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Phot o by Meadors. HOWARD REINEMAN— Maintains the Crown Crest Farm. f# Stallion Directory and Fann Register !Nand Crown Crest Privately Sells 17 Yearlmgs at Farm Site Final Segment of Dispersal; ♦ ► Reinemans Turning Nursery ] Over as Base for Stallions ] By HUGH J. McGUIRE LEXINGTON, Ky., May 9.— Mr. and Mrs. Howard Reineman, of Crown Crest Farm, are out of the commercial thoroughbred ] breeding business but they are far from being out of the thoroughbred business. Their sale by private treaty a week or so ago of 17 yearlings marked the final seg- , ment of the dispersal of the farms breed- : ing stock begun last fall when the mares of the nursery were sold at Keeneland and when notice was given that the then weanlings would be sold early this year. The ; name of the purchaser has not yet been , made public and Reineman declines to ; offer it on the grounds that this privilege belongs to the owner of the horses who asked temporary anonymity. There are, however, outside indications that the purchaser was a Texan prominent in racing. Had the sale not been completed before the May 1 deadline for withdrawals, the yearlings would have been sold at the summer sales at Keeneland. The Reinemans will continue to operate Crown Crest as the base for the eight stallions standing there and may even add to this number if suitable stallions become available. Prior to their entrance on a large_ scale to the thoroughbred breeding business, Mrs. Reineman raced a stable of horses and her silks may again be seen as early -as this year on a few fillies in New York. This would indicate a possibility that fillies who prove themselves eventually would return to the farm to produce replacements for the racing stable. There is no thought that the Reinemans would give up their present residence on the very beautiful farm. Only in Operation Since 1951 The Crown Crest operation has been nothing short of spectacular and it is the pressure of other business ventures that prompts the decision to withdraw. It was only in June of 1951 that the Reinemans purchased 1,136 acres of Coldstream Stud from Henry H. Knight. The first full breeding season was the following year which wQuld bring the first full crop to the race in 1955 but the Reinemans had boarded their mares and purchases had been made of mares in foal and the farm had a sizable yearling consignment in 1953. In only four years of racing the products of the farm sent this nursery into first position in 1958 among the commercial breeders in the amqunt of money won and second only to the late Henry Knight among commercial breeders in number of races won. The farm had been close up in both divisions in 1957. The breeding industry in the Blue Grass is .very definitely operated on individualistic promotion, so much so that Kentucky is the only leading breeding center that does not have an association that repre- ♦ ► ] ] ] , : ; , ; sents the great majority of breeders. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Association is centered about Louisville. Membership in the Thoroughbred Club is national. As the Blue Grass continues to lead the world in thoroughbred production, it is difficult to fault the method of operation but the Reinemans fostered several projects aimed at the betterment of the industry in general. -Meanwhile they had learned to concentrate on quality rather than quantity and moved in 1955 to the 379-acre farm on the Russell Cave Pike, the former Woodvale Farm, and present site of operations. One of the outstanding projects sponsored by Crown Crest during its early operation was the establishment of an equine laboratory to run blood and chemical tests. Of inestimable value in diagnosis and in the study of nutrition, this laboratory now can run similar tests to those in use on humans. When in successful operation the laboratory was turned to a group of veterinarians who now own it but it is available to all practicing veterinarians. Virtually every veterinarian in Fayette County utilizes this service which is performed by technician Dale Henthorn. Hydraulic Operating Table Another Crown Crest innovation was the installation of a hydraulic operating table for equine surgery and the establishment of a hospital. There are now several such tables, privately-owned, in the area. Experiments and surgery in the realm of deep X-ray were instigated. Crown Crest does not take credit for all of them but many practices now in standard use were developed through the initial incentive provided by a follow-up to these innovations. Crown Crest pioneered locally in the development of hydroponics, the science of growing things without soil, to insure a supply of fresh grass throughout the year. The Crown Crest hydroponics plant was built into a building on the farm. There are some commercially-built plants on some farms here. Howard Reineman is convinced that hydroponics will become an integral part of farm operation. These are only some of the conrtibu-" tions the Reinemans have made to the thoroughbred industry. There have been many others both in the field of concrete accomplishments and in the realm of cooperation in other projects. It is gratifying to know that the Reinemans of Crown Crest will carry on important associations with thoroughbreds.
