W.B. (Bill) Terry Sr., former owner of Domino Stud near Lexington, died Dec. 2. He was 91.
Terry, who also at times owned Coca-Cola bottling plants, Long John Silver’s restaurants, hotels, and was a real estate developer, acquired 380-acre Domino, once a part of Dixiana Farm, for $1,160,000 in early 1971. The farm was operated for a while in partnership with James Drymon, who had purchased the property two years earlier with William Pascoe III.
The farm had previously been called Woodvale Farm when owned by Royce Martin, Crown Crest Farm when owned by Howard Reineman, and Greenacres Farm when operated by Mark Leach.
About four years prior to purchasing Domino, Terry had bought 440-acre High Point Farm behind Calumet Farm, and 442-acre Stevenwood Farm on Old Frankfort Pike. In 1979, Terry bought 184 acres from W.B. Robinson and called the property Domino Stud No. Two.
At the time Terry bought the farm, two stallions were standing at Domino—Grey Dawn II and Dewan. Among the other stallions that would stand at the farm under his ownership were Tilt Up, Ben Fab, Hostage, Sunny’s Halo, Swing Till Dawn, Muttering, and Au Point.
In the mid 1980s, Domino bred and Terry raced multiple stakes winner Mr. T's Tune, and Al Hattab.
Terry sold Domino to Ken Jones in 1989 for more than $10 milion. The price, about $27,400 an acre, was said to be the highest ever for a Kentucky horse farm sold privately.
Born in a timber camp near Patoka, Ill., Terry was preceded in death by his wife, Frances LaVerne Schnasse Terry. Among Terry’s survivors are four sons, Timothy, Warren B. Jr., S. Patrick, and W. Michael Terry. Patrick Terry is the former president of the Thoroughbred Record.
