Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Tom Crouch

Tom K. Crouch was born on October 1, 1942 in Elwood , IN. He was raised on a farm and spent considerable time at his uncle’s stables, where he learned to raise and train Standardbreds. In 1962 he was hired as a buyer of hogs and cattle for a packing plant. Because of his skill in assessing the quality of animals, he eventually obtained a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1970.

Tom Crouch

In 1967 Crouch bought his first Standardbred yearling and two years later purchased his first broodmare. In 1975 he and his wife Betty purchased a 110 acre Thoroughbred breeding facility that would become the Kentuckiana Farms.

During the same time frame, Crouch acquired several top broodmares from the prominent breeder, Immortal Bill Shehan of Clermont Farm, KY. Included in the group was the Immortal Rosemary 3,1:57.2 ($223,647) who was voted the 1978 Three-Year-Old Filly Trotter of the Year and later enjoyed a successful breeding career.

Among the other top horses produced by Kentuckiana Farms are 1997 Pacing Triple Crown winner Western Dreamer p,4,1:49 ($1,812,176) and Breeders Crown winners Sand Vic 5,1:51.2 ($2,117,382), Mystical Sunshine 6,1:50.3 ($1,793,755), the 1987 Two-Year-Old Trotter of the Year Firm Tribute 3,1:54.3 ($1,231,324), and Follow My Star p,4,T1:52.3 ($1,537,503).

Also on the list of breeding successes are Harmonious 3,1:53.2 ($1,036,392), the 1990 Hambletonian winner and Trotter of the Year; Tell All p,3,1:48.3 ($1,509,227), the 2007 winner of the Little Brown Jug and North American Cup; and Riyadh p,6,1:48.4s ($2,763,527). Over the years Crouch has acquired top stallions, including Jate Lobell p,3,1:51.2 ($2,231,402) and Yankee Glide 3,1:55.1 ($506,904). With the success of Kentuckiana Farms, Crouch went on to co-found the Kentucky Standardbred Sales Company in 1980. Using video technology and different organization structures, the company has helped revolutionize the way Standardbreds are bought and sold.

In 1989 Crouch established races now known as the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes in order to increase racing opportunities for two-year-old fillies. In 1993 he received the USHWA Breeder of the Year award. Crouch currently serves on The Hambletonian Society board of directors.

Tom and Betty Crouch now divide their time between Lexington , KY and New Smyrna Beach , FL. The operation of Kentuckiana Farms has been turned over to their three daughters Becky, Lisa and Michelle and their spouses. Completing the family are nine grandchildren.