This landmark Kentucky equestrian estate was home to a Ryanair cofounder and more Hall of Fame horses than we can count
We're foal of love for this equestrian property in Kentucky’s famously fertile Bluegrass country.
There are horse farms, and then there is Castleton Lyons. Spread across 951 acres of Kentucky’s famously fertile Bluegrass country, this extraordinary estate has been breeding horses for more than two centuries — and is now being offered for sale for the first time in 25 years, for $57.5 million with Sotheby's.
Its story begins in 1793, when the farm was established as a breeding operation. Since then, it has passed through the hands of some of Kentucky’s great horsemen and become something of an institution in the equestrian world.
The Castleman family’s Greek Revival mansion, built in 1840, remains the historic centrepiece — and its interiors wouldn’t look out of place in a grand English countryside manor house. There are ornate mouldings, Victorian-style wall panelling and a sweeping staircase with carved wooden bannister.
The horses, however, are very much the stars. Over the years Castleton has bred and stood thoroughbred, standardbred and saddlebred champions — establishing a reputation that stretches far beyond the Bluegrass. Think 1896 Kentucky Derby winner Ben Brush, and Speedy Scot. Today, its scale is almost difficult to comprehend. There are 16 barns, ranging from four-stall buildings to a substantial 30-stall facility, with 268 stalls in total. A true self-contained equine operation, there are ten homes scattered across the land, including several managers’ houses. There are ponds and water views, too, along with sweeping scenery and the privacy that comes with nearly 1,000 acres.
In 2001, Castleton was acquired by Thomas Ryan (1936-2007), the Irish billionaire businessman and philanthropist who co-founded Ryanair in 1984, from the Van Lennep Family Trust. (Frederick Van Lennep (1911-1987) was an American advertising executive and harness racing figure who founded Pompano Park.) Ryan changed its name from Castleton Farm to Castleton Lyons after his Irish estate and renovated large parts in order to return it to its original roots as a thoroughbred operation.
The challenge for its next custodian will be less about deciding what to do with Castleton than deciding how best to continue its remarkable story.
Castleton is for sale with Sotheby's — see more details here.
