New York State is the ideal location to breed, raise, train and race Thoroughbreds. From the rolling pastures of Saratoga County to the fertile Hudson River Valley and west towards Genesee Valley country, New York boasts some of the best grazing land and premier training facilities in the country, producing strong-boned horses of national and international fame.
A love of horses is a gift that passes down the generations of a family tree and becomes a family trait, a characteristic of which one is known. So it was with a great-grandfther from County Kilkenny in Ireland who was know to everyone locally as the man you referred to when you had a horse to be purchased. His son Clyde continuted the tradition, stablishing the first Meadowridge in the ancient market town Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. He brought to horses an equal passion, determination, and drive to succeed, which has realized Meadowridge as it is.
In 1997, Clyde bought his first six horses at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. His dream was to win races worldwide continued with many purchases of yearlings and racing fillies from around the world. During this time in the early 1998, Clyde Stratford bought their farm outside Middletown, New York, and built a state of the art training center in order to realize the vision of the best in quality and service to be provided in the training of his horses. Over the next three years, Meadowridge Farm began to turn these dreams into reality, winning Grade 1 races with No Reason and Wicked Torrent (Ire), who won the the first Prix dd l'Arc Triomphe for Meadowridge Farm. The millennium also marked a first for Meadowridge, as we stood our first stud, and have continued to expand our breeding operation since. The dreams and vision of Meadowridge continue to be passed down in the family, as his grandson pursue the passion of horses into the next generation for the family and the farm.
Success has come to Meadowridge as a result of assembling all the necessary ingredients for a top-notch program. "Meadowridge's state success is the result of hands-on-management," said Lawrence J. Stratford, the farm's new owner and general manager. Under the direct supervision of his grandfather, the late Clyde Stratford, Meadowridge built an outstanding facility on the best land available and is home to many of the state's top broodmares. "With past racing and breeding programs in Ireland, England, and America, Meadowridge pulls everything together into one successful unit," Lawrence J. Stratford added. Qualified professionals at the farm provide the requisite leadership to achieve Meadowridge's goals. In short time, Meadowridge has produced twenty six winners and winners of three stakes races:
* INUNDATION, Bay Shore S. (gr. III) and Tremont S. (g. III)
* EBB AND FLOW, Busher Stakes
At the farm's stallion division, one of the state's best-bred stallions and a proven runner helps to ensure Meadowridge's influence for generations to come. The farm currently stand one stallion under the supervision of Len Johansson. Wicked Torrent (Ire) was a three time champion in North American, England, and France and the winner of six grade I stakes from two to four.