Prominent horseman Hancock dies at 83
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Arthur Hancock, the operator of a famous Kentucky breeding farm, a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and the breeder of the famous 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence, among others, died on Friday at his Kentucky home, his farm and family announced.
Hancock was 83. He had battled illness in recent years.
Hancock was an active voice in various capacities of racing for decades, and a staunch proponent of the elimination of performance-enhancing decades.
In 2025, Hancock was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Pillar of the Turf, recognizing his longtime contribution to the Thoroughbred industry.
“How we treat the horse is a reflection on our industry and on each one of us,” Hancock told Daily Racing Form in 2025.
“If it is perceived that he is treated badly, the public will lose interest and walk away. Integrity with dignity is everything in our sport. We have a saying in Kentucky: If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you. I believe it’s the same for our sport. If you take care of the horse, the horse will take care of you.”
Arthur Boyd Hancock III was born into the sport of racing on Feb. 22, 1943 as the grandson of Arthur B. Hancock, the founder of the famous Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. Hancock’s father, Bull, ran the farm until his death in 1972 when estate advisors chose Hancock’s younger brother Seth to lead the farm.
Arthur Hancock left Claiborne and launched nearby Stone Farm. Hancock’s enthusiastic lifestyle as a young man may have played a part in the decision for him not to be chosen to lead Claiborne. In a 1989 article in Sports Illustrated, Arthur Hancock described himself in those years as “a freewheelin’, hard-drinkin’, guitar-pickin’, bar-brawlin’, skirt-chasin’ fool.”
The 1989 Triple Crown was a highpoint for Hancock and Stone Farm. Hancock was a co-owner of Sunday Silence, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in consecutive starts that spring.
Sunday Silence’s attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner since Secretariat in 1989 was thwarted by Easy Goer, who had finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and won the Belmont Stakes by eight lengths. Sunday Silence finished second.
Sunday Silence was based in California with Charlie Whittingham, while Easy Goer was trained in New York Shug McGaughey. The East Coast-West Coast rivalry between Easy Goer and Sunday Silence drew attention with the general sports audience.
In November of that year, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer finished first and second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park, separated by a neck after a thrilling stretch duel. The win clinched the Horse of the Year title for Sunday Silence.
Sunday Silence had two starts in 1990 before he was retired to stud. With minimal interest from American breeders, Sunday Silence was sent to Japan where he became a massively influential stallion. Sunday Silence’s stallion, Halo, stood at Stone Farm.
Hancock also bred and co-owned Gato Del Sol, the 1982 Kentucky Derby winner, and was co-breeder of Risen Star, the winner of the 1988 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. He was co-breeder of Fusaichi Pegasus, winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby.
Fusaichi Pegasus, Gato Del Sol and Risen Star were three of more than 200 stakes winners bred by Stone Farm. Rabeeba, winner of the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar on Aug. 30, is a recent stakes winner bred by Stone Farm. The filly was consigned by Stone Farm to the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale, selling for $750,000.
At the current Keeneland September yearling sale, which began on Monday, Stone Farm’s consignment has included an Into Mischief colt sold for $700,000 and Cody’s Wish colt sold for $675,000.
Arthur Hancock is survived by his wife, Staci, and six children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
Hancock described his induction into the Hall of Fame as a “profound and humbling experience.” His father and grandfather received the same honors posthumously in the 2010s.
Days after his Hall of Fame induction, Stone Farm, as agent for Bobby Flay, sold a Gun Runner colt to Winchell Thoroughbreds for $2.7 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. Named War Wolf, the colt is in training at Saratoga but has yet to start.
Aside from his success as a breeder, Arthur Hancock was active in racing leadership as a member of the Jockey Club, a past member of the Kentucky Racing Commission, and a director of the Keeneland Association and Fasig-Tipton.
Away from racing, Hancock was an avid musician as a songwriter of bluegrass music. He recorded several albums, and wrote songs that were recorded by such luminaries as Ray Price and Willie Nelson. On Oct. 24, Hancock will be posthumously inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Lexington, Ky.
In 2024, Hancock published an autobiography, “Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption”, which discussed his youth, his breakup from Claiborne Farms, a battle with alcoholism, difficult financial times and his successes in racing.
After Hancock’s passing, Stone Farm published a tribute on its website.
“With profound sadness, the Stone Farm family mourns the passing of Arthur B. Hancock III, whose vision, integrity, and lifelong dedication to the Thoroughbred industry shaped Stone Farm and touched generations of people and horses alike.
“Arthur believed deeply in the spirit of the horse, the importance of good stewardship, and the enduring relationships that make this life so special.
“His legacy lives on at Stone Farm—in the horses, the land, the people, the tradition and the values he held so dearly.
“We are grateful for his life, his leadership, and the extraordinary legacy he leaves behind.”
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