Peggy Augustus was born in Cleveland Ohio but has lived in Keswick, Virginia since 1950. She was an active owner, trainer, and rider who competed against men and professionals and won major championships throughout the United States and Canada including the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, the Devon Horse Show, the Royal Winter Fair, the Pennsylvania National and Virginia’s top four horse shows Hot Springs, Keswick, Deep Run, and Warrenton.
Peggy’s best show horses include Waiting Home (arguably the greatest conformation hunter), Little Sailor, and Sutton Place all of which are inducted in the National Show Hunter and Virginia Horse Show Association Halls of Fame, as well as Herodtie and Defense.
After retiring from showing Peggy became a successful breeder, seller, and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses. Among the many stakes winning racehorses she bred were Eclipse Award winners Stellar Wind and Johnny D, and she bred and raced $1,000,000 Rothman’s International winner Husband. She bred many Virginia Thoroughbred Association year-end champions including Stellar Wind, a three time Horse of the Year.
Peggy’s horses were also high earning, having bred a yearling colt that sold for $4,000,000 at the Saratoga Sales, the second highest price in the history of the sale. She also sold a filly at Saratoga that sold for a World Record $2,100,000. She is the only person in the history of the Saratoga Sales to have bred and sold five yearlings that went on to win more than a million dollars.
Peggy herself is inducted into the Virginia Horse Show Hall of Fame, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame, the National Horse Show Hall of Fame, and the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. She was also honored as a Living Legend of the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden and was featured in Sports Illustrated in 1957.