Denali Stud sits on over 800 acres of beautiful Kentucky land. They are a nursery with only mares and foals of different ages. There are no stallions as the name may imply. Many well known horses have come from the farm. The most notable resident is Serena's Song, 31 years old at this writing. If you have an opportunity to visit Denali, the youngsters will be happy to see you at the fence lines and enjoy some attention and pets. Also, there is a wonderfully rustic cabin you can rent while visiting the area. 102 read more

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Claire gave the best tour! She was so knowledgeable and fun! The mares and foals were so cute! We had an amazing tour! read more

Denali Stud - Some mares and foals - Farms Near Me - Paris, Kentucky

It's important to note that the majority of our local thoroughbred farms are stud-centric, but - ironically - at Denali Stud you won't find any stallions or breeding sheds. More on that to come. Founded in 1990 by former New Jersey jockey Craig Bandoroff and his wife, Holly, Denali Stud is a 300-acre mare and foal property - i.e. a nursery - situated in picturesque Paris, KY. So what's with the name? I wondered the same. 'Denali' is a mountain range and Eskimo word meaning 'to aspire to greater heights,' and the word 'stud' is synonymous with 'farm' in Europe. Voila! The four barns, office, and other buildings on the property run almost completely on solar energy. Although the farm has produced many successful athletes, some of their most beloved clients date back to the humble beginnings of the farm. Craig, a passionate outdoorsman, has taken great care to curate a variety of trees around the property, carefully labeling many with their type and year planted. As he and his wife prepare for retirement in Lexington, their son and his wife have begun building their own residence on property. Our tour started at a large, centrally-located field full of mamas-to-be. And let me tell you, swollen bellies won't stop those ladies from stampeding toward you in pursuit of a peppermint and a good cheek scratching! From there we got to visit with mares and foals in an adjacent field, before venturing on to the foal bar - where the magic happens. Each stall was occupied by either a mare very close to (or past!) her due date, or a mother and new foal, and I mean NEW - a couple of the foals were only two days old! Pay close attention when you're walking through the barn, as you may recognize some high profile sires; I counted at least three babies by Tapit and one by Real Quiet. Another nearby barn houses some older foals with their mamas, and pregnant mares with less imminent due dates. While Denali Stud is the most recognizable farm in the family's portfolio, there are two others, both of which take their names from mountain ranges: K2, which is dedicated to maiden and barren mares, and Lotse, a 5-barn yearling division. Our guide was primarily Alexis - with additional input from Aly - and her knowledge of the industry, farm, animals, and many other business facets was really impressive. Passion and enthusiasm likes hers is what gets people excited about tourism! read more

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