holly handing the reins over to Conrad and I, we're so lucky that we still have them to lean on,” Claire said. “I call Holly for advice on things and Conrad is certainly calling Craig too. They've built an amazing business here and their story is really neat, so we just hope to continue the family business aspect of it. We want to continue building those personal relationships with people while also growing the business that they started.”
As much as they respect and care for the horses that reside at Denali, Conrad and Claire share an equally-high regard for the land they now oversee. Along with their wedding taking place in one of its pastures, their engagement also took place at the farm when one day, on a visit to see Denali's matriarch Serena's Song, Claire was surprised to find the words 'Marry Me' inscribed on the brass plate of the mare's halter.
Now, the couple plans to make new memories on the property as they take up residence on site.
“We just finished building a house on the farm,” Conrad shared. “As the second generation coming in, we identified it as something we wanted to do. If we're going to take this on and run with it, it's important for us to be here and show that we're 110% committed. If this doesn't work, we're homeless, so hopefully it's our last time moving until they put us in the ground.”
“In the evenings when we're both done working, walking through the fields, seeing the foals and checking on everyone is honestly one of the best parts of our day,” Claire added.
As the Bandoroff family continues to grow their business, Conrad reflected on their goals for the future.
“We're not a mom-and-pop operation anymore,” he said. “We've grown to a size where I think we can play an important role while still being that detail-oriented business and still provide that high level of service as we find ways to make the horse ownership experience better and continue to raise and sell Saturday afternoon horses. If we could grow in one area, it's always trying to grow at the top in terms of quality. I hope to sit here at the end of my career, look back and say that Denali Stud is in as good of a place or better than when I found it.”
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