Alice Headley Chandler

In 1962, Alice’s father, Hal Price Headley died and bequeathed to her four mares and 286 acres of the Beaumont Farm, with which she founded Mill Ridge Farm.

In 1968, Chandler became the first American woman to breed an Epsom Derby winner who was sold at auction, SIR IVOR, a stallion descended from ALCIBIADES, a champion bred by Chandler’s father in 1927. Sir Ivor was sold to Raymond Guest, an American businessman and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, at Keeneland in 1966 for $42,000. After winning several major European races, Chandler’s stallion influenced a shift in horse sales, emphasizing the U.S. commercial market and Keeneland, specifically.

Mill Ridge Farm has raised and sold several notable horses since its founding, to include 2001 Horse of the Year POINT GIVEN, 2011 Horse of the Year HAVRE DR GRACE, and 2005 Kentucky Derby winner GIACOMO. Since 2000, Mill Ridge Farm has raised or sold seven Breeders’ Cup winners and 36 Grade 1 winners. 

Chandler’s most prestigious honor is her induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2020 under the category of “Pillars of the Turf.” Her father was inducted only two years prior in 2018. 

Chandler became a member of Keeneland’s Button Club in 2012, an award that honors individuals/farms who have “played a prominent role in the growth of the Keeneland Association.”

In 2008, Chandler was given the Eclipse Award of Merit, one of the industry’s highest honors, presented for “displaying outstanding lifetime achievement in, and service to, the Thoroughbred industry.”

In 2005, Chandler was the Honor Guest for the Thoroughbred Club of America’s Annual Testimonial Dinner, an event that honors “outstanding figures of the turf world.”