In 2018, after a career that spanned twenty-one starts, Mind Your Biscuits retired as the all-time New York-bred earning horse. The thoroughbred raced at some of horse racing’s greatest venues – Belmont Park, Churchhill Downs, Saratoga – to a record of seven wins, eight seconds, and three thirds. A quick sprinter, Mind Your Biscuits won three New York-bred titles from 2016 to 2018 and is widely regarded as one of the best-ever short-distance racers. This stellar champion’s life began on March 14, 2013 right here in Dutchess County when he was foaled at Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains.
In 2024, the farm’s owners, Sue and Gary Lundy, completed the preservation of their broodmare and foaling operation by selling the development rights of the property to the Dutchess Land Conservancy. In their thirty-plus years running the operation, the Lundys saw New York State’s horse racing industry grow to become the $3 billion annual behemoth it is today. They also saw the changes that unplanned development brought to many towns and how they altered the character and identity of once-rural farming areas with pristine and bucolic views. The Lundys wanted to preserve their farm and its importance to the thirty to fifty horses stabled here annually. Sue was particularly concerned by trends she’s seen in Dutchess County. “I was encouraged to get in touch with the DLC about protecting my property by my neighbor, Sarah Chase,” said Sue. “She is deeply involved with and enthusiastic about the organization,” said Sue, “and I was interested in the premise of their work.”
Sue followed her neighbor’s advice and reached out to the DLC. In addition to its wonderful farming aspects, the ecological merit in the property’s protection was immediately obvious. “It’s a key territory for regional wildlife. Cedar Ridge includes approximately 100 acres of hardwood forest which buffer the farm and provides habitat for numerous wildlife including several species of turtles, raptors, and large mammals such as black bear and bobcat,” Erin says. “Its location adjacent to Chaseholm Farm, land already protected by the Columbia Land Conservancy, and among a critical mass of over 1,000 acres of active farmland added to its conservation value.” The idyllic pastures dotted with horses abut rolling forested hills across nearly 250 acres, providing fantastic views of the countryside for those driving in and around Pine Plains. And flowing through it all is a sparkling tributary of Shekomeko Creek.
The Lundys worked with the DLC to create a comprehensive plan that provides for both the long-term protection of the property and supports the continuation of the foaling and broodmare operation. Once the plan was established for the conservation of Cedar Ridge Farm, the DLC applied for funding to purchase the development rights through two separate grants. The Dutchess County Partnership for Manageable Growth Program, which helps protect agricultural and other important open lands by providing grants to cover land preservation project costs, and has to date helped to protect more than 4,800 acres in Dutchess County, awarded funds covering a percentage of the project’s costs. Additional funds came from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets through its Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program, which provides financial assistance to counties, municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, and land trusts to aid in the protection of agricultural land. With funding in place, the Lundys and the DLC closed on the conservation transaction this spring, permanently protecting Cedar Ridge Farm.
“We are so grateful to work with the Lundys on the protection of their amazing farm,” said DLC President Becky Thornton. “We are delighted that this agriculturally and ecologically important land is now forever preserved.” Cedar Ridge Farm and its forested ridge, buzzing meadows, and rushing streams will continue to host the birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects that make it their home. As for the Lundys, they will continue to care for the many mares that reside here each year to foal horses that could someday become champion racehorses like Mind Your Biscuits.
