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J e f f r e y D . T h o r n b u r y R a c i n g
B r e a k i n g ∙ T r a i n i n g ∙ T u r n o u t
S m a l l B a t c h T r a i n i n g
"Small batch" is a term traditionally used in the bourbon industry to denote whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a small number of selected barrels. We have adapted a similar approach to training horses. Our focus is on distilling our craft in an evolving industry.
Over 35 years of experience
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It's a work of art, the horse and the labor involved in conditioning them. The beauty of the sport is in watching them run. Success is best measured against honesty, trust, and devotion to the horse's health and wellbeing.
A H o r s e m a n , t h e n a T r a i n e r
Born on the first horse farm in Ocala Florida and raised on Sunnyside Farm in Paris Kentucky, Thornbury got his start in the Thoroughbred Industry at a young age. His father, John Thornbury, partnered with Dr. Robert Copelan and operated a breeding, breaking, training, surgery, and recuperation enterprise for over 50 years. Prior to training, Thornbury served as chief surgical assistant under Dr. Robert Copelan. Thornbury was breaking young horses and giving them early training at Sunnyside long before he took out his trainers license in 1981.
"This industry was my father's life work, and it is my life work" (Thornbury, 2017). The principles driving Jeffrey D. Thornbury Racing are simple and stem from his adolescence and early adulthood on the farm breaking babies and in the clinic assisting surgeries. As such, Thornbury is a horseman first and trainer second. His unique background affords him a perspective of the horse, and of the industry, that is rare in the sport today. The same can be said of his training philosophy, which may be summed up in three words: Revere the horse.
. . . R e v e r e t h e h o r s e .
There's an innate bond between man and horse, each capable of learning from the other. Cultivating the tools to succeed in a sport where each is dependent on the other requires compassion, understanding and most willingly, patience.
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