OCALA, FL (352today.com) – It’s a business that’s been an important economic driver in Marion County for eight decades. The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association welcomed 15 new members into its Hall of Fame. Inductees included those who’ve helped shape the thoroughbred industry, whose influence resonates globally, and will impact the pedigrees of racehorses for generations to come.
The induction ceremony was held Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at the FTBOA Hall of Fame at the FTBOA building on SW 60th Ave. in Ocala.
The names read like a who’s who in thoroughbred racing: Arthur I. Appleton, Fred Brei, Gilbert Campbell, Donald Dizney, Jack Dreyfus, John Franks, Joseph LaCroix, Leonard Lavin, J. Michael O’Farrell, Harold Plumley, Tim Sams, Michael Sherman, Peter Vesgo, Charlotte Weber and Louis Wolfson have all helped Marion County earn the designation of the Horse Capital of the World.
The first Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in 1968, and a second class was inducted in 2004. The Oct. 24 induction was only the third ever, making it all the more meaningful.
Arthur Appleton’s name is synonymous with the area Many people are familiar with the Appleton Museum of Art, but Linda Potter’s parents, Arthur and Martha Appleton were also the founders of Bridlewood Farm, an important name in the area’s thoroughbred industry breeding 15 Florida-bred champions.
“It’s so heartwarming and something [her father Arthur] would’ve loved to have been here for,” said Potter, who served as an FTBOA board member for three years and was very involved in the sport. “I knew the passion that he had, and the passion didn’t stop. I’m so lucky that a man like John Malone came along and bought Bridlewood and kept George Isaacs on because it’s only gotten better. We’re really proud to be part of it, and to be part of the Appleton Museum, and we love Ocala with all our hearts. It’s a big part of our family tradition.”
Ocala Stud symbolizes breeding excellence, and the Marion County legacy farm continues its role nationwide as a stalwart in the thoroughbred industry. Ocala Stud was Florida Breeder of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
“It’s been a long haul, my family has been at this a very long time,” said David O’Farrell of Ocala Stud. “They came here when there really wasn’t much going on in Ocala. Things got off to a rapid start, when my grandfather moved here in 1956. It was the year that Needles won the [Kentucky] Derby. The first year a Florida-bred won the Derby. And then five years later, a horse that we raised at Ocala Stud, Carry Back, won the Derby in 1961. Things grew pretty quickly from there. People took notice that you could raise a good horse here in Florida.”
O’Farrell’s grandfather was a huge advocate of Florida-breds and promoted the fact that the Ocala area was the perfect place to foal and raise a young horse, and his father (J. Michael O’Farrell) was a very hard worker. Ocala Stud has been through ups and downs and historically it’s been a roller coaster, said O’Farrell.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey for my family,” said O’Farrell. “To be able to be here today, and to be honored with this group of people that have been extremely successful in the business and beyond is really gratifying.”
Live Oak Stud and Live Oak Plantation’s Charlotte Weber’s commitment to excellence continues to be a powerful testimony to the horses that have been bred and received their early foundation in Marion County.
“I feel like I’m sort of a lone duck out there, everybody is into partnerships,” said Charlotte Weber. “It’s very gratifying and it’s lots of fun. I like to compete and compete at the top of the game.”
Weber has been the Florida breeder of the year five times and the leading owner seven times but recognizes the changes in the industry and the evolving landscape, where development seems to be encroaching on the area’s proud rural heritage.
“We have to keep Florida alive; that’s my main sort of thrust right now,” said Weber. “We’re getting gobbled up by people. We’re going to fight the fight until the end.”
Steven Wolfson Sr., whose father Louis Wolfson owned Harbor View Farm and the 1978 Triple Crown winner, the Florida-bred Affirmed, attended the ceremony with his wife Barbara and son Steven Wolfson Jr.
“I’m overwhelmed by it because I didn’t know what to expect,” said Wolfson Sr. “It brings back so many memories. My dad was told to find something that would help him relax because he was in such a high-pressure business, and he started with six horses in 1958, and he always wanted to do things in a first-class way. He had several trainers and he wanted to get a trainer by the name of Burley Parke, who had retired to his farm in Santa Rosa the Futurity King. He offered him a contract that was unheard of, a guarantee against purses, and Mr. Parke came out of retirement, and it was because of Mr. Parke, Harbor View got on the map.”
Wolfson Sr. is known as the godfather of handicapping contests; both he and his son are members of the National Horseplayers Championship Hall of Fame and owned Happy Valley Farm on U.S. 27 next to what was Golden Hills Academy, where his brother, his brother’s wife and children lived on the farm. It was a true family affair.
“My brothers and I owned 80 acres next to Harbor View,” said Wolfson Sr. “When Harbor View got rid of its buckets and blankets, HVF, we named our farm Happy Valley Farm. That’s where we had our beginning next door. I’d come to the farm a couple of times a week. It’s great for relationships. I think back at all the memories, going to the winner’s circle with friends and family.”
