Greentree Stud and Stable.

Greentree Stud and Stable (1910s-1994) was one of the most successful family thoroughbred racing and breeding stables in the United States. The original farm, Greentree Stables, was founded during the 1910s by Helen Hay Whitney, noted author and leader in the thoroughbred community, and her husband Payne Whitney, a prominent New York City financier. The establishment of the stable in Red Bank, New Jersey, continued the Whitney family tradition of thoroughbred horse racing and breeding begun by Payne Whitney’s father, William C. Whitney, a founding member of the Jockey Club. At its height, the family’s thoroughbred interests--collectively known as Greentree Stud and Stable--included horse training and breeding facilities in Red Bank, New Jersey (Greentree Stables); Lexington, Kentucky (Greentree Stud, a breeding center, and Mare’s Nest Farm); Ocala, Florida (Ocala Farm); and Aiken, South Carolina (Greentree Stable, a training center).

The racing operations were primarily run by Helen Hay Whitney, while Payne Whitney focused on the breeding business. After her husband’s death in 1927, Helen Hay Whitney managed all the operations until 1942. Her success in the field led to her being dubbed the “First Lady of Thoroughbred Racing.” Citing the wartime economy as a precipitant, Helen Hay Whitney’s children, John Hay Whitney and Joan Whitney Payson, partnered with their mother until her death in 1944. The partnership consolidated the three family members’ racing and breeding operations, which included John Hay Whitney’s Mare’s Nest Farm and Joan Whitney Payson’s Manhasset Stable (the name under which she raced). In the same year, John Hay Whitney changed the name of the business entity through which he managed his farm from Mare’s Nest Stud, Inc., (formerly Llangollen Stable, Inc, 1932-1940) to Greentree Stud, Inc., to reflect the new arrangement. Both Joan Whitney Payson and John Hay Whitney were noted thoroughbred owners and breeders in their own right. John Hay Whitney owned Easter Hero, which was the first horse to win consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups in 1929 and 1930. He was a founder of the American Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, a steward of the Jockey Club, and a racing commissioner in New York. He established Beckhampton, Ltd., to oversee his interest in English horse turf racing. Ownership of the stable was shared by two additional family members, Charles Shipman Payson (Joan’s widower) from 1975 to 1980, and Betsey Cushing Whitney (John’s wife) from 1980 to 1994.

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