Calumet Farm hires Wilkins as director of stallion division

Calumet Farm has named Ken Wilkins, formerly of Spendthrift Farm, to be the new director of the farm’s stallion division.

Wilkins was instrumental in the launch of initiatives such as Breed Secure and Share the Upside during his time at Spendthrift, the Paris, Ky., operation owned by B. Wayne Hughes. He also helped grow the Spendthrift stallion operation into one of the largest in North America and helped develop young stallions including Into Mischief and Warrior’s Reward, as well as leading sire Malibu Moon.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring in such an accomplished stallion expert as Ken to help lead Calumet back as a leading stallion station in North America,” said Eddie Kane, Calumet’s general manager. “Ken has a terrific track record of growing and developing stallion programs, and we look forward to working with him to execute Calumet’s vision of revitalizing our stallion program.”

Among Wilkins’ initial tasks at Calumet will be to expand the Lexington, Ky. farm’s stallion roster, which currently includes Americain, Raison d’Etat, Eye of the Leopard, Point Given, Aikenite, and Snappy Halo. The existing roster was recently assembled, as the stallions were brought to the historic property following Brad Kelley’s lease of Calumet in 2012.

“Calumet has big plans for returning the farm to prominence,” Wilkins said. “Our approach will be reminiscent of Calumet’s glory days when the farm had a powerful stable of homebreds that were raced before being retired to stud as leading commercial stallions.

“We will be active in acquiring new stallions, and those stallions will receive the support of the Calumet broodmare band,” Wilkins continued. “We look forward to the challenge of developing leading sires, and eventually creating leading sires that are 100 percent products of Calumet.”