Claiborne forges partnerships for newcomers

The Hancock family’s historic Claiborne Farm is well known for its partnerships with other prominent racing families – such as the Phipps and Janney dynasties – which have kept stock at the farm and thus contributed to its stallion ranks over the decades. While many of those long-established partnerships are reflected in the current stallion roster, the farm’s two newcomers this year represent new links to prominent racing entities.

Claiborne will debut Grade 1 winners Bright Future and Prince of Monaco for 2025. Bright Future, by emerging sire-of-sires Curlin, raced for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, both respected breeders. He scored his biggest win for that duo in the 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Jacob West, who in October joined Claiborne as the farm’s stallion seasons and bloodstock manager, has long worked as a bloodstock agent for Mike Repole and his various partnerships.

Prince of Monaco, by Speightstown, was never unplaced around one turn, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at 2 and finishing second in a pair of top-level sprints this season. He raced for the large partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan. Many of those entities have powerful broodmare bands – including Stonestreet, which bred Prince of Monaco and has been involved in the development of many top stallions.

The remainder of Claiborne’s stallion roster consists of Blame and Lea, both of whom the farm bred and raced in partnership with Adele Dilschneider; Annapolis, a homebred for Bass Stables; Demarchelier, who raced for Peter Brant; First Samurai, who raced for Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins III; Runhappy, who raced for James McIngvale; Silver State, who raced for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton; War Front, a homebred for Joseph Allen; and War of Will, who raced for Gary Barber.

Dilschneider, Bass, Brant, Lunsford, and Allen all have decades-long associations with Claiborne; Blame, Annapolis, War Front, and War of Will are all by current or former Claiborne stallions.