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Glade Valley Farms (MD)

Racing
#1

Does anyone on here know anything about Glade Valley Farm in Frederick, MD? The Derby got my mind all a racing about my long shot dream of owning a race horse… I live in the Frederick area, and every now and then I pass Glade Valley Farms… it looks like they still do some race breeding, but when I look them up like google them I don’t come up with anything like an actual website, just a few articles, highlighting racing, although I remember finding something that said they are not a riding stable or something like that? But when you look at it it really doesn’t look like a riding stable. It has always peaked my curiosity when I pass by there, I have stopped once but I was in the residential part of the farm and no one was there. Anyways it always crosses my mind when I start thing about my race horse dreams b/c it’s local and right there, and I would love to at least tour or something. They were at one time a racing stable correct? That’s what I’ve read in articles online. Anyways, just one of those curiosity moments, and I was on the forum for once WHILE I was actually thinking those thoughts, LOL so I thought I’d see if anyone on here knew a little something about what they did and what they do now.

Thanks for reading!

#2

Has always been a TB breeding operation, breeding comercially. I did read an article recently that it has been sold for development, its a shame its a nice farm and the only one left in the Frederick area that breeds on that scale.

#3

IF their plan still stands, they are moving their breeding operation to Pennsylvania. They have a private trainer at Laurel, not sure if the racing stable is going to move though.

If your seriously interested in owning a racehorse, I would suggest getting into a partnership to start out. PM me and I can point you in the right direction!

#4

Thanks for the responses. I really was just curious as I always tried to find out more about them when I was younger but no such luck…They always remain a mystery to me!

Acertainsmile… I am going to PM you :slight_smile:

#5

Glade Valley is owned by Sondra and Howard Bender. Lately, most of the horses have run under Sondra’s name (they each have their own silks). The Benders are huge philanthropists and they funded the construction of Bender Arena at American University (It’s named for Howard’s father, Jack I Bender). They also give a lot to various Jewish charities. IIRC, the money comes from commercial real estate and construction. They don’t live at the farm, though–I think they live in DC or Bethesda.

They only breed and race their own, and their trainer is Larry Murray. They stand their own homebred stallion, La Reine’s Terms, but also breed primarily to Kentucky stallions.

Google Sondra Bender, Larry Murray and La Reine’s Terms, and you’ll find a wealth of information!

#6

You might want to have a gander at Country Life Farm. They are offering shares in a nice Malibu Moon filly right now.

:smiley:

#7

We live right next to Glade Valley Farms. :slight_smile: And I mean right next to.

The barn manager has been a long time friend of my hubbies family. Super nice people.

The entire thing about being sold to development is incredibly complex and involves our farm as well.

Sing Mia Song - last time I was at the farm (a few weeks ago) Mike had a couple of horses in training there that were owned by other people. And to the best of my knowledge they no longer stand any stallions at that particular farm.

#8

Hey, Sabovee–thought you guys were up in Rocky Ridge, near me?

Mike’s a great guy–I’ve only met him a couple times when I looked at a horse that Larry was selling. I knew they occasionally had some outside horses, but I think that’s only old clients or friends of the Benders, rather than a true “public stable.”

I’m pretty sure they still have La Reine’s Terms there, but he’s the first resident of the stallion barn since poor old Shelter Half died a few years ago. I talked to Larry just after SH died, and he said it was kind of painful to go up to the stallion barn and remember how it used to be with Rollicking and the others still there.

Just checked the Mid-Atlantic TB stallion register and La Reine’s Terms is listed as standing there for the coming season.

#9

[QUOTE=Sing Mia Song;4068331]
Hey, Sabovee–thought you guys were up in Rocky Ridge, near me?

Mike’s a great guy–I’ve only met him a couple times when I looked at a horse that Larry was selling. I knew they occasionally had some outside horses, but I think that’s only old clients or friends of the Benders, rather than a true “public stable.”

I’m pretty sure they still have La Reine’s Terms there, but he’s the first resident of the stallion barn since poor old Shelter Half died a few years ago. I talked to Larry just after SH died, and he said it was kind of painful to go up to the stallion barn and remember how it used to be with Rollicking and the others still there.

Just checked the Mid-Atlantic TB stallion register and La Reine’s Terms is listed as standing there for the coming season.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm… weird. He’s definitely not housed in the stallion barn it’s full of Bonnie’s antiques. Which is why I thought they weren’t standing a stallion. I’ll have to pick Mike’s brain next time I see him. :slight_smile: I’ll ask him about outside horses too - get the info straight from the horses mouth :wink:

#10

Gawd I feel old… I use to gallop La Reine Elaine and Greene Monday when I worked for Larry, if you go to Glade Valley give them both a kiss for me!

#11

Ha! That’s hilarious! It’s a cool barn.

#12

Whew! Sorry it’s taken me so long to post! LOL after working all day on the computer the LAST thing I wanna do is get in front of it when I’m home… but we’ve had WEEKs of pretty much rain so what else is there to do :wink: (I’m sure some of you in my area agree with the rain lol any word of an arc ;))

I want to seriously thank everyone for all the information on Glade Valley!

I’ve lived around this area for most of my life, and I have never heard a word about the place, once I got my drivers license and I began working in different barns close to it, it remained an even BIGGER mystery b/c I STILL didn’t hear anything about them until FINALLY a trainer I used to work for mentioned that they were a thoroughbred racing stable, but that’s all she knew.

I don’t know if anyone knows, or remembers, or has heard of or maybe even read the “Thoroughbred” Series? Oh man, it was my LIFE I think I kept reading all the way up until I was 17 yrs old and then well life didn’t leave much time for pleasure riding! I read so many of those books that the two main characters Sammantha and Ashleigh were like family! I remember reading about how they would race up and down the lanes around the pastures and then when I first saw Glade Valley and the “racing lanes” Oh I just daydreamed about that place forever, pretended I was one of the characters out of the book and that GV was my farm and I could just imagining galloping around the farm :slight_smile:

That was really the reason for the post, my own curiousity and child day dreams and really wanting to know more about the farm!

Those of you who know the owners/trainer…I see from the posts and from my research they look like very nice people!

Just a wonder more than anything, but how open are they to letting a “lil girl” (the child in all of us) tour the farm one day? I would so love to see the barns and the stud (if he is still there :)) and just oh it would be amazing (to me) to say I had actually been there! I’m so sorry to hear about the land division! (really sorry cuz well it’s my *dream farm LOL).

Sabovee - It’s funny I believe I talked to you LONG ago ( about TB’s for sport), never knew you were right there near Glade, I used to buy from Saylor Supply OFTEN ( I believe you might own that going by the website ) so funny I never saw the farm! I just went to the store lol.

Sing Mia Song- Do you do the racing thing as well? We are in the Rocky Ridge area as well, neat to know I have neighbors that I didn’t know where neighbors!

I have wanted to get into racing all my life, even fancied me a jockey but I got too tall! I’ve been around horses forever now it seems, and even had hands on in a breed for race stable but never got to the other side (the racing side) of the operation…rehabbed OTTB’s all my life lol again… never got to the other side!

So I am here to research and learn and to hopefully some day be able to call myself a race horse owner and then hopes of doing OK at the track :slight_smile:

Thanks sincerely for a wealth of info!

#13

LOL - You’ve been to Saylor’s Livestock Supply (yes that’s us), the board fence along our driveway is Glade Valley :wink:

#14

LOL Glade Valley Is so big! But it makes sense. I don’t always pay the best attention sometimes :slight_smile: That’s cool though, LOL the second best place to be in my day dreams LOL!

#15

Larry and his wife are very nice people… last I heard they were still living at the farm, but that may have changed. Wouldnt hurt to give Larry a call, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to give you a tour!

#16

Hey Guys,

I didn’t know if anyone on here would have any contact info for Larry or for Sondra other than the Farm address/Phone number. I wanted to reach out to both of them, but so far I just see the farm address.

I did do some googling, but didn’t come up with anything contact wise, and Sondra and her husband don’t reside on the farm correct?

Any help is very much appreciative!

Thanks again everyone!

#17

I just read about La Reine’s Terms and then found this thread. Wow, what a nice horse he must be winning the Maryland Million Turf race at ten! I hope they still stand him and I wish there were more photos of him on the internet.

#18

Every time I’ve driven passed Glade Valley I’ve thought the same thing - what a nice place and I wish it was mine! :slight_smile:

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