Major horse farm sale in NW Marion County

REDDICK — Tampa businessman and philanthropist Danny Persaud has purchased the Florida division of John Sykes’ Woodford Thoroughbreds and renamed the 1,000-acre property Persaud Legacy Farms, LLC.

The Marion County Property Appraiser’s website lists three parcels that sold for a total of $13.1 million. The land is east of Interstate 75, west of County Road 25A and south of County Road 316.

“When I pulled through the farm’s gates for the first time, I told my wife Brittany, I was home,” Persaud said in a Farms press release announcing the sale.

Plans call for dealing with all breeds, eventers and show jumpers and training and boarding facilities. He wants to include opportunities for equine therapy riding and ways the community can enjoy the farm with events, meetings and service projects, according to the release.

Persaud has been involved with several non-profit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and his own, Wheelchairs 4 Kids.

Persaud and his wife own a 400-acre Danika Farms, named after his daughter. He invested in row crops in 2019.

According to the release, Persaud has many business ventures including MidFlorida Armored and ATM Services, which he started 23 years ago, based in Tampa; Quick Claims, which helps the insurance industry streamline claims; and commercial real estate.

Originally purchased as Clover Leaf Farms II in 1997, the farm was designed for the breeding, development and training of thoroughbreds with the focus on sales preparation and pinhooking, the release says.