Thoroughbred training facility at Payson Park on the market: $8M

Payson Park and Virginia Kraft Payson
Payson Park and Virginia Kraft Payson

Payson Park, the “Club Med” of horses, is now available for sale.

The 394-acre thoroughbred horse training facility recently hit the market for nearly $7.9 million, listing agent Don Langdon told The Real Deal.

Virginia Kraft Payson and her late husband Charles Payson bought the Indiantown property in 1980. Charles Payson, a former owner of the New York Mets and a wealthy industrialist, was one of the wealthiest people in America in 1983, according to a Forbes ranking that pegged his wealth at more than $120 million. He and Virginia Payson also operated a racing stable and breeding farm in Kentucky, according to the LA Times. He died in 1985.

Now, Virginia Kraft Payson now wants to sell the facility, but keep her grounds and home on the property, which was first developed in 1957 by top thoroughbred racing owners and breeders.

Here’s a breakdown of all it includes:

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  • 21 barns
  • 499 stalls
  • 1 mile-long championship dirt track
  • 7/8th of a mile irrigated dirt track
  • 76 turnout paddocks
  • Six-horse electronic starting gate
  • Vet service
  • European-style galloping trails
  • Two bunkhouses with 62 rooms
  • Lighted soccer field
  • Cafe and game room

Langdon, managing broker of Douglas Elliman’s Palm Beach office, told TRD that there’s a “unique demand” for properties like Payson Park. He is marketing the facility as an investment opportunity to the thoroughbred worlds of Ocala, Florida; New York and Connecticut. It’s been the training ground for award-winning horses and jockeys.

“It’s been a pet project for [Payson] for many years and she wants to retire the responsibilities,” Langdon said.

The property is located at 9700 Southwest Kanner Highway in Indiantown, a small town northwest of Palm Beach County. “Indiantown is a little more private for the houses” compared to Wellington, Langdon said. “Trainers like it, owners like it. It’s a nice investment property.”