Armitage Farm is trotting into Lexington expecting to avoid a sophomore slump

by Debbie Little

In 2025 Armitage Farm debuted at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with a consignment of 16, one of which, Jimdougie Armitage, became the highest-priced horse ever sold during a second session of the historic sale.

According to assistant farm manager Tim Hayes there’s no pressure for the operation established in Midway, KY in 2023 to repeat last year’s glory.

“It’s probably not going to happen,” Hayes said with a laugh. “It’s a once in a lifetime, that’s what it is. It’s a hard feat to accomplish, but we did it, so we’ll just be proud of it.”

Trotters is what Armitage Farm is known for and they’ll have 25 — nine colts and 16 fillies — to sell in Lexington.

“Our slogan out here is that we are ‘Trotting into the future,’” Hayes said. “That’s on the back of all of our shirts. It’s the slogan for the farm… Jim [McLane], when he started in this, he saw that trotters sold for more money than pacers, so he thought that that was the game plan, and we wanted to specifically go for one side of the breed to try to get the best that we could of that breed and buy and produce the best of the breed.

“I mean, we bought some really nice mares last year that we bred, so in two years we’re looking at trying to maybe have another sale topper at some point.

Hayes added with a laugh, “I own a lot of horses, I dream a lot.”

As good as their yearlings look in their videos, Hayes says nothing beats the experience of seeing them up close in person at the farm.

“So, we’re getting a lot of people to come to the farm, and it’s great when the people come to the farm because this farm is probably one of the most beautiful standardbred farms you’ll ever be on.

“It has a mile-long tree line you go under to get in.”

The trotter-centric nursery will be showing all four days of the sale, including two on Day 1: 

Hip #39 Melino Armitage a Walner colt out of the Explosive Matter mare Goodtogo Hanover and Hip #67 Seventrix Armitage a Chapter Seven filly out of Trixton mare Miss Trixton.

“Very nice big, strong colt,” Hayes said. “He’s a brother to R Melina. She won the [2024 Filly] Futurity, and she made a million dollars. I expect him to be a very well received colt, and we do anticipate that he will do big things.

“The Chapter Seven filly out of Miss Trixton is a very sleek, nice, long filly. Has a great attitude, and she’s got a good look to her. She looks like an athlete, so we’re hoping that she’ll be well received on Day 1, too.”

For the session on Tuesday, Hayes pointed out a few that standout to him: Hip #156 Goraceme Armitage a daughter of Tactical Landing out of Avacakes, a sister to Karl, Hip #193 Polltopperarmitageand Hip #228 Trotabilitarmitage both colts by Chapter Seven out of Climb The Poll and White Cheetah, respectively, Hip #208 Wallcat Armitage another Tactical Landing filly out of The Great Wall, and Hip #390 Re Act Armitage a daughter of Captain Corey out of Dramatra, a sister to Royalty For Life.

“I think our Day 2 horses are all a very good bunch of horses,” Hayes said. “Pedigree-wise they’re good, but they are good individuals. So, you know, people just have to come look at them, and I think they’ll like them. They’re put together good, they all look good, and they all have good attitudes.

“I mean, I can’t guarantee they’re going to stay happy and cheerful their whole life, but right now, they do everything we want them to do.”

On Day 3 Armitage will send a total of 12 into the ring.

“I have actually two on the third day that I really like,” Hayes said. “I have the Insta Glam colt [Hip #528 Tarnation Armitage]. He is a Chapter Seven, and I really like him a lot. He’s a later foal. He’s like a mid-May foal. He’s starting to come into himself and peak at the right time. He is a handsome kind of different look of a Chapter Seven, but he’s going to be a really good horse for somebody. I like him quite a bit.

“And then there is a Tactical Landing colt out of Windy Corner [Hip #634 Matlex Armitage], he’s just been my boy since he was born. So, I mean, he’s just had a way about him since he was very young that I’ve liked so much. So, they’re both third day horses, and I think very highly of them.

“We also have a sister to Creamy Armitage [Hip #501 Frenzee Armitage], and we have a brother to Fleur Delacour [Hip #528 Tarnation Armitage] who was just second in the $400,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes.

And then we got another Captain Corey filly that is really nice, a couple of Gimpanzees that are really nice, and a Tactical Landing that’s just out of a good family that is really nice,

Armitage has four Gimpanzees selling on Day 3, and the added bonus for buying one is just that, an added bonus.

“The Gimpanzees we have will be eligible for the bonus awards,” Hayes said. “If they were bred and raised here in Kentucky to Gimpanzee, then they’re eligible for the 50 per cent bonus… say your horse made $80,000, you get another $40,000 at the end of the year just because of the money he earned in the state of Kentucky.”

Hayes also thinks everyone should check out the video of Hip #777 Fats Armitage.

“He is a big Love You, which a lot of them are, but on video day and even in the paddock, he’s very light on his feet,” Hayes said, adding with a laugh, “This will probably be the best one that Tanya’s Dance has ever had because we sold her. So, you know he’ll probably be the one that goes out and is the best one out of her.

“We all call him the slot machine because he’s #777. So, that’s what you want when you go to the casinos, you want to hit on triple sevens.

“You can’t always have everything on the first day or second day, but I think our group is a very, very good group. We’ve got a lot of the middle of the range horses that I think people are going to like because they’re bred to the right horse, people have just got to see them. They are very, very nice horses.”

Hayes said the farm is already looking ahead to 2027.

“We have 30 for next year, and they’re by all sorts of different stallions,” he said. “We try to be diversified to give everybody what they want. We want a lot of bidders and a lot of people to have our horses and a lot of people to like them.

“From the time they’re born till the time we sell them, we do a lot with them, so they’re very well broke. So, we want to get them out there so people see them, so they’ll like them, and come back and get more.”

Just like every other breeder selling New Jersey-sired yearlings, Hayes said he was concerned when he heard the Hambletonian was leaving The Meadowlands.

“I was a little worried what the outcome of the sale was going to be for the horses that were New Jersey sired, so it gives me a little bit more comfort that some of my horses that I really like have a chance to help our farm make more money,” Hayes said. So, I’m happy about that. I mean, I’m sad that the Hambletonian moved, but you’ve got to just go with what you’ve got. But to race for more money and have bigger races, I think it’s great for the whole industry.

“It helps us. I just hope that everything can continue to grow and, you know, I’m a little worried of where the stallions from Southwind will end up, because this next year is going to be their last year breeding those stallions, and they’ve got to go someplace else. I hope that there’s a farm in New Jersey that’ll step up and take them, or that they go to a good jurisdiction, because we’ve got shares in those stallions.”