Arthur Hancock III, who soared to the heights of racing and breeding and is enshrined in the Racing Hall of Fame as a Pillar of the Turf, died Sept. 18 at his home near Paris, Ky., according to a family member. He was 83.
After already claiming a Kentucky Derby (G1) win with homebred Gato Del Sol, Hancock reached even new heights with Sunday Silence. He raised and co-owned the 1989 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner, who just missed a Triple Crown sweep when second to Easy Goer in the Belmont Stakes (G1). Sunday Silence then turned the tables on Easy Goer to win the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and secure Horse of the Year honors.
Hancock then sold him to Japan's Zenya Yoshida, who already had a 25% interest in the horse. Sunday Silence would then stand in Japan where he became that country's foundational sire, finishing as leading sire there 13 times.
But Hancock also found time for success beyond racing. While in college, he excelled in sports. He authored books. Next month he will posthumously be enshrined into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. He wrote songs that were recorded by such country music stars as Ray Price and Willie Nelson. And, of course, he also leaves behind a legacy as a husband and father.
"He was a renaissance man," son Arthur said Friday. "He had a lot of interests, but I will say first and foremost, he was a farmer. He loved that land and worked on it until he was 80 years old. That love was profound."
Hancock is survived by wife Staci and six children.
As his Racing Hall of Fame bio notes, Hancock certainly had the pedigree to become an influential figure in the game simply by following in the family footsteps, but circumstances dictated he journey down a different path. Hancock's grandfather, Arthur B. Hancock, founded Kentucky's legendary Claiborne Farm, while his father, Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock Jr., expanded the business to where it became arguably the most important breeding farm in the United States during the 20th century, and whose sales and influence also impacted European racing.
After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Hancock moved to the New York City area and worked for a year as an apprentice under future Hall of Fame trainer Edward A. Neloy. He then returned to Claiborne as the assistant broodmare and yearling manager under the tutelage of his father. However, after Bull Hancock's death, Claiborne's leadership wasn't passed to Arthur. Instead, those duties went to his brother, Seth.
While Seth took over Claiborne, Arthur went out on his own, leasing 100 acres and launching Stone Farm into a respected and successful breeding and racing operation, which earned the family its first victory in the Kentucky Derby. The farm now covers 2,300 acres in Bourbon County, Ky. His daughter, Lynn Hancock, vice president of Stone Farm, in recent years has taken over day-to-day leadership with consultation from her father.
Among his famous racing family, it would be Arthur Hancock III who would first reach the Kentucky Derby winner's circle after Gato Del Sol rallied from last under Eddie Delahoussaye to win the roses in 1982. In partnership with one of his longtime clients, Manhattan real estate broker Leone J. Peters, Hancock bred and raced Gato Del Sol.
"I had an out-of-body experience for the only time in my life," Hancock told Keeneland Magazine last winter. "It was the damndest thing, to be in the winner's circle of the Kentucky Derby. That was Daddy's life's dream, and it didn't happen for him. But I thanked him on the TV interview for showing me how to get there. Which he did, having taught me lots of things he learned from his father.
"I felt redeemed. I remember sitting in a restaurant in Lexington before Gato won, and some guy at the next table was talking about Claiborne and saying how well Seth was running it. And then he says, 'That other brother is a lost ball in high weeds.' I didn't say anything, but I wanted to. After Gato, people began treating me differently."
Hancock and Peters also teamed up to breed Risen Star, who won the 1988 Preakness and Belmont en route to the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male. A year after Risen Star's championship season, through H-G-W Partners, Hancock owned and raced Hall of Fame member and 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence.
Hancock co-bred a third classic winner, Fusaichi Pegasus (2000 Kentucky Derby winner), and raised and sold a second Horse of the Year, Bricks and Mortar (2019). He also raced in partnership 1988 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Goodbye Halo and 1999 Blue Grass Stakes and Haskell Invitational Handicap (both G1) winner Menifee, among others.
In Europe, Stone Farm-raised standouts have included classic colt Hawaiian Sound, champion filly Rainbow View, and champion juvenile colt Air Force Blue. Hancock's Hall of Fame bio notes that Stone Farm has produced nearly 180 stakes winners, including the winners of more than 75 graded stakes. In addition, Stone Farm was home to two-time leading sire Halo, who was the sire of Sunday Silence, a prolific international stallion in addition to his racing prowess.
The sport has recognized Hancock's success and his role as an industry leader. He worked tirelessly to ensure the integrity of the sport. In 2020, he was selected as the Honor Guest by the Thoroughbred Club of America, becoming the fourth member of his family chosen by the TCA. Bull Hancock was the 1960 Honor Guest and his father, Arthur B. Hancock Sr., the 1944 Honor Guest. Seth was honored by the TCA in 2000.
"It is especially moving for me to follow my grandfather, my father, and my brother Seth as the recipient of this cherished award," Hancock said at the TCA dinner. "But when you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he didn't get there by himself, and I would like to thank the wonderful clients of Stone Farm for their support, and the loyal Stone Farm employees for their hard work and expertise which keep the farm going.
"But the greatest help and inspiration to me over the years has been my wife, Staci. Not only has she been the backbone of the family in raising our six wonderful children, she has worked very hard to help our industry as the organizer of WHOA (the Water Hay Oats Alliance). Also, she has been unwavering in her efforts to stop the slaughter of our horses, who give us our very livelihood."
Last year Hancock was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.
"To be honored as a Pillar of the Turf and follow in the footsteps of my father (Arthur "Bull" Hancock Jr.) and grandfather (Arthur Hancock Sr.) is indeed a profound and humbling experience," Hancock said. "I would like to pay tribute to my father, Bull Hancock, for imparting my deep respect and admiration for the horse and the love of the game.
"He always said work hard, be honest, and remember that you have one reputation and once it's gone, it's gone. I think Thoroughbred racing would be wise to remember those words."
In his capacity as a leader in racing, Hancock had served on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, as a director of Keeneland Association and Fasig-Tipton Company, and as a member of The Jockey Club.
Hancock was also co-captain of the swim team and won the Southeastern Conference in the 100-yard freestyle while at Vanderbilt University. While Hancock credited his father for many of his successes in racing and breeding, his accomplishments beyond racing would prove wrong one thing his father told him.
"Daddy believed you couldn't serve two masters," Hancock told Keeneland Magazine last winter. From an early age, he received a first-class education in horsemanship from his father and grandfather, but he also displayed talent as a singer and songwriter, and pursued those passions as well, especially once he attended university at Vanderbilt in Nashville.
"Arthur is the most multi-talented person I've ever met," his longtime friend John Adger said in that same Keeneland Magazine story. Adger is the bloodstock agent who helped establish Stonerside as a major success story for owners Robert and Janice McNair on land they purchased from Hancock. "He was a Southeast Conference champion swimmer at Vanderbilt. I believe he could have been an Olympic swimmer if he hadn't been traipsing up and down Printers Alley honkytonking."
Lynn Hancock told Keeneland Magazine that she and her family were forever proud of their father.
"All six of us siblings are proud of this farm and how dad went out on his own and started it and built it. We are mindful of keeping that going and hopefully keeping it successful," she said. "Sometimes, I have to put his accomplishments off to the side so as not to put too much pressure on myself. I don't know if we will breed multiple Kentucky Derby winners going forward, but we'll sure try."
