Frank Stronach purchased his first horse, a riding horse, in 1962. Two years later Miss Scooter was the first horse to run in Frank’s powder blue and black diamond silks. In 1965 Frank’s stable earned $8,280. In 2008 horses running under the red, black and gold silks of Adena Spring earned over $6 million, and horses bred by Adena Springs had earned over $19 million.
Frank has been involved in breeding and racing horses for more than 40 years. He believes in a natural, holistic approach to raising horses, and stresses patience at every stage of their development. He never compromises the well-being of young horses by asking too much too soon, and that approach has been the cornerstone of his success in this industry.
He won the Eclipse Award as champion breeder in the U.S. for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, to go along with his breeder’s Eclipse in 2000, becoming the first in history to be champion Breeder six times in nine years. He also won Eclipse Awards as leading Owner in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2008.
In addition, Frank has taken home ten Sovereign Awards in the past ten years including 2008 honors as Canada’s top owner and breeder. Adena Springs is the only program to win the Eclipse Award and Sovereign Award as leading breeder in the same year (accomplished in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008). Frank is recognized as North America’s top breeder for the past five years by stakes winners and earnings, and he is the first to breed a Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1 winner who sired a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner – Awesome Again (1998), sire of Ghostzapper (2004).
Frank developed his first farm in Versailles, Kentucky in 1989 and his first Florida farm in 1996. In 2007, Adena Springs Kentucky moved to its new 2,000 acre location in Paris, KY. The new Adena Springs location in Bourbon County is a state-of-the-art facility with every barn, building, paddock and pathway designed for the maximum comfort and safety of the horses and their handlers.
Another source of personal satisfaction for Frank is the stallion roster at Adena Springs. He stood his first stallion in 1996, and by 2002 Adena Springs was home to America’s Champion Sire, El Prado. Just two years later, Adena Springs was the only farm to stand three of America’s top ten sires. Today, the stallion roster at Adena Springs includes some of the most established sires in the world as well as some of the most sought-after young stallions on the market. Adena Springs is the only program that is currently standing winners of both the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby at the same farm.
The first-class facilities for the horses at Adena Springs are well documented. However, Frank takes great pride in the facilities provided for his dedicated staff. The standard of living enjoyed by those housed in the employee villages at Adena Springs is unsurpassed in the thoroughbred industry.
Frank is a great believer in innovation. One of his most successful creations is the Sunshine Millions Series, a $3.6 million race day which pits the best Florida-breds against the best California-breds in a series of races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream. Held annually in January, this unique series has been embraced by horsemen and fans alike.
The Stronach family’s commitment to first-class racing comes from a more elemental source – that is, a simple commitment to the horse. This commitment extends to quality bloodlines, quality racetrack performance and quality conditions for breeding, raising and training the horse. It is the drive to excel in every aspect of horsemanship that Frank refers to as a “labor of love, my passion.”