Woolf was also the owner of Woolford Farm, which produced the only ever Kansas bred Kentucky Derby winner, Lawrin of 1938 along with several other champion race horses.
[2] For over thirty years, Woolf Brothers expanded and thrived under Herbert to become one of the largest and most revered luxury goods department stores in the Midwest, with branches in five other major cities.
Alfred Lighton assumed control of the business in 1962 and remained there until 1992 when major changes in the retail clothing industry and other economic factors caused Woolf Brothers to permanently close its doors.
Herbert Woolf was a passionate horseman and his greatest accomplishments lay in horse racing which he pursued at his 200-acre (0.81 km2) Woolford Farm in eastern Kansas.
In addition to being a Thoroughbred horse farm, it was a country retreat where Woolf threw extravagant parties whose guests included Theodore Roosevelt and the infamous Tom Pendergast.