Calumet gets new manager

Calumet Farm, now operated by the heirs of late owner Henryk deKwiatkowski, announced Wednesday that the farm has hired Bill Witman as farm manager.

Witman most recently oversaw the development of E.K. Gaylord II's Gaillardia Farm in Versailles, Ky. Before moving to Kentucky for that work, Witman was co-manager of Gaylord's Oklahoma farm, Lazy E Ranch, the Southwest's largest Thoroughbred breeding operation.

Witman, a Delaware native, graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1972 with a degree in Animal Science. Before joining Gaylord in 1993, he was a managing partner in Ridgeleigh Farms.

Calumet, one of the nation's most famous and beloved horse farms, has been in the control of deKwiatkowski's seven heirs since his death in March 2003. Emmanuel de Seroux's California-based Narvick International bloodstock company managed the nursery on an interim basis. The family trust that owns the property has said that it will not sell Calumet.