Sunnyfield Farm
787 South Bedford Road
Bedford NY
2008
by Jennifer

The horse is a creature who sacrifices his own being to exist through the will of another, he is the noblest conquest of man

QUOTE: For the LOVE of Horses

Sunnyfield Farm, an important Hudson Valley equestrian facility and horse-breeding operation, has come on the market for the first time in half a century. It's listed for $65 million.

“It’s 214.88 acres in the heart of Bedford,” says listing agent Krissy Blake, of Sotheby’s International Realty – Greenwich Brokerage. “It’s known by locals as the gateway to Bedford.”

The property is also know for its signature yellow barns and buildings. The current owners bought the farm from the estate of Josephine McIntosh, the heiress to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), Blake says. McIntosh chose the barn’s now iconic shade of yellow based on a brand of A&P butter.

“It’s the size that makes it special, and that land is spectacularly beautiful,” Blake says. “It’s rolling and it’s flat, and it has a high point with a western view, which is where the owner’s house is.”

“When the babies are born in spring, they let the babies and the moms out into the fields and everybody from town and all over comes out to see them,” Blake says.

The equine facilities include seven barns with stalls for 82 horses, indoor and outdoor rings, a Grand Prix field, two turnout sheds, two maintenance sheds and over 100 acres of paddocks, according to the listing. Top competitive riders and horses, including multiple Olympians, have trained at these state-of-the-art facilities.

In addition to being a premier equestrian property across multiple disciplines, including show jumping, dressage and eventing, Sunnyfield Farms is also one of the most prominent names in racehorse breeding, Blake says. Its foals have run in the Kentucky Derby and it recently welcomed two foals sired by Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh.

Since 1976, the farm has been owned by the Nielsen family, who have bred and raised multiple top thoroughbreds over the last 40-plus years. Its prior owner, the A&P heiress Josephine McIntosh, established Sunnyfield as a premier equestrian destination.

The Nielsens, whose children are now adults, are not spending as much time there, Blake says. “They lived in Connecticut and this was their country house and that’s how they grew up.”

The sprawling compound also includes three homes, a duplex and apartments for staff.

The 3,864-square-foot main house, which was built in 1942, offers four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two partial baths.

“It’s not about the homes or the buildings,” Blake says. “It’s a charming cute house, but it’s not a grand house.”

The property, which borders the 76-acre Guard Hill Preserve and the extensive local trail system known as Bedford Riding Lanes, also features woodlands and two stream-fed ponds.

Along with the horsey set, Bedford has long attracted a range of luminaries such as Glenn Close, Bruce Willis, Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren, Chevy Chase, and George Soros. Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones owned two places in town before moving to Irvington. Actor Matt Damon is the latest celeb to move to the town.

Sunnyfield’s picturesque setting has served as a sought-after backdrop for Hollywood films, including the 1998 “Stepmom” with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, and photo shoots by famous photographers, including Slim Aarons, Blake says. “Apparently it was one of his favorite places to photograph.”

“It’s just beautiful,” she adds. “It’s open and expansive with flat green paddocks. It’s just a special place.”

And it is still very much an active horse farm and breeding facility, Blake says.