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.
When she began the stable, Helen Hay Whitney focused on steeplechase racing, but by the late 1920s she had switched focus to flat turf racing and breeding. The stable’s breeding division produced 225 stakes winners. Thanks in part to the Whitney’s breeding acumen and the talent of their longtime trainer John Gaver, Sr., the family’s flat turf racing operations yielded several successful horses. Among their most notable horses were Twenty Grand, Shut Out, Devil Diver, Capot, Tom Fool and Stage Door Johnny. Twenty Grand won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1931, as did Shut Out in 1942. Capot won the 1949 Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Stage Door Johnny won the Belmont Stakes in 1968. Tom Fool won several major races from 1951 to 1953, earning him the title of United States Horse of the Year in 1953. In the 1930s and 1940s, Greentree was one of the most winning family stables in the nation. While never again matching the level of racing success the stable had in the first half of the century, it continued to have moderate success through the 1980s.
From 1944 to 1982, the business operations of the various farms were managed by Greentree Stud, Inc.; however, as sole shareholders the Whitneys were involved in most aspects of the operations including decisions to name, buy or sell horses, as well as to acquire and sell properties. By the 1980s, the family had sold farm properties in Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Following the death of John Hay Whitney in 1982, Betsey Cushing Whitney became sole owner of Greentree Stud and Stable. The transfer of ownership precipitated the dissolution of Greentree Stud, Inc., and the discontinuation of Beckhampton, Ltd. (the horse operations in the United Kingdom). Betsey Cushing Whitney formed an advisory committee to study and make recommendations for changes to Greentree Stud and Stable that would ensure profitability. She maintained operations for several years under the guidance of the advisory committee; however, the United States Tax Reform Act of 1986 made investing in horses less profitable than it had been in previous years. She gradually began to divest herself of horses, while retaining the main breeding facility in Lexington, Kentucky, and the training facility in Aiken, South Carolina. Betsey Cushing Whitney sold Greentree Stud (Lexington, Kentucky) in 1989 and Greentree Stable (Aiken, South Carolina) a year later. Betsey Cushing Whitney retained shares of several syndicates and owned several horses until she retired from racing and breeding in 1994, permanently retiring Greentree’s racing colors (salmon pink and black striped sleeves with a black cap) at the same time.
From the guide to the Greentree Stud and Stable records, 1903-2000, (Manuscripts and Archives)
