Richard Hessee brings Brahms and The Daddy to Arkansas’ Trophy Club
by Lenny Shulman
While stallion owners in Thoroughbred breeding hotbeds such as Kentucky and New York compete tooth-and-nail to attract mare owners to their stud horses, sometimes it’s nice to be a big fish in a small pond a couple of turns off the beaten path.
So says Richard Hessee, who is happily ensconced with his wife, Frances, at their Trophy Club Training Center near Royal, Ark., a couple of furlongs from the racing action of Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. They purchased the 160-acre facility in 2009 from longtime trainer Bob Holthus, who for years broke and raised horses on the land that was then known as Kilkerry Farm. After a distinguished career conditioning graded stakes winners such as Lawyer Ron, Pure Clan, Greater Good, Ruby Surprise, and Announce, Holthus died in 2011, leaving a legacy from the land that the Hessees hope to continue.
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