The farm was established in 1793 when
Virginian
John Breckinridge, a future U.S.
senator and
attorney general, purchased 2,467 acres (10 km2) of land and on a portion of it established a
Thoroughbred horse-breeding operation. On his death, the property transferred to his daughter, Mary Ann, the then Mrs. David Castleman, who eventually built a mansion on the horse-farm site and gave it the family name. Under the Castlemans, Castleton Farm continued as a Thoroughbred operation, but added the breeding of
American Saddlebreds and
Standardbreds for
harness racing.
Development by James R. Keene The original property changed hands several times, occasionally small parts being divvied up and sold to multiple different parties. In the early 1890s,
Wall Street tycoon
James R. Keene acquired the farm and purchased additional land to bring the operation to almost 1,000 acres (4 km2). Keene usually referred to the farm as "Castleton Stud", and under his direction, it became one of the greatest Thoroughbred operations of its day. The farm bred and/or raced future
U.S. racing Hall of Fame horses
Kingston,
Domino,
Ben Brush,
Colin,
Sysonby,
Maskette, and
Peter Pan. As part of a program honoring important horse racing tracks and racing stables, the
Pennsylvania Railroad named its baggage car #5865 the "Castleton Farm".
Castleton StakesGravesend Race Track in
Brooklyn,
New York created the Castleton Stakes in 1908 to honor Castleton Farm. The event was run only one time when racing in New York state was shut down due to the
New York Legislature enacting the
Hart-Agnew anti-betting legislation with penalties allowing for heavy
fines and up to a year in
prison.
Ownership transition to Foxhall Keene Upon the death of James R. Keene in 1913, the farm was taken over by his son
Foxhall P. Keene. He continued the operation on a slightly reduced basis, but sold it in the 1920s to fellow New Yorker, David Look. Look had considerable success in harness racing, but was forced to sell the farm after experiencing personal financial setbacks during the
Great Depression.
Mid- to late 20th century In the early 1940s, heiress
Frances Dodge founded the Dodge Stable. She was the daughter of
Michigan automobile pioneer
John F. Dodge and a half-sister of
Isabel Dodge, owner of the highly successful
Brookmeade Stable. In 1945, Frances Dodge, with her husband (polo player and hunter/jumper rider) James B. "Jimmy" Johnson, purchased Castleton Farm and relocated her Dodge stables there. Their Standardbred breeding operation included two Hambletonian winners and a Little Brown Jug winner. After she married Pennsylvania native
Frederick Van Lennep in 1949, the farm underwent major renovations to breed and raise Standardbreds. The Van Lenneps made Castleton Farm one of the pre-eminent operations in both disciplines. Under Mrs. Johnson, Dodge Stables' show horse
Wing Commander became a six-time world grand champion, and with her husband, she enjoyed enormous success in harness racing that included a number of
Hambletonian and
Little Brown Jug victories from horses such as
United States Harness Horse of the Year and
Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame inductee
Victory Song (1947),
Hambletonian Stakes winners, Hoot Mon (1947), Emily's Pride (1958), and Speedy Scot (1963). Among the other noteworthy harness horses bred by Castleton Stud were Ensign Hanover, winner of the 1946 inaugural Little Brown Jug, and 1972 Jug winner
Strike Out, which won in world-record time. Strike Out went on to sire 1979 winner
Hot Hitter, bred by Castleton in conjunction with Anthony Tavolacci.
2000s In 2001,
Irish businessman and racing enthusiast
Tony Ryan acquired Castleton Farm from the Van Lennep Family Trust. Ryan renamed it Castleton Lyons after his Irish estate
Lyons Demesne, and undertook renovations to the property while returning to its original roots as a Thoroughbred operation. ==Gravesite==