Gertrude T. Widener


Gertrude T. Widener was an American socialite and a successful Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Born in Albany, New York, she was the daughter of Curtis N. Douglas, a businessman and New York State Senator.

Life

Known to her friends as "Gertie," she was married firstly to Frederick G. Peabody, a successful men's clothing manufacturer. Together, they adopted a girl named Joan, who was the natural daughter of Edward C. Johnson and Alice Brandt.
The couple divorced in 1924, and in November of that year, she remarried to Peter Arrell Browne Widener II, a prominent Philadelphian. He was the elder child and only son of Joseph E. Widener, from a family heavily involved in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. In 1925, Joseph Widener had the stables at his Lynnewood Hall estate converted into a home for his son and daughter-in-law.
She and her husband both owned Thoroughbred racehorses, and after his death in 1948, she continued to own, breed and race Thoroughbreds with considerable success both in the United States and in France, where Joseph Widener had maintained a second home and operated a racing stable.
By the mid-1950s, she was living almost full-time in Paris. She remained there until 1968, when her failing health led to her returning home to New York City in 1968, where she died from cancer on February 3, 1970. Her remains were returned to Philadelphia for burial next to her second husband at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Thoroughbred racing

Gertrude Widener owned Ampola, who became the foundation mare for her French breeding operation. The principal trainer of her racing stable based in France was Etienne Pollet, who remained with her until she dispersed her stable in 1968. Her filly Hula Dancer won the British Classic 1,000 Guineas Stakes in 1966, and that same year, her filly Right Away won the French equivalent, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.
Her horses twice won the Prix Maurice de Gheest, Critérium International, Prix Robert Papin and Prix Daphnis. She also won the Prix Morny three times. As of 2009, she still holds the record for most wins in the Prix de Fontainebleau with four, plus the record for most wins in the Prix du Bois with five.
During her thirty-plus years in racing, she bred or raced four champions:
She notably bred and raced Dan Cupid, sire of Sea Bird, whose 145 Timeform rating is the highest in flat racing history. Her daughter Ella owned Happy Hill Farm in Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and bred Thoroughbreds, including the very important sire, Raise a Native.