On DVD or VHS: The RISE and FALL of CALUMET FARM & J.T. LUNDY - ALYDAR's Mysterious Death

 

This long-overdue feature chronicles J. T. Lundy's rise to power and his fall from grace as president of Calumet Farm. Founded in 1924 by Chicago mogul William Monroe Wright, Calumet Farm was to the world of Thoroughbred racing what the New York Yankees are to baseball - a sports dynasty. The stable bred so many superstars that it became the standard by which all achievements were measured in the horse racing industry. But during the 1980's, a web of financial schemes and spiraling debt left Calumet destitute.

 

J.T. Lundy was just another Bluegrass good 'ol boy until he married Cindy Wright; she was heir to a fabulous fortune that included an interest in Calumet Farm, the country's most famous horse farm. The money machine at the heart of Calumet was a stallion named, ALYDAR. After battling through all three Triple Crown races in 1978 with AFFIRMED, ALYDAR was retired and returned to his birthplace, Calumet Farm to stand at stud. Soon, ALYDAR was the worlds most famous and in-demand stallion and was bringing in $1 million in fees every week and as a result, banks were willing to furnish loans to support Lundy's lavish lifestyle.

 

But it all unraveled in 1990. First, a bank called in a $15 million loan. Less than three weeks later, ALYDAR suffered a terrible stall accident and after complications from surgery, he was put down. The horse's insurer paid Calumet Farm $36.5 million in death benefits. Although Lundy was able to pay off his creditors, Calumet's hidden financial woes continued. Lundy resigned as Calumet's president in 1992 but it would take seven years for federal prosecutors to produce Lundy's indictment. The onetime high roller was charged and convicted of bank fraud, conspiracy and bribery.

 

This is a compelling tale that takes the viewer behind the scenes in Bluegrass country and exposes a jet-setting lifestyle about which most of us can only dream about...behind the white fences and green pastures of a landmark institution...a tale of intrigue, corruption, and family strife unravels...it is the spellbinding account of the financial mechanisms that enveloped, consumed, and ultimately destroyed one of the most famous and respected horse racing stables in the world.

 

The viewer is taken from the sedate, wealthy world of gentlemen and ladies into an ever-darkening hell of spiraling debt, questionable characters, and the twisted practice of killing noble animals to settle financial needs.

 

This is the story of the tragic collapse of a racing giant and the dispersal of a dynastic fortune - Calumet Farm...during the recklessness of the 1980's - through greed, dishonesty and stupidity.

 

AS AN ADDED BONUS...an ESPN segment,"Where Are They Now?", is added at the end of the main feature catching up with ALYDAR's trainer, John Veitch, with a look back at his career past and present.

 

IN ADDITION...the viewer is treated to a 15-minute news segment on the latest developments and newly uncovered facts of Calumet Farm's prized and noble steed, ALYDAR, and the mystery still surrounding his suspicious demise.

 

 

 

60 Minutes.

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