The Gambler

Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm has gone from a hobby to the top Thoroughbred horse breeding operation in America

- MITCH FRANK

The color, the pageantry and the Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby seem very far away at 6:56 a.m. on a cold January morning in Ocala, Florida. But the Run for the Roses starts in places like this. 

The sun is just beginning to peek through the oaks surrounding the Stonestreet Farm Training & Rehabilitation Center. Mist still blankets the gently rolling hills near the main barn. A line of 10 young horses slowly works its way from their stalls while their riders quietly chat. Once they reach the sevenfurlong track, they pick up the pace, splitting into pairs. First they walk, then jog, then they canter and finally gallop, eventually reaching speeds close to 35 miles per hour.

These are two-year-olds, just beginning their racing careers. Young horses at this age are developing their bones, muscles and tendons, building the strength that will allow them to race at high speeds for well over a mile. They’re also practicing standing in starting gates and working on safely navigating around each other on the track. They circle the oval in pairs this morning as their powerful legs work in concert, propelling them through the air and across the dirt. Their nostrils flare as their lungs devour oxygen and their hearts pump furiously.

Standing on the porch of a small building next to the rail is a woman who’s watching every move. Barbara Banke is best known as one of the most successful people in the wine industry, chairman and proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, a company that sells more than 6 million cases a year of brands such as KendallJackson, La Crema and many more. But in the past 12 years, she has also become one of the most influential people in Thoroughbred horse racing.