Ethel Veronica Mars (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Healy; June 1884 – December 25, 1945) was an American businesswoman and racehorse owner. She was Ethel Veronica Healy prior to her marriage in 1910 to Franklin Clarence Mars, the founder of the candy company Mars Inc. In 1930, she and her husband purchased a 2,800 acre property in

Giles County, Tennessee Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borde ...

, where they built Milky Way Farm. There, they raised

Hereford cattle The Hereford is a British List of cattle breeds, breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It was the result of selective breeding from the mid-eighteenth century by a few famil ...

as well as bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorses which were trained on a racetrack built on the property.

Early life

Ethel Veronica Kruppenbacher was born in June 25, 1884, in

Petersburg, North Dakota Petersburg is a city in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 162 at the time of the 2020 census. History Petersburg was founded in 1884. Politician Martin N. Johnson and neighbor Levi H. Peterson owned land along th ...

Milky Way Farm Stable

The

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 ...

stable of Ethel and Franklin Mars began competing at major eastern United States racetracks in 1934 and following her husband's death that year, Ethel Mars took charge of all operations. Wanting to expand her racing and develop her bloodstock, from 1935 through 1942 she was a major spender for well-bred yearlings at the Saratoga spring sales. In 1936, her Milky Way Farm stable's race winnings totaled $206,450, making the Milky Way Farm stable the year's most successful owner on the United States thoroughbred racing circuit. In 1935, her filly Forever Yours, trained by Robert V. McGarvey was voted

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving ...

. In 1937, her filly Mars Shield won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

. Then on May 4, 1940, Ethel Mars had her greatest single achievement in racing with her colt

Gallahadion Gallahadion (March 31, 1937 – July 7, 1958) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the 1940 winner of the Kentucky Derby. He was a son of the Champion sire Sir Gallahad III, and his dam-sire was U.S. Horse of the Year Reigh Count ...

. Trained by

Roy Waldron Roy J. Waldron (April 3, 1894 – May 15, 1963) was a batboy for the History of the St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Browns before he turned to Horse trainer, training Thoroughbred racehorses. He is best known for winning the 1940 Kentucky Derby with G ...

and ridden by

Carroll Bierman Carroll M. Bierman (October 22, 1918 – March 22, 1970) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey born in Centralia, Illinois. In 1940, he won the Kentucky Derby on Gallahadion in an upset over heavily favored Bimelech. That Derby r ...

, Gallahadion won the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. Declining health in the years following her Kentucky Derby win saw Ethel Mars wind down her racing and operations. A resident of

River Forest, Illinois River Forest is a suburban village adjacent to Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 11,717. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University (Ill ...

, Ethel Mars died at age sixty-one on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1945 in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, where she had been visiting.''Baltimore Sun'' - December 26, 1945
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Ethel V. 1884 births 1945 deaths American racehorse owners and breeders 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen Businesspeople in confectionery People from River Forest, Illinois Mars family