industry thoroughbred horse racing predecessor hamilton stud founded 1877 headquarters lexington kentucky key people william shively owner terry arnold farm manager website dixianafarms.com dixiana farm founded in 1877 is an american thoroughbred horse breeding farm in lexington kentucky . contents 1 barak g. thomas 2 jaco s. coxey 3 thomas j. carson 4 james ben ali haggin 5 james cox brady 6 charles t. fisher 7 mary v. fisher 8 mary lou wibel 9 william j. shively 10 references 11 external links barak g. thomas edit formerly known as hamilton stud dixiana owned by barak g. thomas a confederate soldier in the civil war and later sheriff of fayette county kentucky took the breeding world by storm with his two colts himyar and domino . thomas who at the time owned hira villa farm now part of mt. brilliant added to his land holdings by acquiring dixiana and naming it after his favorite broodmare dixie . thomas is thought to be one of the first men to make his sole living by breeding and selling stock and his results were immediate . himyar was famous for being temperamental yet was steadfast on the track with an illustrious racing career that spanned four years with a second place finish in the kentucky derby to day star in 1878 while still claiming multiple stakes wins at ages 4 and 5 . himyar s toughness and versatility transcended beyond the racetrack into his stallion career with his most notable son domino . purchased for 3 000 by james r. keene domino the colt known as the brown phenomenon and black whirlwind in reference to the peculiar color of his coat on any given day was a horse of extreme speed at short distances . he was undefeated at age 2 and went on to be named champion two year old and 1893 american horse of the year . although domino only lived to the age of 6 his achievements at stud were remarkable . domino out of thomas s mare mannie grey by himyar sired 19 named foals 8 of which went on to become stakes race winners . domino was returned to thomas upon his death and laid to rest at hira villa . his headstone reads most appropriately here lies the fleetest of runners the american turf has ever known and one of the gamest and most generous of horses . in 1890 major thomas fell on hard times . due to disappointing sale prices and unsettled debts thomas found himself forced to sell the farm named for his beloved mare . dixiana was sold to jaco s. coxey on nov 23 1897 . the majority of major thomas s dixiana stock including himyar for a meager 2 500 was dispersed in lexington by new york auctioneer william easton . jaco s. coxey edit jacob sechler coxey better known as general coxey was an ambitious businessman and labor leader . he was famous for his industrial army of unemployed workers famously regarded as coxey s army who marched on washington d.c. during the economic depression of the 1890s . general coxey established the coxey silica sand company that operated as a sand quarry . when his business among others began to falter under depressing economic conditions he went to work on behalf of the ordinary labor worker who coxey felt needed representation in washington . although his many attempts to achieve public office fell short with perhaps his most notable effort being a run for the presidency of the united states in 1932 on behalf of the united states farmer labor party coxey continued his plight on behalf of the working class . along with his passion for politics coxey was also well regarded for being a prosperous horse breeder . it is not certain the exact dates coxey owned dixiana however it is known to have been a short period of less than two years . thomas j. carson edit sometime between 1889 and 1890 dixiana passed from the hands of coxey to major thomas j. carson . carson also a well respected thoroughbred breeder produced such champions as the great sprinters roseben and highball . roseben bred at dixiana and affectionately known as the big train stood nearly 18 hands tall . although not able to capture a win until his three year old season he soon went on to become a sprinting sensation capturing wins under such enormous weights as 147 lb 67 kg . making 111 lifetime starts roseben crossed the wire first in nearly half of those starts making his most notable wins in the toboggan fall and carter handicaps . despite being a distinguished horseman thomas s money and personal problems began to accrue rapidly . carson was no stranger to the headlines of the new york times . the paper reported not only of his monetary woes but also of the incident that landed him 10 days in jail for his connection with the death of photographer w. e. singleton whom carson shot and killed in 1898 . after a few years as owner of dixiana major carson s wife took over the business of the farm which ultimately ended in a complete dispersal . james ben ali haggin edit in 1909 dixiana farm was once again under new ownership acquired by kentucky born entrepreneur james ben ali haggin . it is recorded that carson traded dixiana to ben ali haggin for a tract of farm land . at this time in history dixiana was to become part of haggin s prestigious elmendorf farm and for the next seventeen years was used primarily for crops and tobacco . the story of ben ali haggin is one of a frontiersman who began his career as a lawyer after graduating from centre college in danville ky then setting his sights on the west and eventually practicing law in san francisco during the gold rush . after acquiring rancho del paso outside of sacramento haggin ventured into the mining business with sweeping success . in 1880 he established his intentions as a serious horseman by opening a breeding operation at his rancho del paso farm . soon thereafter he returned to his native state and purchased elmendorf in 1897 . his imprint on racing and breeding are still felt today through the descendents of his breeding and racing operation . james cox brady edit james cox brady a famous traction magnate from new york was next in line to take over the ownership of dixiana and restore it back to its famous thoroughbred nursery status . james brady was the son of millionaire anthony n. brady who in 1900 was the largest shareholder of the american tobacco company . his fortune was passed down to his son and in 1918 james cox brady was considered to be one of the thirty richest americans . he purchased dixiana from ben ali haggin in 1925 and spent a substantial amount of money to renovate the farm . brady only held onto the farm for three years before passing away . however during his time at dixiana he possessed a successful racing operation . charles t. fisher edit after the death of james c. brady dixiana was soon to become one of the foremost racing breeding and show horse operations in history . the success the farm once enjoyed under its founder major barak g. thomas was soon to replicate itself only on a much larger scale . in 1928 charles t. fisher of detroit and his wife sarah purchased dixiana which at the time was approximately 900 acres for 240 000 . dixiana remained intact until 1947 when fisher sold about half of the acreage to royce g. martin who then launched woodvale stud . that property was resold several times and later became domino stud . fisher along with his brother fred and uncle albert founded the fisher body company which produced auto bodies for companies such as cadillac and ford . in 1919 general motors purchased fisher body company for a reported 27 million dollars . the accomplishments of charles fisher in the auto industry spilled over into his thoroughbred and saddlebred pursuits . the list of runners produced during the fisher era is long and distinguished including the great mata hari winner of the arlington lassie stakes the kentucky jockey club stakes the illinois derby and illinois oaks . in addition she was named both american champion two year old filly of 1933 and american champion three year old filly of 1934 . other stakes winners included sweep all cee tee sirocco amber light 1943 louisiana derby spy song arlington futurity vosburgh handicap star reward and sub fleet 2nd in 1952 ky derby . spy song a son of mata hari was brilliant at sprinting distances breaking his maiden at 4 furlongs by 12 lengths and setting a new track record in the process . it comes as no surprise as balladier sire of spy song was a domino line standard bearer . though finishing second in the kentucky derby to assault he was most efficient at shorter distances . in total spy song won 15 of 36 starts consistent and fast . mary v. fisher edit dixiana during the 1930s also enjoyed prosperity and notoriety as a saddle horse farm . charles and sarah s daughter mary v. fisher was an accomplished gated horse show woman . in 1986 she was awarded the honors of being the first saddle horse rider inducted into the national horse show hall of fame and in 1998 was also inducted into the kentucky hall of fame . during this time dixiana farm was home to five gaited champion beau woolf . perhaps mary fisher s most important role came towards the end of her father s life 1963 when she took over the management of dixiana . the farm continued to prosper and continued to produce great runners such as red cross fulvous and fulcrum breeders futurity stakes 1957 . in 1986 dixiana was once again sold after a legacy of 58 years within the fisher family . mary lou wibel edit mary lou wibel a business woman from tennessee purchased dixiana for 5 953 400 and with partner bruce kline also farm manager soon turned the farm into a successful commercial breeding and boarding operation . during the late 1980s and 90s dixiana was 300 acres 1.2 km2 with another 265 acres 1.07 km2 on lease . it was home to legendary stallions such as mr. greeley and fly till dawn . in 1999 the farm made its mark in the sales ring by selling a record priced 3.9 million colt by kris s. at that year s keeneland september yearling sale . dixiana was also home to other champions such as fly so free champion 2 year old male of 1990 who was broken and prepped there as well as 1997 epsom derby winner benny the dip . william j. shively edit in 2002 mary wibel put dixiana farm on the market to be passed on once again . after her ownership of nearly 20 years the farm was purchased in 2004 by gainesville florida businessman and current owner william j. shively . he is a member of the board of trustees of the thoroughbred owners and breeders association toba based in lexington kentucky . 1 at the time he purchased dixiana mr. shively was the owner of tomoka hills farm in florida which produced florida older horse of the year and sprint champion benny the bull and also elk hill farm which is adjacent to dixiana . william shively in partnership with diane waldron and leah killingsworth purchased and campaigned sprinter personal first a son of the later personal hope whose most noted win came in the gr . 3 amsterdam at saratoga in 2000 . in 2006 mr. shively purchased woodlynn farm later renamed to woodland farm in lexington which is perhaps most noted for