Accomplished horse breeder of two Kentucky Derby winners, businessman and president of the International Live Stock Exposition.
1866-1951 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
Robert A. Fairbairn was a horse breeder and National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) executive.
He was president of the International Live Stock Exposition in 1922 and of the National Horse Show in 1919-1920. He was also chairman of the executive committee of the National Horse Association.
A prominent importer and breeder of Clydesdales, Fairbairn had several International champions.
He established Fair Acres Drivers Club, a half-mile harness track in New Jersey, but is better known for Fairholme Farm in Winchester, Kentucky. There, Robert A. Fairbairn bred two Kentucky Derby winners, Gallahadion (1940) and Hoop Jr. (1945).
Did You Know?
Photo credit: Keeneland Library/Morgan Collection: Gallahadion finished 13th in the 1940 Santa Anita Derby before scoring a 35-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby 11 weeks later.
Fairholme Farm, Winchester, KY. 1948. Photo credit: Kentucky Historical Society, William B. Ogden Studio Negatives, Graphic 1.