claiborne farm

I have the distinct honor & privilege of being friends with Charlie Davis, Secretariat's exercise rider. What was even more of an honor & privilege was escorting Charlie Davis to Claiborne Farm last September and being one of a very few people to be allowed to have their photo taken with Charlie @ Secretariat's grave.

We made a great decision on our way back from Florida to visit Claiborne Farm. We made a reservation several days before our stop and had a wonderful one hour tour of the property, met several horses, and saw the cemetery where legends are buried. We learned a lot on the tour about who was there and who is currently there, breeding, and the personality of different horses and were able to pet several horses and take pictures. Orb is there for you racing fans and we were able to meet him. All in all it was one of the most fascinating and enjoyable things we have done in a long time. We stayed at the Campbell Inn in Lexington which fit right in with this Tour. The Inn has a horse theme going for it! It's About a 25 minute drive off 75. And it's a very scenic ride getting there. It was just a lot of fun. As others have said there are no bathrooms at the farm so stop ahead of time. Also it's about a mile on the left just past the water tower. Bring a camera !

Claiborne Farm is one of Kentucky's most storied farms, right up there with Calumet -- but on a completely different, and more intimate scale. Just short hop off I-75 to Paris, with a right turn off Main Street toward the water tower (this Paris' answer to Mr. Eiffel!), the farm is just ahead on the left. Call ahead for a tour, and don't forget to tip the trainer who will tell you more about Kentucky breeding than you ever hoped to know!

Of all the farms we visited, we enjoyed our time at Claiborne the most. The stallion manager (I think that's who he was) did our tour and he was great. This is the only farm we visited where a member of the professional staff participated in the tour, and it showed. The man was very knowledgable, friendly and took the time to introduce us to the stallions and tell us about their personalities, which I loved. We got to take photos with Arch, Blame and War Front, all of whom were very calm and friendly. I was even able to give War Front a little pat on the neck. We also were able to visit the equine cemetery, where all the great stallions like Nasrullah, Secretariat and Mr. Prospector are buried.

This is farm is breathtakingly beautiful. The guides are very cordial and informative. It was a very pleasant experience. You must make reservations to be able to tour but it is well worth it. We met some of the top sires of the day and were even able to feed them treats. We visited the graveyard and saw Secretariat's grave as well as his sire and many of the greats. Swale (Seattle Slew) is buried across from Secretariat. If you are going to the Derby, you should make time for this and other farms that allow tours in the area. A must see in this area!

This was an awesome tour with a great guide. Walked all through the horse farm. Saw Secretariat's grave. Was able to feed derby winners peppermints!! Much fun if you love horses.

We drove over to Paris from Lexington on a windy Sunday morning in the early Spring right in the middle of breeding season. Tours must be per-arranged and drop-ins are UNwelcome. This is a very big $ business and unexpected visitors are turned away. However, forewarned is forearmed, and if you properly schedule a visit to the farm, they are more than accommodating in showing you around. The tour lasted about an hour and we got to tour the stable, the breeding shed, and got to see the paddocks that the stallions stay out in during the day. We were even given the opportunity to pet the 2013 Kentucky Derby Winner Orb as well as his stablemate Arch. A few lucky tour goers were allowed to feed these two peppermint candies which those guys adored. The last stop on the tour is the stallion graveyard where several famous racehorses are buried. Secretariat, Bold Ruler, and Riva Ridge just to name a few. For any racing fan, this is a must see. For anyone else it is something that you should see. This is a kid friendly place as long as they are well-behaved and understand not to touch the horses unless instructed to do so.

You would expect that this renowned thoroughbred farm would be impressive. Such beautiful country. The tour guide will introduce you to some handsome looking racing horses, and studs, show you the stable and paddock in which Secretariat stayed and played, and the cemetery of their most famous winning thoroughbreds. There are many thoroughbred horse farms in the area that you can visit but Secretariat, in life and death, is the draw here.

We visited in September 2014 and got lucky enough to have John as our guide! He was so knowledgable and truly had a passion for the farm and the horses. The farm is beautiful and it was very cool to be able to come face to face with such valuable athletes. John took several of the horses, including Kentucky Derby winner Orb and War Front, out of their stalls for us to visit and take photos of. The tour concluded in one of the farms cemeteries where such horses as Secretariat, Bold Ruler, Mr. Prospector, and Riva Ridge were buried. A very cool experience and highly recommended!

Reservations requiried since they only do two small group tours a day. We were lucky enough to email the evening before and still get into a tour; it was midweek but i'm sure they fill up fast on the weekends. Our amazing tour was given by Rodeo. He was full of great information and even took time after the tour to answer the many questions I had. Mom (who's really not a horsey person) and I had a wonderful time. Thank you Claiborne Farms for an inside look of your famed farm.

Great 1 hour tour. Very informative! I encourage everyone to do the tour. Even if you are not big into horse racing you will still get a lot out of this tour. Seeing the stallions up close and actually getting to pat a derby winner is truly amazing! Make sure when you are in the area to do this tour. It is an hour well spent!

Not only are you guided around this still working horse farm by an informative guide (for FREE), but you can actually touch some of the great stud horses residing there, including last year's Kentucky Derby winner ORB. We learned so much about the breeding process and business. Our guide was so informative. The stallions are magnificent and it was wonderful to get to stroke them while have a picture taken. I learned that they like peppermint candies as treats! The grave sites of famous deceased residents, including Secretariat are part of the tour. They have two morning tours and reservations are absolutely necessary. While the tour is free it is customary (and I think expected) that the grooms doing the tour be tipped. You will want to. Would recommend you go to the restrooms before the tour starts (facilities on site). Our tour was only suppose to last 45 mins. but it was about an hour and a half. Our guide was very accommodating. It was very moving to be on a farm that housed 6 of the 11 Triple Crown Winners. Amazing.

If you love horses you will love the tour. Great information and easy to get to. You are able to interact with the horses and are receptive to questions.

First of all I am a huge horse racing fan, so needless to say I was super pumped for our visit, the rest of the family was a little more reserved, before we took the tour. The whole family had a great time. First of all Claiborne is ALL CLASS, the grounds are beautiful, the grooms that take you on the tour are knowledgable, and the horses are superstars ( both past and present) those you can pet and marvel at and those past champs that are laid to rest there. Will definitely go back.

When you think about the biggest horse races, history's greatest champions and where they started and finished their careers... You find Claiborne.Our visit was nothing short of extraordinary visiting Kentucky Derby winner Orb and leading sire, War Front - you can pet and feed them treats! Visit the barns, stalls and resting places of super horses like Mr. Prospector, Bold Ruler and so many others.The tour was exceptional, and Claiborne was easily our favorite destination in Kentucky horse country.