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Grave Matters: Ocala Stud, Ocala, Florida
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Photos by Barbara Livingston. ©Barbara Livingston 2003; all rights reserved. |
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Left, the entryway to Ocala Stud's cemetery. Right, the group stone memorial
listing the horses interred here (Rough'n Tumble, Noodle Soup, Roman Zephyr,
Iltis, Tarentella, and Ruddy Belle)
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| OCALA STUD FARM, Ocala, Florida, was established in 1956 on property that had formerly been the famed Dickey Stables of William Leach. Dickey Stables was the birthplace of Needles, the first great Florida-bred, foaled there in 1953. The new farm, owned by a syndicate led by Bruce Campbell, was managed by Joe O'Farrell, and the purchase included Leach's broodmares, particularly NEEDLE's dam NOODLE SOUP, and another mare ILTIS and 3 stallions (KING'S STRIDE, FLY AWAY, BULL BRIER). O'Farrell brought with him the stallion ROUGH'N TUMBLE, who had stood his first season in Maryland. ROUGH'N TUMBLE's first Florida-bred crop included Iltis' daughter MY DEAR GIRL, the champion 2yo filly of 1959. ROUGH'N TUMBLE is considered the foundation sire of the Florida breeding industry. He died in April of 1968 at the age of 20, the same year his great son DR. FAGER was Horse of the Year. He was buried at Ocala Stud, as were the mares NOODLE SOUP (dam of NEEDLES), ROMAN ZEPHYR (dam of ROMAN BROTHER), ILTIS (dam of MY DEAR GIRL), TARENTELLA (dam of SWINGING MOOD), and RUDDY BELLE (dam of CONESTOGA).--A.P. |
| OCALA STUD BURIALS
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| Stallions | Broodmares |
| Rough'n Tumble (c. 1948-1968)
| Iltis (f. 1947-1969)
Noodle Soup (1944)
Roman Zephyr (f. 1947-1971)
Ruddy Belle (f. 1949-1969)
Tarentella (f. 1948-1965) |
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