Man O' War Farm owner Michael Baum dies at 88

Man O' War Farm owner Michael Baum has died at the farm he loved. The native of New York City, who moved to Lexington in 2001, was 88.

Baum was remembered as a passionate owner-breeder who loved the sport but more importantly embraced waking up every morning to see the horses on his farm.

"He did things his own way," said Susan Bunning, who started out as Baum's equine loan officer and became a long-time friend. "People would come out to see the foals on his farm and tell him he should really sell this one or that one as a weanling because he'd get yearling prices, that he should take advantage of the market. He would then ask me, 'Why would I do that? I would lose nine to ten months of having this beautiful animal on my farm. That would take away the joy of owning this farm.'

"He would only sell yearlings because that way, he already had the next crop on the ground. He just loved the horse as a beautiful animal."

Baum was born in New York City June 3, 1933. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in landscape architecture. He later attended an art school in New York, where he met his wife, Reiko, who also was a student. Before moving to Kentucky, Baum started a company called Framemasters, which provided framing services for large art pieces that were often displayed in museums.

After acquiring Man O' War Farm in 2001, the Baums' applied Michael's skills in landscape architecture and their combined artistic vision to enhance the beauty of the 112-acre farm.

Famed racehorse and sire Man o' War stood his last 11 years at stud on the farm, which had been renamed from Pharamond to Man O' War by previous owners Carolyn and Franklin Groves. The Baums kept the name.

"They created a sanctuary there that is unlike any farm in this area," Bunning said.

The Baums kept a small, high-quality band of broodmares that produced several stakes winners for them over the years. They bred multiple Graded stakes winner Global View, who won the 2014 Grade 2 American Turf Stakes; Grade 2 La Prevoyante Handicap winner Abigailthewife; French Group 3 winner Last Kingdom; and multiple stakes winners Green Noble, Homeland Security and Fusaichi Samurai.

They also raced a few with trainer George 'Rusty' Arnold II, including homebred Illioqami, a daughter of Tapit who broke her maiden this year at Keeneland on April 2 and went on to win an allowance race at Churchill Downs. She started in the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes and Lake Placid Stakes but was unplaced in both races.

"He was one of the best owners I've ever worked with," said Arnold, who trained for Baum. "He had a passion for breeding and loved racing, and he was a gentleman. I wish I'd met him when he was younger."

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