John Galbreath

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John W. Galbreath (August 10, 1897 - July 20, 1988) was an American sportsman. Born in Derby, Ohio, he graduated from Ohio University in 1922 and was a member of the Beta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. The non-denominational Galbreath Memorial Chapel on the Ohio University College Green was donated by Galbreath in memory of his first wife.

In 1935 John W. Galbreath founded Darby Dan Farm near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio. In 1946, he purchased the core property of Idle Hour Stock Farm in Kentucky and renamed it Darby Dan Farm. The Darby Dan Farm eventually raced several champion horses, including:


John Galbreath is one of only four men to have raced both a Kentucky Derby winner and an Epsom Derby winner. The others are Paul Mellon, Michael Tabor, and Prince Ahmed bin Salman. His Darby Dan Farm is one of just two horse breeding farms in the world to both breed and own the Derby winners on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Galbreath was voted the 1972 Big Sport of Turfdom Award by the Turf Publicists of America and in 1974 Galbreath won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder.

Galbreath may be best known for his role in the Pittsburgh Pirates as the franchise owner from 1945 to 1985, during which the Pirates won three world championships in 1960, 1971, and 1979. He was the first owner to break the so-called "Million Dollar Mark" when he signed Dave Parker to a multi-year contract in 1979. He also signed Hall of Fame player Roberto Clemente.