Call it a milestone purchase in Florida thoroughbred history. On Jan. 16, 1956, Maryland horseman Joe O'Farrell and his brother, Tom, were part of a nine-person syndicate headed by Bruce Campbell that paid $700,000 for 800 acres of what had been Ocala-based Dickey Stables. Included in the deal were the farm's 16 broodmares, two of which were Noodle Soup and Iltis. Those two broodmares would play key roles in the newly-christened Ocala Stud's quick start to historic success.
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