The farm was established in 1793 when Virginian John Breckinridge, a future U.S. Senator and Attorney General, purchased 2,467 acres of land and on a portion of it established a Thoroughbredhorse breeding operation. On his death, the property transferred to his daughter Mary Ann, the then Mrs. David Castleman who eventually built a mansion on the horse farm site and gave it the family name. Under Mr. & Mrs. Castleman, Castleton Farm continued as a Thoroughbred operation, but would add the breeding of American Saddlebreds as well as Standardbreds for harness racing. Development by James R. Keene The original property changed hands several times, occasionally small parts being divied up and sold to multiple different parties. In the early 1890s Wall Street tycoon James R. Keene acquired the farm and purchased additional land to bring the operation to almost 1,000 acres. Keene usually referred to the farm as "Castleton Stud" and under his direction it became one of the greatest Thoroughbred operations of its day. The farm bred and/or raced future U.S. racing Hall of Fame horses Kingston, Domino, Ben Brush, Colin, Sysonby, Maskette, and Peter Pan. As part of a program honoring important horse racing tracks and racing stables, the Pennsylvania Railroad named its baggage car #5865 the "Castleton Farm". Upon the death of James R. Keene in 1913, the farm was taken over by his son Foxhall P. Keene. He continued the operation on a slightly reduced basis but sold it in the 1920s to fellow New Yorker, David Look. Look would have considerable success in harness racing but was forced to sell the farm after experiencing personal financial setbacks during the Great Depression. Mid-Late 20th century In the early 1940s, heiress Frances Dodge founded the Dodge Stable. She was the daughter of Michiganautomobile pioneer John F. Dodge and a half-sister of Isabel Dodge, owner of the highly successful Brookmeade Stable. In 1945, Frances Dodge, with her husband James B. "Jimmy" Johnson, purchased Castleton Farm and relocated her Dodge stables there. Their Standardbred breeding operation included two Hambletonian and a Little Brown Jug winner. After she married Pennsylvia native Frederick Van Lennep in 1949, the farm underwent major renovations in order to breed and raise Standardbreds. The Van Lenneps made Castleton Farm one of the preeminent operations in both disciplines. Under Mrs. Johnson, Dodge Stables' show horseWing Commander became a six-time World Grand Champion and with her husband, she enjoyed enormous success in harness racing that included a number of Hambletonian and Little Brown Jug victories from horses such as United States Harness Horse of the Year and Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame inductee Victory Song, Hambletonian Stakes winners, Hoot Mon, Emily's Pride and Speedy Scot. Among the other noteworthy harness horses bred by Castleton Stud were Ensign Hanover, winner of the 1946 inaugural Little Brown Jug, and 1972 Jug winner Strike Out who won in world record time. Strike Out would go on to sire 1979 winner Hot Hitter who would be bred by Castleton in conjunction with Anthony Tavolacci. 2000s In 2001, Irish businessman and racing enthusiast Tony Ryan acquired Castleton Farm from the Van Lennep Family Trust. Ryan renamed it Castleton Lyons and undertook renovations to the property while returning to its original roots as a Thoroughbred operation.
Gravesite
The Castleton Farm Cemetery lies at an "intersection of two of the tree-lined farm roads, and is an open green space flanked on one end by a twelve foot high horseshoe-shaped hedge." It is not only the final resting spot of a number of Standardbred and Saddlebred mares and stallions, including Wing Commander but also, in unmarked graves, the gravesite for the Thoroughbred stallions Commando and Kingston.
