Matt Dorman, who began building a boutique broodmare band last year, officially has a new home for his Determined Stud after purchasing Susan Hudon's 216-acre Sierra Farm in Lexington.
“It's a turnkey operation,” Dorman said of the property on Mt Horeb Pike. “I have a lot of respect for what Ed Hudon and his wife did there. Ed unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago, but they built a phenomenal horse farm. It's horse ready and it's human ready–which is kind of hard to find. But it fits what we are doing perfectly because it is really geared towards broodmares and yearlings and foaling. So we got lucky.”
Dorman first made a splash at last year's breeding stock sales, purchasing several high-priced broodmares, and his original plan was to base the band in his native Maryland.
“I made the decision, given the investment in the broodmares, that it's probably better to have a farm in Kentucky rather than try to build out a farm in Maryland,” Dorman said of the change in plans. “With COVID and supply issues, the costs were really challenging and we couldn't get a guaranteed time line. So that forced me to look at different options. We looked at some different properties down in Kentucky. There are really nice farms and obviously some good land. And then things came together selling the property here in Maryland which allowed me to look at a different level. Sierra had been on the market for a while, so that one just fell into the spot as far as the size.”
Ed and Sharon Hudon founded Sierra Farm in 2006 and Sharon took over the growing commercial operation after her husband's death in 2018. Sierra had its first seven-figure sale when Larry Best purchased an American Pharoah colt for $1.4 million at the 2018 Keeneland September sale and the farm was also birthplace of Grade I winner Nadal (Blame).
“It's bittersweet, but it's probably the right time for everybody on this side of things,” longtime Sierra farm manager Mike Callanan said of the sale. “We've kind of been moving towards this in the last couple of years anyway, after Ed died, just reducing the number of horses we had and the horses in training.”
Sierra Farm sold four mares at the Keeneland November sale last month and will offer six mares and two yearlings at next month's Keeneland January sale.
“That will be Sierra Farm's last sale,” Callanan said of the January consignment.
Sierra Farm's remaining horses will relocate to Greenfield Farm.
“There are 14 weanlings who will go in the sale next year. And I think there is 12 mares left,” Callanan said. “My father-in-law is Bruce Gibbs, who owns Greenfield Farm, and the plan is for everything that is left to go there and then we will figure out the next stage.”
Dorman expects his broodmares to begin moving into the new facility next spring.
“Scott [Mallory] and I got together and decided we would get through the majority of our foaling and then move over there,” Dorman said. “So we probably won't be over there until March or April. We would just rather keep the mares where they are and keep them happy and not have to deal with the challenges of foaling season and moving to a new facility at the same time. Once they foal, we will start moving them over there.”
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