A native of Lebanon who spent some of his early years in Argentina, Sefa started his breeding operation in Michigan. He became one of the state's leading breeders and owners and won two Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Awards the past 10 years. He served as president of the Michigan Thoroughbred Horsemen and as a board member of the Michigan United Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association.Sefa moved his operation to Lexington in the late 1990s because of the lack of interest in racing in Michigan.
Breeder/owner Farid Sefa, who raced millionaire Sefa's Beauty, died April 17 in a Lexington hospital. He was 74.Sefa's Beauty, a stakes winner all five years she raced, scored her big wins in the 1985 Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I) over Heatherten and Life's Magic and the Molly Pitcher Handicap (gr. II) over Mitterand. She won a total of 17 stakes and earned $1,171,628.Sefa's horses were easy to identify because many of them bore his surname. Alone and in partnership, Sefa bred 23 stakes winners and raced 27 added-money winners.
