Beautiful Spring Garden Ranch

[asbestos]

30 years ago. Was in the area this morning and thought i'd stop by. Like so many other places of the past it's become a shithole. Such a shame.

[TheGrimReaper]

Remember it when Gailbraith trained there, was nice then......still got a lot of horses there...maybe just going the way the sport is in general.

[PIGLAND]

very sad to hear

[asbestos]

Is the restaurant still there?

still there,but closed.Everything just run down.

[Songwriter]

Clint Galbraith never trained at Spring Garden Ranch--he trained at Ben White Raceway in Orlando. I've been at Spring Garden Ranch for 18 years & actually it looks better now than it did 18 years ago--the present owner, her husband put a lot of money in the place (painting barns, fence, etc.)--but, he passed away a couple years ago. Also the place has been hard hit by several hurricanes & tornadoes --losing barn roofs (which the barns being used got new roofs) & trees. it did look nicer when Gil Short first got it & had big ideas to fix it up, but he was spending other people's money....

[TheGrimReaper]

I stand corrected---Ben White---thanks

[zoot]

I believe chuck sylvester, and that Michigan crew went there to break their babies.

[Songwriter]

Chuck Sylvester is training there now--20-30 years ago it was mostly Ohio & Michigan trainers there

[Pacers69]

It is getting run down. Bell, Fl might even be better if I was a trainer again

[Songwriter]

spend a winter in Bell & you better like whom you are with & spend your time working--no decent places to eat or shop (even closest Walmart is in Chiefland), no entertainment close by. When the sand blows there it's awful. Not many sets of teeth in Gilcrist County. Bell makes Hawkinsville look like a cultural center.

[hoosierboy]

spend a winter in Bell & you better like whom you are with & spend your time working--no decent places to eat or shop (even closest Walmart is in Chiefland), no entertainment close by. When the sand blows there it's awful. Not many sets of teeth in Gilcrist County. Bell makes Hawkinsville look like a cultural center.

Very true evaluation

[Parked]

I was at SGR last week. The #1 thing is the track. It was in wonderful condition and thats why my horses are there. The barns around the track are in very good shape. Painted and no leaking roofs. Paddock fences in good shape , lots of hot water.  A couple barns in Southwest corner dont have roofs but all that are in use look very good. Agree with Asbestos that the resturant is closed and it would be nice if it were open but that is a minor detail.  The unused barns along the road are closed with plywood over the windows but are in good shape.
Stables that I recognized were, Elliot, Sylvester, Norris, Gregory, Simser, Okusko, Brown, and Ducharme.  There are several others there too. The horse population is at least where it was last year which was the highest in many, many years.  I’d guess at 200 to 225 ?

[nztrotr]

We were at Elkhorn .  We left our aisle clean.  Nothing left in tack room,  it was swept out and every stall was stripped  .  We tried to leave it presentable.  People  don't  seem to show as much pride in their barns appearance  as in days past

[Parked]

The 200 to 225 was 2 year olds . When all the 3 year olds get in there will be over 300..  pretty good population..