BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM
Liz Wilson runs Oakleaf Farm, a full-service facility in Ocala, Fla., that does everything from training to broodmare and foal services. But Wilson started her love affair with horse racing far from Ocala in her native Great Britain.
“Ascot racecourse in England was basically my backyard,” Wilson said.
She made the move to America in 1981, but it wasn’t until 2003 that she started her racehorse ownership and broodmare journey.
“That’s when I bought my first Thoroughbred broodmare. Her name is Load Up, and she has had many great foals since we got her,” Wilson said.
Load Up is an unraced mare by Dove Hunt out of the Lord Gaylord mare Gayla and after producing eight winners from nine starters and 11 foals, is now retired at Oakleaf Farm.
Wilson had relatively quick success with Load Up, selling her second foal, Florida-bred St. Joe, by Trippi, at the 2005 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Fall Mixed Sale for $45,000.
“And then St. Joe sold at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training for $320,000 and went on to be [graded stakes placed], with a [Equibase] speed figure of 106,” Wilson said.
A few years later, she met her soon to be husband who shared her love for Thoroughbreds.
“I married Norman Wilson in March of 2011. He has been in the Thoroughbred horse business for over 50 years and he had the pleasure of handling horses like Louis Quatorze and Sky Beauty,” Wilson said.
Summation Time, a son of In Summation, was another Florida-bred success for the Wilsons.
“We sold him at the OBS Yearling sale in 2012 for $25,000 and he was resold at the [2013] OBS Spring Sale for $250,000. He also went on to be graded stakes placed with a [Equibase] Speed Figure of 121. He retired sound and went into the New Vocations program where he had a second career. However, his new owner later reached out to me to see if I would give him a forever home as she wanted to move on to another horse. So we still have him at the farm today where he is enjoying retirement.”
The Wilsons also claimed a Load Up progeny, Sainted Dancer, by Saint Anddan, who made more than $100,000 for the Wilson’s and has since had successful foals of her own.
“She is now our broodmare that has had seven foals, six of which are racing age, four starters, three winners, and one stakes placed. Sainted Dancer is in foal again for a 2025 [foal] to Global Campaign.”
Wilson also enjoys discussing their homebred Adios Muchachas, a filly by Ocala Stud stallion Adios Charlie and a winner of her first race at Canterbury Park in August of 2023. The Wilsons sold her for $7,000 at the 2023 OBS June Sale.
“She was a tough cookie and she had her mind about her and liked to train. She was all about business and professional. You would go to tack her up and she would try to pull your flak jacket off. She has a bit of character and was a fun filly to be around—always spicy,” Wilson said.
