Virginia owner-breeder Carolyn Rogers dies at 88

Carolyn Rogers, a prominent Virginia-based owner, breeder, and consignor, died Sunday in Leesburg, Va. She was 88.

Rogers, along with her husband, Sam Rogers Jr., who died in October, owned White Oaks Farm in Leesburg, which has had a presence on the East Coast for six decades, with another farm in Ocala, Fla. Their operation tied for the longest continuous consignors to Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga yearling sales at 50 years.

A Winston-Salem, N.C. native, Carolyn Rogers participated in Saddlebred and Hunter shows, competing at venues including Madison Square Garden and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario. She was also a licensed Thoroughbred trainer on the Mid-Atlantic circuit.

The Rogers family was an early leader in the weanling-to-yearling pinhook market, with successful graduates including Grade 1 winner Sharp Cat, Grade 2 winner Recapturetheglory, and Grade 3 winner Grab the Green. Grab the Green campaigned for the Rogers family after finishing under his reserve as a yearling.

Homebred runners from the White Oaks program include Grade 3 winners Reach to the Top and Changing World.

Rogers and her husband also bred Grade 2 winners Diamond Stripes and Advice, as well as Grade 1-placed stakes winner Moon de French. They also owned stakes winner Word o’ Ransom, and the list of horses consigned as agent by White Oaks includes multiple Grade 2 winner Miss Golden Circle.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Old Friends Equine Retirement in Georgetown, Ky., where Diamond Stripes resides. Funeral services will be organized by Hall Funeral Home in Purcellville, Va.