Barbara Phipps Janney (1911– November 30, 1987) was an American socialite, sportsperson, and thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. A member of the

Phipps family The Phipps family of the United States is a prominent American family that descends from Henry Phipps Jr. (1839–1930), a businessman and philanthropist. His father was an English shoemaker who immigrated in the early part of the 19th century ...

, she and her husband Stuart Symington Janney Jr. were best known for being the owners of the ill-fated Ruffian.

Biography

Barbara Phipps was born in

Roslyn, New York Roslyn ( ) is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,988 at the time of the 2020 census. ...

in 1911, the daughter of

Gladys Mills Phipps Gladys Mills Phipps (June 19, 1883 – October 19, 1970) was an American socialite, sportsperson, and a thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder who began the Phipps family dynasty in American horse racing. She was known as the "first lady of th ...

and Henry Carnegie Phipps. Phipps grew up on Long Island, and was educated in both New York and Europe. In July 1929, she made her debut as a debutante in New York. As a youth, she was known for her proficiency as a tennis player and equestrienne. On June 8, 1936, she married Stuart S. Janney Jr., a Baltimore attorney, amateur jockey and winner of the

Maryland Hunt Cup The Maryland Hunt Cup is a Timber race, which is an American Steeplechase. It was first run on May 26 1894 and won by Johnny Miller. Eight horses have won the race three times but no horse has won it four times. It is considered one of the mos ...

. That year, they purchased the 400-acre Locust Hill Farm in

Glyndon, Maryland Glyndon is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1871 by Dr. Charles A. Leas, the village is located in the northwest section of Baltimore County and is primarily a residential suburb of metropolita ...

, where they would keep horses for recreation, participating in steeplechase racing and fox hunting.

Horse racing and Locust Hill Farms

Ruffian na torze Aqueduct Racetrack w Nowym Jorku

The Phipps family enjoyed many connections to

thoroughbred racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

. Barbara Phipps Janney became involved with the horse industry at an early age, as the daughter of "The First Lady of the Turf". Her grandfather Ogden Mills owned horse racing stables in both the United States and France. Her mother and uncle

Ogden Livingston Mills Ogden Livingston Mills (August 23, 1884 – October 11, 1937) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Treasury in President Herbert Hoover's cabinet, during which time Mills pushed for tax ...

led the

Wheatley Stable Wheatley Stable was the ''nom de course '' for the thoroughbred horse racing partnership formed by Gladys Mills Phipps and her brother, Ogden Livingston Mills. The horses were raised at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky. History Over the years ...

, a horse racing and breeding partnership known for breeding champion racehorses including

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-hors ...

and

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 12, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

. By the 1950s, Barbara and her husband began breeding racehorses on a small scale at Locust Hill, encouraged by Barbara's mother. Barbara Phipps's family gave the couple their first three mares for their breeding operation, Bold Irish, Step Over and Vowed. One of their early success stories, the mare Shenanigans was born in 1963. She would found a dynasty of champions for the couple, whose progeny would include Icecapade,

Private Terms Private Terms (April 6, 1985 – January 22, 2010) was a millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful stallion. He was the son of Private Account, who in turn was the son of the great Damascus. Bred in Kentucky by Stuart Janney, Jr. ...

and Ruffian. Barbara and her husband Stuart Janney would go on to produce 19 homebred stakes winners with their Locust Hill Farms stable.

Ruffian

In 1975, Barbara and Stuart S. Janney's champion filly Ruffian was undefeated and a winner for the filly triple crown. Considered one of the world's most impressive racehorses, and the greatest filly in North American thoroughbred racing history, she was fatally injured during a

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams cons ...

against the champion colt

Foolish Pleasure Foolish Pleasure (March 23, 1972 – November 17, 1994) was an American bay Thoroughbred race horse who won the 1975 Kentucky Derby. Background Foolish Pleasure was a bay horse bred at Williston, Florida by Waldemar Farms, Inc. He was owned by ...

Personal life and death

She and Stuart Janney had four children, including Stuart S. Janney III, who would follow his parents' interest in horse racing. Alongside racing, Janney was known for her love of traditional field sports, including sports fishing and fox hunting, past times shared by many in the Phipps family. Janney died at home in Glyndon, Maryland on November 30, 1987 at 76 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janney, Barbara Phipps 1911 births 1987 deaths American socialites Racehorse owners and breeders Phipps family People from Roslyn, New York Horse racing in Maryland