| Company type | Thoroughbred RacingStable & Horse breedingFarm | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | ThoroughbredHorse racing | ||
| Founded | 1914 | ||
| Defunct | 1989 | ||
| Headquarters | Red Bank, New Jersey | ||
Key people | Payne Whitney (owner 1914–1927) Helen Hay Whitney (owner 1927–1944) Joan &Jock Whitney (co-owners, 1944–1982) Trainers:
James G. Rowe, Jr. (1931) William Brennan (1932–1938) John M. Gaver, Sr. (1939–1977) John M. Gaver, Jr. (1978–1981) | ||
| Divisions | Aiken, South Carolina (training center) Lexington, Kentucky (breeding farm) |
Greentree Stable, inRed Bank, New Jersey, was a majorAmericanthoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 byPayne Whitney of theWhitney family ofNew York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable atSaratoga Springs, New York with his brotherHarry Payne Whitney, who also had a large stable of horses. Greentree Stable had a training base atAiken, South Carolina, while Greentree Farm inLexington, Kentucky was established in 1925 as its breeding arm.
After Whitney'ssteeplechase horse won the 1911 Greentree Cup race atGreat Neck, New York, it was decided to use the Greentree name for several of their properties. Following Payne Whitney's death in 1927, his widow,Helen Hay Whitney, took over the operation. Her sonJohn Hay Whitney was also involved in Thoroughbred racing especially so with his wifeLiz Whitney. DaughterJoan Whitney Payson raced horses under thenom de courseManhasset Stable. On their mother's death, they continued to build on Greentree Stable's success.
Greentree Stable horses won many important steeplechase andflat races throughout the United States.[1] As part of a program honoring important Thoroughbred tracks and racing stables, thePennsylvania Railroad named its baggage car #5859 theGreentree Stable. In January 1928, Thomas W. Murphy, a renownedharness racing trainer, became head trainer for Greentree Stable. Murphy stayed until the end of the 1930Pimlico fall meeting, and was replaced byJames G. Rowe, Jr.[2]
Trained by Rowe, the Whitney stable's coltTwenty Grand earned theEclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 1931 and was inducted into theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1957.[3] Hall of Fame trainerJohn M. Gaver, Sr., who won theBelmont Stakes for the stable three times, trainedDevil Diver,Champion Handicap Horse in 1943–1944 and the 1953 Horse of the YearTom Fool.[4] Both horses were also voted into the Hall of Fame: Devil Diver in 1980[5] and Tom Fool in 1960.[6] Helen Whitney's steeplechasers won theAmerican Grand National four times (1926–1928 and 1937). Her horse Jolly Roger (who won the Grand National twice) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.[7] Greentree Stable also had polo ponies[8] andsteeplechasers, one of which won the 1946 American Grand National. Other steeplechasers raced in England and Ireland.
After the deaths of John and Joan Whitney, their heirs sold the Kentucky property to its current owners,Gainesway Farm, in 1989. The equestrian estate in Saratoga Springs was offered for sale in 2005.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg)