Bashford Manor
West Buechel, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Bashford Manor. Designed for J. B. Wilder by Henry Whitestone, the residence was built in 1874. Wilder named Bashford Manor after an ancestral home in Maryland. In 1887 George J. Long purchased the farm and turned it into a nationally known racing stable. It was among Kentucky's top thoroughbred horse farms until the horses were sold in 1922. Presented by The Kentucky Derby Museum. (Reverse) Bashford Manor - Three Kentucky Derby winners, Azra (1892), Manuel (1899), and Sir Huon (1906), were born here. The peacock blue and yellow silks were carried by two Derby winners, Azra and Sir Huon. Two Kentucky Oaks, a Preakness, and a Travers winner born on this farm. The barns razed in 1970; the mansion in 1973. Only original carriage house remains. Presented by The Kentucky Derby Museum.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Built in 1874 to a design by architect Henry Whitestone for J. B. Wilder, this estate took its name from a Maryland ancestral home. In 1887 George J. Long transformed the farm into a nationally renowned thoroughbred stable whose peacock-blue and yellow silks became famous on Kentucky's racetracks. Three Kentucky Derby winners — Azra, Manuel, and Sir Huon — were foaled here before the horses were sold in 1922 and the buildings fell to demolition decades later.
Why it matters
Bashford Manor helped establish Kentucky's identity as the heart of American thoroughbred racing, an industry that remains central to the state's culture and economy.
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Related people
- · J. B. Wilder
- · Henry Whitestone
- · George J. Long
Related events
- · Kentucky Derby
Themes & tags
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