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From humble beginnings as small boarding operation in 1976, Taylor Made has grown into the worldwide leader in Thoroughbred Sales and Marketing. A perennial leader in gross sales and graded stakes winners sold, we owe our decades of record-setting success to teamwork and an extraordinary base of loyal customers. Here you will learn more about the horses and people that made us who we are today.
Joe Taylor purchases his first track of land in Jessamine county and builds a 12 bent tobacco barn. He has his four sons Duncan (12), Chris (10), Ben (8), and Frank (6) clean up the old run down farm, while the two older sisters, Mary Joe and Emily, drove the brothers back and forth to work.
Joe Taylor and Father Leonard Callahan name the farm Bona Terra acres, which is latin for good earth.
Joe and Mary Taylor’s youngest son Mark Joseph Taylor is born.
Duncan Taylor and Mike Shannon start the business Taylor Made Farm in Lexington, Ky.
Taylor Made farm sells first horse at Public Auction at Keeneland January–– Calico Print for $2,200 purchased by Ramon Coto.
Taylor Made Farm’s first Yearling sale at Keeneland – Alegria De Deanna sells for $30,000. She goes on to become Taylor Made Farm’s first stakes winner. The consignment has seven yearlings (yearlings averaged $17,783.33).
In Taylor Made’s first Keeneland November Sale consignment, Taylor Made Farm’s sells Crimson Lass for Crimson King Farm to Ted Curtin agent for $410,000.
Taylor Made Farm sells first $100,000 horse at Fasig Tipton.
Taylor Made Farm sells Knightly Belle for $560,000 at Keeneland from Charles Wacker to Barry Schwartz, founder of Calvin Klein.
Taylor Made relocates to Bona Terra Acres in Jessamine County.
Taylor Made Farm sells three mares for over $1,000,000 in one session at Keeneland.
Taylor Made Farm sells first yearling for over $2,000,000, a Riverman colt.
Fiesta Lady becomes Taylor Made’s 1st G1 winner sold. She was bred by the Brooks family of Texas who are still friends and customers today. Fiesta Lady sold to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for $550,000.
Taylor Made Sales Agency sold two million dollar mares at Keeneland November for Dolly Green; Royal Strait Flush for $1,400,000 and Brorita for $1,800,000.
Dancing Brave becomes Taylor Made’s first graduate to become European Horse Of The Year.
Joe Taylor Retires from Gainesway and joins his sons at Taylor Made.
Manila becomes the first Breeders’ Cup winner raised by Taylor Made.
Dayjur becomes Taylor Made’s 2nd European Horse of the Year. He was sold to Shadwell at the Keeneland July Sales for $1,650,000 on behalf of Georgia Hofmann.
Taylor Made purchases leading stallion Kris S. who stood at Prestonwood (now WinStar) Farm near Versailles, Ky.
Kris S. sired 63 stakes winners, 5 Breeders Cup Winners, 3 Champions and the sire of one Kentucky Broodmare of the Year (Vertigineaux, dam of Zenyatta).
Unbridled’s Song becomes the second Breeders’ Cup winner raised and sold by Taylor Made.
Taylor Made launches their stallion operation.
Taylor Made purchases future leading sire Saint Ballado and relocates him from Taylor Made to Florida.
Taylor Made syndicates Unbridled’s Song who goes on to be North America’s leading stallion in 2017.
Anees, Artax, and Cash Run bring home Taylor Made’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th Breeders’ Cup wins.
Taylor Made sells a Gone West colt for 2 million at the Keeneland July Sale for Aaron and Marie Jones. This colt went onto become a Breeders’ Cup champion and leading sire Speightstown.
Ashado and Speightstown become Taylor Made’s 9th and 10th Breeders’ Cup winners!
Taylor Made sells Ashado on behalf of Starlight Racing for a world-record 9 million dollars.
Longtime family friend and Taylor Made team member Pat Payne becomes a partner with the Taylor brothers.
Drosselmeyer wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) to become Taylor Made’s 13th Breeders’ Cup winner and the third bred by Aaron and Marie Jones.
Taylor Made sells horse of the year Havre de Grace for a new world-record of 10 million dollars on behalf of Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm.
American Pharoah becomes Taylor Made’s first Triple Crown winner. He also wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and creates a new achievement “The American Racing Grand Slam”.
American Pharoah, Liam’s Map, Stopchargingmaria, and Wavell Avenue give Taylor Made Breeders’ Cup winners 14, 15, 16, and 17!
Taylor Made purchases part of California Chrome who goes on to become North America’s leading earner.
California Chrome wins the Dubai World Cup after being purchased by Taylor Made the year before.
Medallion Racing Thoroughbred partnership founded.
Taylor Made sells another superstar on behalf of Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm for $9.5 million.
Rushing Fall becomes Taylor Made’s 19th Breeders’ Cup winner to date!
Catholic Boy becomes Taylor Made’s 100th Grade 1 winner.
Sold Kentucky Oaks winner, Abel Tasman for $5,000,000
Taylor Made born and raised, Serengeti Empress wins the Kentucky Oaks
It was in the fall of 1952 that Joe Taylor accompanied by his wife, Mary Emily, answered a help wanted ad that my father, C.F. Gaines, master of Gainesway Farm, placed in the classified pages of the Lexington, Kentucky Herald Leader. I listened to my father interview Joe and then watched as he examined the palms of Joe’s hands to see if they had any calluses. A deal was made but certainly none of us realized at the time that destinies of Gainesway Farm and Joe Taylor would be one and the same. It took all of one year for Joe to advance from mucking stalls and grooming yearlings to Farm Manager and star salesman.
Under Joe’s guidance, Gainesway was to own or breed without exception the winners of every major trotting horse stakes in North America, including the Hambletonian twice and the Kentucky Futurity four times. When we established Gainesway Farm’s Thoroughbred division in November, 1962. We grew from one stallion and a handful of mares, into an operation of forty stallions breeding two thousand mares a year. Five Gainesway stallions were to lead the Sires List in America, England and France, and their progeny included two winners of the Kentucky Derby and eight winners of the Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe.In the breeding shed, on the race track and in the sales ring, Gainesway Farm’s record speaks for itself and is irrefutable evidence of the high professionalism and keen intelligence that Joe Taylor brings to every aspect of Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing.
At the highest level, a Farm Manager must play many roles. Joe is not only a complete horseman but he is also an agronomist, builder, geneticists, caretaker, nutritionists, salesman, entrepreneur, executive, promoter, accountant, arborist, midwife, dealmaker, diplomat and handyman. Joe is truly a man for all seasons but everyone who knows him understands that his real business is helping people.