Craig Bandoroff
Craig Bandoroff is the founder of Denali Stud in Paris, Kentucky, and a well respected leader in the thoroughbred industry. He has stepped back from day to day operations which are now handled by his son, Conrad. He serves on the horsemen’s advisory board of HISA and the Executive Committee of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).
Awards & Accomplishments
- Director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association
- Director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, Inc.
- Chairman of the Marketing Committee
- President of CBA
- Board member of KEEP, an active member of TOBA
- Director of the Thoroughbred Club
- Board member of The Lexington School
- Founding member of the NTA
- Board member of Kentucky Equine Education Project
- Board member of The Jockey Club
- Board member of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)
- Owner/President of Denali Stud
Career Highlights
As a young boy, Craig Bandoroff lived in Cherry Hill, NJ very close to Garden State Race track. He developed a passion for racing and began working summers on the track as a groom. In high school he participated in a vocational program school day, in which he worked at the track in the morning and attended honors classes in the afternoon. Upon graduation, he chose the track over college, and worked full time as a groom, exercise rider and eventually an apprentice jockey for long time New Jersey trainer, Marty Fallon.
In December of 1974, Craig was seriously injured in a track spill, ending his riding career. He spent nearly a year in a rehabilitation hospital and upon leaving, he enrolled in the University of Virginia (1977-78) and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1981 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Economics and Animal Science. From 2008-2010, he attended and completed the Owners and Managers Program at the Harvard Business School.
After working for Fasig-Tipton auction house and Barry Weisbord’s Executive Bloodstock where he developed many connections, he started Denali Stud in 1990. Craig and his wife Holly have three children: Katherine, Conrad and Isabel.
Testimonial