Crawford Farms

What Crawford Farms does

Crawford Farms is a privately held harness racing horse breeding and racing operation headquartered in Durhamville (near Syracuse), New York, founded in 1966 and operated by Michelle and Albert Crawford. The farm breeds, develops, and races standardbred trotters and pacers, with a vertically integrated offering that spans stallion stud services, broodmare management, foaling, yearling preparation, and thoroughbred breeding, plus post-racing transition support through its "After the Races" program. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: one-time yearling sales at top North American auctions (Lexington Selected Sale, Morrisville Yearling Sale, Fasig-Tipton) consigned via Northwood Bloodstock and Preferred Equine Marketing; per-mare stud fees from stallions such as Crazy Wow ($3,000 introductory) and Shancelot ($7,500), managed in partnership with Leatherstocking Equine; and the farm's share of racing purses earned through Crawford Farms Racing co-ownership arrangements with partners including Nancy Takter, Chris Oakes, Brad Grant, Black Horse Racing, and Sweden-based Bender Sweden.

The farm's broodmare band is anchored by the dams of multiple Hambletonian winners — Marion Marauder (2016), Atlanta (2018, first filly to win since 1996), Ramona Hill (2020), and Karl (2024) — giving Crawford Farms four wins in harness racing's premier 3-year-old trotter event within a decade. Related horses have set records including Homicide Hunter's world-record 1:48.4 mile, Crazy Wow's $2.53M career earnings, Atlanta's $3.4M career earnings, and Karl's 2023 Dan Patch Award as best 2-year-old male trotter. The operation recently expanded to 100 new acres with a planned 80-stall breeding facility, underscoring capacity growth to support its consignment volume of 51 yearlings at a single Lexington sale.

Crawford Farms sells to other harness racing breeders, trainers, and racing stable owners primarily through regional U.S. auctions, and pursues brand-building through TV commercials aired during nationally televised races, the Meadowlands mural, and sponsorships of the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace and Tattersalls Pace. Michelle Crawford additionally serves as Vice President of the Harness Horse Breeders of New York and a board member of the Standardbred Transition Alliance, reinforcing the farm's institutional role in the standardbred industry.

Name

Crawford Farms

Legal name

Crawford Farms, LLC

Website

https://crawfordfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crawford Farms is a privately held, family-operated standardbred harness racing horse breeder and racing partnership based in Durhamville, New York, producing stallions, broodmares, yearlings, and foals for sale at major North American auctions while co-owning stakes-winning racehorses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Harness Racing Horse Breeding

NAICS

Horses and Other Equine Production (11292), Horses and Other Equine Production (112920)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Horse Breeding & Stud Farms (AFAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stallion Services & Semen Collection/Distribution (AFAEAGAB), Mare Management & Foaling Operations (AFAEAGAC), Yearling/Weanling Raising & Sales Prep (AFAEAGAD), Breeding & Bloodstock (Stud Farms, Sales/Auctions) (MPAEADAH)

Keywords

• Harness racing breeding
• Standardbred horse breeding
• Yearling sales
• Stallion stud services
• Broodmare management

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Horse Sales: Breeding and selling harness racing horses including yearlings, foals, and broodmares. The farm sells through major auctions like Lexington Selected Sale and Morrisville Yearling Sale, with 51 babies consigned to Lexington Selected Yearling Sale in one season.
2. Stud Services: Standing stallions at stud. Crazy Wow stood for $3,000 introductory fee in New York. The farm manages stallion careers and breeding services.
3. Racing Purses and Winnings: As co-owner of successful racehorses, Crawford Farms earns share of racing purses from major stakes wins including Hambletonian victories ($1.05-1.45 million purses) and other Grand Circuit events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crawford Farms operates a standardbred (harness racing) horse breeding facility in Durhamville, New York. The farm offers stallion stud services, broodmare management, foaling services, and yearling sales preparation, with horses consigned to major auctions including the Lexington Selected Sale and Morrisville Yearling Sale. The operation also co-owns and races horses through Crawford Farms Racing, with a parallel Thoroughbred breeding program.

Product overview

Crawford Farms is a harness racing horse breeding facility operating as a single-location farm offering comprehensive breeding services. The core offerings include stallion stud services, broodmare management, yearling sales preparation, foaling services, and thoroughbred breeding. The farm breeds and races horses, with notable champions including Hambletonian winners Ramona Hill, Atlanta, and Karl. Services are integrated vertically from breeding through yearling sales, with the farm actively participating in racing through Crawford Farms Racing partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stallion Stud Services
• Broodmare Services Broodmare services including breeding, foaling, and management of maternal bloodlines for harness racing stock. The broodmare band features dams of multiple Hambletonian winners including Marion Marauder, Southwind Frank, and Sutton.
• Yearling Sales Yearling preparation and consignment services for harness racing prospects, sold at major auctions including the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and Morrisville Yearling Sale through bloodstock agents such as Northwood Bloodstock and Preferred Equine Marketing. The farm consigned 51 babies to the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale in one season.
• Foaling Services Foaling services and early foal development for harness racing horses on the Durhamville, New York breeding farm, supported by 100+ acres and a planned 80-stall breeding facility.
• Thoroughbred Breeding Thoroughbred breeding and sales services operated alongside the harness racing program, including stallion Shancelot at a $7,500 stud fee in 2021.
• After the Races Transition Program Retired racehorse transition services including second-career breeding placement and rehoming support, aligned with the Standardbred Transition Alliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Atlanta earned over $3.4 million in career earnings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Nancy TaktercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-owner and trainer of Karl, 2024 Hambletonian winner. Nancy Takter is part owner and trainer of the champion colt, continuing her family tradition as her father Jimmy Takter also won consecutive Hambletonians.
• Black Horse RacingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-owner of Karl, 2024 Hambletonian winner, part of ownership group including Nancy Takter, Bender Sweden, and Christina Takter.
• Bender SwedenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024International partner and co-owner of Karl, representing Swedish racing interests.
• Brad GrantmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-owner of Ramona Hill, 2020 Hambletonian winner, alongside Michelle and Al Crawford.
• Chris OakescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Trainer of Homicide Hunter, world's fastest trotter (1:48.4) and 2018 Breeders Crown winner. Oakes trains horses owned by Crawford Farms Racing.
• Crawford Farms RacingcoreOthers · 1 January 2018The racing component of Crawford Farms, co-owned with Chris Oakes for trained horses including Homicide Hunter and other stakes performers.
• Leatherstocking EquinemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Manages Crazy Wow's stallion career at their New York facility, administering marketing and breeding management services.
• Northwood BloodstockmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Bloodstock agent consigning Crawford Farms yearlings to the Lexington Selected Sale.
• Preferred Equine MarketingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Bloodstock agent consigning Crawford Farms yearlings to major sales.
• Our Horse Cents StablesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-owner of Crazy Wow, 2015 Empire Breeders Classic winner, along with J&T Silva Stables and JT45.
• J&T Silva StablesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-owner of Crazy Wow and other horses with Crawford Farms.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crawfordfarmsus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crawford Farms