'Succession' Presented by Neuman Equine Insurance: Hinkle Farms

When is it the right time to enact a succession plan? Already in this series, we've discussed the obstacles that can come with handing the reins over to the next generation and how families must adjust to a shift in dynamic as roles evolve. But how does a parent know when their son or daughter is sufficiently prepared for the task of running the family business?

For Tom Hinkle, it was when he realized that his daughter's abilities surpassed his own.

“I recognized that her attention to detail was better than mine,” Hinkle explained. “I'm pretty self-disciplined, but she's very disciplined.”

Tom's daughter Anne Archer Hinkle is quick to interject into the conversation, saying she's not sure that's exactly fair, but her new credentials speak for themselves. Last fall, Anne Archer took over the role of general manager at Hinkle Farms from her father, continuing the tradition of a farm that has been family-run from the beginning.

Tom's grandfather purchased the core acreage of their Paris, Kentucky-based operation back in the 1920s to farm cattle and Bluegrass seed. Tom and his siblings grew up on the farm, which was then call Hidaway Farms, and when their father bought a couple of mares in the mid-60s, Tom and his brother Henry were the two that developed an interest in the Thoroughbred business.

After Henry graduated college he began managing Hidaway, but eventually moved over to the other family business, Hinkle Contracting Corporation. When Tom graduated from Centre College in 1979, he took over managing the farm and focused on building their reputation as a boarding business while also maintaining the family's own small broodmare band and cattle division. In the 1980s, the operation fell on hard times and Tom made the decision to maintain his leadership role with the farm while also providing for his young family by joining his brother at Hinkle Contracting. Since then, Tom and Henry have worked together to run their family's Thoroughbred division.

The business changed its name from Hidaway Farm to Hinkle Farms (the latter being much easier for people to say and spell) and about 15 years ago, they shifted focus from boarding client horses to building their own boutique broodmare band. The property has expanded to over 1,000 acres.

Anne Archer visits with Seeking Gabrielle's Constitution filly | Katie Petrunyak

In spite of those changes, the family's commitment to their land and the animals raised on it has remained unchanged. Now there is a new generation of Hinkles. Of the 10 cousins that follow Tom and Henry's generation, Tom's daughter Anne Archer was the one who always had a passion for animals.

Anne Archer did not grow up with the expectation that she would take over the farm one day. As a child she hoped to become a veterinarian, perhaps someday tending to the farm's variety of equine and bovine constituents. After double majoring in Spanish and History, Anne Archer was working at a small animal clinic when she decided that a career in veterinary medicine was not for her. She realized that most animals did not receive the meticulous care that the Thoroughbreds at her family farm enjoyed.

“If I could have just stayed in the back all day and worked with the animals, I would have really enjoyed it,” Anne Archer explained. “The staff at the vet clinic was amazing and for the most part there were well-meaning owners, but these animals would sometimes come in that were not well cared for and their health suffered. It became difficult for me emotionally to see that happening and I realized I wasn't cut out for it.”

In 2014, Anne Archer returned to her family's farm. She started out in the office studying racing forms and poring over pedigrees. She researched fillies in the claiming ranks that might make good pinhooking or broodmare prospects. One of her early finds, Denali Dreamscape (Corinthian), has produced two stakes horses bred by Hinkle Farms. The latest was last year's GIII Smarty Jones Stakes third-place finisher Daydreaming Boy (Goldencents).

Over the next decade, Anne Archer became increasingly involved in the day-to-day aspects of the farm. She began working alongside her father and uncle during the sales and when it came time to plan stallion matings, she improved the efficiency of their selection process.

“I think she really helped us improve what we did analytically in making decisions about matings,” explained Tom. “Some of the things that we did were more by feel and intuition and less by analysis. She has helped develop some metrics and does quite a bit of research.”

When Anne Archer took over the role of general manager last year, it was a seamless transition. Tom and Henry are still very much involved in major business decisions, but Anne Archer is the one working closely with farm management and overseeing the day-to-day tasks of the operation.

“I did not make a real effort or go out of my way to try to get any of my kids interested,” said Tom. “I'm certainly glad that they are interested, and Anne Archer is in particular, but it's such a hard way to make a living. It can be very challenging emotionally. With most assets, at the end of the day you can lock the doors, turn off the lights and call it a day. Chances are most everything's going to be fine the next morning. With these animals, that's part of it. They're subject to doing anything at any time and despite all the best efforts you make to make sure they're safe, there are things that happen that you can't control.”

Tom and Anne Archer both recall a story that illustrates the unpredictability of their chosen profession. In the summer of 2018, a group of yearlings got through the fence in the middle night and were gallivanting down the center of Cane Ridge Road by moonlight before they were all rounded up. One of those youngsters was a daughter of War Front out of the farm's prized broodmare Seeking Gabrielle (Forestry), the dam of champion Nyquist. Thankfully, the filly returned to her stall unscathed. A few weeks later, she was the highest-priced filly to sell at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale, going to Godolphin for $1.75 million.

Seeking Gabrielle, who the Hinkle family purchased for $100,000 out of the 2013 Keeneland November Sale immediately after they watched a weanling-aged Nyquist go through the ring just before her, is still the matriarch of Hinkle Farms today. This year she produced a Constitution filly and was bred back to Gun Runner.

With around 35 mares bred at Hinkle Farms each year, there can hardly ever be enough hands helping keep the business up and running. As Anne Archer has stepped into her new role, one of her first orders of business has been related to the people on the farm rather than the horses.

“I think the most challenging part about running an operation is managing your team of people,” she explained. “With most farms unless you are really, really large, you have to figure out a way to effectively utilize your staff and move them around the farm throughout the year. I think that through those transitions, like when your focus shifts to the yearlings in the summer, it can be easy to lose track of what's happening with the mares and the foals unless you stay really diligent and mindful about basic things that have to happen every day. You have to be disciplined about how you structure your crew and where you put them. You don't necessarily want to put all your best horsemen where the biggest fire is burning because you still have half the farm that needs to be cared for too. Even when you're in the midst of yearling prep, the work doesn't go down on the mare and foal side.”

“We have an awesome team on the farm and a great broodmare manager and yearling manager,” she continued. “Because they're so good at what they do, it makes what I do a lot easier.”

Through her background in veterinary care, biosecurity is another area where Anne Archer has raised the bar.

“Overall, how the farm treated biosecurity 20 or 30 years ago is a lot different,” Tom reflected. “I think Anne Archer would probably say we can do better than what we're doing, but we're doing a heck of a lot better than we ever used to.”

A Nyquist filly out of Whoa Nessie (Square Eddie), a full-sister to the dam of Grade I victor Slow Down Andy (Nyquist), enjoys a sunny afternoon at Hinkle Farms | Katie Petrunyak

 

Ever since the devastating effects of rotavirus B began in 2021, Anne Archer has led the charge in the Hinkle Farm team's relentless pursuit of improving their level of biosecurity.

“When rotavirus B came out, we reworked how we foal,” she explained. “We built a lot of new paddocks and got these big outdoor lights so we can foal everyone outside. We do still occasionally get sick foals where you do all these diagnostics to figure out what exactly it is and all the tests will show up negative for everything. Every time that we have a sick horse, my mind immediately goes to finding the gap in biosecurity.”

One area of focus for Henry and Tom throughout their years of managing the farm was developing mares and their families. They purchased the broodmare Affordable Price (Drouilly {FR}) before the turn of the century and she was responsible for several stakes winners that went on to be producers for Hinkle Farms. One of her daughters Buy the Barrel (E Dubai) raced for Hinkle Farms and won the 2008 GII Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes before having her own successful breeding career. She was responsible for Indian Bay (Indian Charlie), who is the dam of Hinkle Farms-bred Tarabi (First Samurai)–the third-place finisher in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“Now Affordable Price is the third dam in some of the yearlings that we sell,” said Tom. “It's been our theory that if we're going to stay in the game as a breeder, rather than sell mares when they get to the top, we keep them. There's certainly risk in doing that, but if Anne Archer and her brother and sister and cousins want to still be in the game when my brothers and I are gone, they've got to have a foundation to build from.”

With two children ages four and two and another on the way come October, Anne Archer is in the process of renovating the original home on Hinkle Farms for her family to move into. Soon another generation of Hinkles will be raised on the sprawling acreage of the family's Bourbon County farm.

For now, Anne Archer is the only member of her Hinkle generation with a passion for Thoroughbreds, but she hopes that someday, between her siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews and even her own children, that might change.

“A lot of them are involved in other aspects of the family business, but everyone is really supportive,” she said. “What makes this so enjoyable for me I think is that I am able to share it with my dad and my uncle. Neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon, but one day I'd like to be out at the sale looking at mares or poring over mating decisions with my family.”

“Who knows what the future holds for the next generation down the road?” added Tom. “The main part of the farm has been in our family for over 100 years now and hopefully it will still be with us in another 100 years. I'm proud that we have been able to be in the breeding game and stay in it for a long time. I think statistics can figure out that we've been a breeder of better-than-average racehorses. I'm proud that we have a reputation for integrity where people like buying from us and now I'm proud that we have transitioned into another generation.”

With Anne Archer at the helm, the commitment to the horses raised at Hinkle Farms that started back with Tom and Henry is as strong as ever.

“Our guiding light when we're trying to make a decision is what is the right thing to do for the horse,” said Anne Archer. “We will always do the right thing by the horse. I never doubt that.”