Stonestreet purchases Vinery training facility in Florida

Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm operation has purchased Vinery Ltd.’s training facility in Summerfield, Fla., Vinery’s president, Tom Ludt, confirmed Tuesday morning.

The 220-acre property, which was sold for an undisclosed price, will now be known as Stonestreet Training and Rehabilitation Center.

Several of Stonestreet’s major stakes winners have been developed at the training facility in recent years, including 2011 champion juvenile filly My Miss Aurelia and Grade 1 winner Dreaming of Julia.

“Vinery, with its team of skilled and seasoned horse professionals, created a world-class training and rehabilitation facility,” Banke said. “We are pleased to incorporate it into our breeding and training operation.”

In late August, Vinery owner Tom Simon announced that he would sell his U.S. operations, which include his 440-acre breeding and boarding facility near Lexington, Ky., and the Florida training facility. Vinery purchased Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, N.Y., last year to expand its stallion operations into the state and also invested in Empire Stud in Hudson, N.Y., as a boarding facility. The Vinery Australia operation is a separate business, owned in partnership, that is not on the market.

At the time of that announcement, Simon indicated that he was primarily interested in selling the entire operation as a package, but would consider offers on individual properties. The Florida training facility was the only purchase by Stonestreet.

The Florida facility includes a seven-furlong dirt training track and a six-furlong turf training track. Other amenities include an AquaCiser, covered European free walkers, and turnout facilities.

Other top runners who have spent time at the facility for rehabilitation or freshening include 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, champion Kodiak Kowboy, and Breeders’ Cup winners Regally Ready and More Than Real.