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The Windfields Story

The saga of Windfields began on May 1, 1936 when farm founder E. P. Taylor purchased a gelding named Animessic for $800. Animessic won in Taylor's silks later the same day, several other runners were claimed and raced successfully, and a breeding program soon followed. Whatever E. P. Taylor's hopes may have been as Animessic entered the starting gate, it is doubtful he could have forseen the overwhelming influence of his Windfields Farm on Thoroughbred racing and breeding worldwide.

Taylor became the first Canadian member of The Jockey Club of New York in 1953, and received Eclipse Awards as Outstanding Breeder in 1977 and 1983. Of all his achievements in the Thoroughbred industry, he will perhaps be best remembered as the breeder of Northern Dancer, Canada's first Kentucky Derby winner and later the most influential sire of our time.

A world-record 48 champions and 360 stakes winners have been bred in the name of E. P. Taylor and/or Windfields Farm, including winners of more than 10,000 races and over $84 million. Windfields is the only farm to breed and sell at auction three Epsom Derby winners - Nijinsky II, The Minstrel and Secreto, all sons of Northern Dancer and all successful sires in their own right.

Windfields has been North America's leading breeder in purses won 9 times, leading breeder of stakes winners 13 times, and leading breeder by number of races won 19 times. Windfields has also been Canada's leading racing stable 15 times, and Windfields-breds have taken 21 runnings of Canada's premier event, the Queen's Plate.

Upon E. P. Taylor's retirement in 1980, his son Charles took over day-to-day management of Windfields, and the farm's focus shifted toward breeding and selling in the commercial marketplace. A prominent journalist and author, Charles Taylor quickly became a major influence in the Thoroughbred industry as the farm produced a steady stream of record-breaking yearling consignments and internationally acclaimed runners. After Charles' death in 1997, his sister Judith Taylor Mappin, and his widow, Noreen Taylor, took the helm of the family's beloved farm.

For the Taylor family, raising and selling the future stars of the racetrack and the sales ring is a passion - and one that has continued unabated for nearly seventy years. Windfields Farm operates today under the same principles that have guided its path for decades: close family supervision, love of the Thoroughbred horse, and an unrelenting commitment to the highest standard of excellence.