Woodburn Stud

Robert A. Alexander was the first to establish a systematic design method for horse breeding. Woodburn Stud was home to the stallion Lexington (1850–1875), America's leading sire for sixteen years. Lexington sired numerous champions and winners of major races including Duke of Magenta, Kentucky and Preakness, for whom the Preakness Stakes is named. Woodburn breeding yielded 18 winners of U.S. Triple Crown race winners and other major winners including Lexington's grandson Foxhall. Some of the notable Thoroughbreds buried at Woodburn farm include Asteroid (1861–1886), Planet (c. 1855–1875), and Australian (1858–1879), a son of the 1853 English Triple Crown winner West Australian. Although Lexington's success as a sire made Woodburn Stud near synonymous with flat racing Thoroughbreds, in fact during the mid- to late 19th century, Woodburn was where the Standardbred horse originated and the farm was best known for these trotting horses for harness racing. After the death of Robert A. Alexander in December 1867, the operation prospered under his brother Alexander John "A.J." Alexander. But after A.J.'s death in 1902, it went into decline. Not long into the 20th century, the farm was no longer in the horse business and had been converted to cattle land. In 1867 A.J. Alexander bred Preakness, who would be purchased by Milton H. Sanford and for whom the Preakness Stakes is named. The American Classic Race winners bred by the Alexanders' Woodburn Stud are: • Kentucky Derby (4): • Baden-Baden (1877) • Fonso (1880) • Joe Cotton (1885) • Chant (1894) • Preakness Stakes (4): • Tom Ochiltree (1875) • Shirley (1876) • Duke of Magenta (1878) • Grenada (1880) • Belmont Stakes (10): • General Duke (1868) • Kingfisher (1870) • Harry Bassett (1871) • Joe Daniels (1872) • Springbok (1873) • Duke of Magenta (1878) • Spendthrift (1879) • Grenada (1880) • Burlington (1890) • Patron (1892) ==Airdrie Stud==