There are horse farms, and then there is Castleton.
Prospective buyers now have the rare chance to acquire 951 acres of land that have spent more than two centuries at the center of American horse culture. Established in 1793, the Lexington estate is set to be offered as the final lot of the invitation-only Keeneland Championship Sale on October 28, 2026.
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Now, this is not your everyday farm sale, as few properties can claim a résumé as interesting as Castleton. Its history spans three of the sport’s great disciplines – Thoroughbred racing, Standardbred harness racing, and American Saddlebreds. The farm galloped onto the Thoroughbred stage in the late 19th century, when it became home to 1896 Kentucky Derby winner Ben Brush. And under Wall Street financier James R. Keene, it was developed into one of the country’s premier breeding operations.
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Castleton later became associated with Bret Hanover, one of harness racing’s great champions, and Wing Commander, the five-time World Grand Champion Saddlebred widely regarded as one of the best five-gaited horses to ever enter the ring. More recently, the farm was home to Gio Ponti, a three-time Eclipse Award winner who earned more than $6.16 million on the track.
Since the early 2000s, Castleton has been under the stewardship of the family of Tony Ryan, the Irish entrepreneur and co-founder of Ryanair, one of Europe’s largest airline groups. But the reins are once again ready to change hands. Tony Lacy, vice president of sales at Keeneland, tells Elite Traveler that “the idea [to auction Castleton at the Championship Sale] originated with Shane Ryan, who has been the steward of Castleton since his father’s passing in 2007. Castleton is a remarkable piece of Kentucky and equine history.” He adds that “the timing could not be better, with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships returning to Keeneland just days later and the global racing community gathering in Lexington.”
Speaking about the auction, Ryan publicly stated that “Castleton has existed as an equine operation for more than two centuries […] and we have been the sixth stewards of this historic farm. So there has to be a magnificent seventh out there.” What the new owner does with the farm is of course, up to them. However, there’s hopes that it will continue to remain as a running operation. “We certainly hope that whoever takes over Castleton will continue its legacy,” Ken Donworth, real estate agent at Bluegrass Sotheby’s, tells Elite Traveler. “We’re looking for someone who will recognize that with a property like Castleton, you’re acquiring much more than land and buildings. You’re becoming a steward of a living piece of Kentucky and equine history. We hope the next owner will embrace that responsibility and help write the next chapter of the Castleton story.”
The estate occupies a particularly enviable stretch of the Lexington landscape, at the intersection of Newtown Pike and Iron Works Pike. Downtown Lexington, Blue Grass Airport, and the Kentucky Horse Park are all just minutes away making it easily accessible for those who travel regularly. The property includes 16 barns with a combined 268 stalls, and at its heart is a circa-1840 Greek Revival mansion with 13,500-sq-ft of space and seven opulent bedrooms. “Its 951 acres of rolling Bluegrass pasture, barns, paddocks, and other equine facilities provide a considerable foundation for an owner who wants to continue developing horses,” says Donworth.
