Like so many of the 2023 Texas Racing Hall of Fame inductees, Ken Carson admits to being “hooked on horses” since childhood. Born in San Antonio, Carson remembered spending summers on his uncle’s ranch in Boerne and watching races at many of the Texas tracks that were in operation before pari-mutuel was passed.
A graduate of Texas A& M, with a B.A. and Masters in Animal Breeding, Carson went to work for the Thoroughbred Record in Lexington, KY. Friendships with many industry titans opened doors with Jay Pumphrey and Ben Hudson bringing him back to Texas. He stayed in touch with his Kentucky contacts and began a longtime association with Clarence and Dorothy Scharbauer, beginning with the purchase of Alysheba from the 1985 Keeneland July Select Yearling Sale. Carson admits that the three years he watched the progression of the son of Alydar under trainer Jack Van Berg, was an incredible part of his career.
Carson continued to build strong connections with many industry greats, including Robert Clay of Three Chimneys Farm. He remembers the birth of the incomparable sprinter Hadif at Three Chimneys and was on hand for his Keeneland races. When Scharbauer bought land in Pilot Point, Texas, he asked Carson to become the farm manager. Hadif was one of the first stallions at Valor Farm and had a tremendous impact on Texas breeding and racing.
While My Golden Song may not have been the most prolific race horse, he sired some of the most successful Texas-bred dirt and turf runners. His daughter, Fiftyshadesofgold, out of a Hadif mare, won the 2014 Two Altazano at Sam Houston Race Park, won the Grade 3, Eight Belles at Churchill Downs for trainer Bret Calhoun. He is one of many top trainers that have credited the breeding prowess at Valor Farm and the exceptional service of the entire team, led by Carson. Sunlit Song, an extremely talented turf specialist, is the latest Texas Thoroughbred Association Horse of the Year. The list of Texas Champions is extensive, including Gold Coyote, Coyote Legend, He's Comin In Hot, Thegirlinthatsong and Promise Me Silver.
Always one to respect rival breeding farms, Carson admitted that Too Much Bling, who stood at Lane’s End Texas “outran us all the time.” When the Hempstead, Texas operation closed in 2016, Too Much Bling joined the stallion roster at Valor Farm. Pensioned last October at the age of 20, he will live the rest of his life in the rich pastures at Pilot Point. It’s probably a good bet that Carson, who now calls New Orleans home, will visit the striking gray stallion, one of many greats he has admired and respected in his 28-year tenure at Valor Farm.
A graduate of Texas A& M, with a B.A. and Masters in Animal Breeding, Carson went to work for the Thoroughbred Record in Lexington, KY. Friendships with many industry titans opened doors with Jay Pumphrey and Ben Hudson bringing him back to Texas. He stayed in touch with his Kentucky contacts and began a longtime association with Clarence and Dorothy Scharbauer, beginning with the purchase of Alysheba from the 1985 Keeneland July Select Yearling Sale. Carson admits that the three years he watched the progression of the son of Alydar under trainer Jack Van Berg, was an incredible part of his career.
Carson continued to build strong connections with many industry greats, including Robert Clay of Three Chimneys Farm. He remembers the birth of the incomparable sprinter Hadif at Three Chimneys and was on hand for his Keeneland races. When Scharbauer bought land in Pilot Point, Texas, he asked Carson to become the farm manager. Hadif was one of the first stallions at Valor Farm and had a tremendous impact on Texas breeding and racing.
While My Golden Song may not have been the most prolific race horse, he sired some of the most successful Texas-bred dirt and turf runners. His daughter, Fiftyshadesofgold, out of a Hadif mare, won the 2014 Two Altazano at Sam Houston Race Park, won the Grade 3, Eight Belles at Churchill Downs for trainer Bret Calhoun. He is one of many top trainers that have credited the breeding prowess at Valor Farm and the exceptional service of the entire team, led by Carson. Sunlit Song, an extremely talented turf specialist, is the latest Texas Thoroughbred Association Horse of the Year. The list of Texas Champions is extensive, including Gold Coyote, Coyote Legend, He's Comin In Hot, Thegirlinthatsong and Promise Me Silver.
Always one to respect rival breeding farms, Carson admitted that Too Much Bling, who stood at Lane’s End Texas “outran us all the time.” When the Hempstead, Texas operation closed in 2016, Too Much Bling joined the stallion roster at Valor Farm. Pensioned last October at the age of 20, he will live the rest of his life in the rich pastures at Pilot Point. It’s probably a good bet that Carson, who now calls New Orleans home, will visit the striking gray stallion, one of many greats he has admired and respected in his 28-year tenure at Valor Farm.