Ben F. Whitaker
Encyclopedia
Ben F. Whitaker was a Dallas, Texas
oilman with producing properties throughout the state of Texas, an owner of the Hotel Whitmore in Dallas, and a major owner and breeder of Thoroughbred
racehorses including two Champions
.
Ben Whitaker began racing horses under his wife's name in the 1930s with stables based at Garland, Texas
. His horses competed at the Arlington Downs racetrack located between Fort Worth
and Dallas but after racing was banned in the state of Texas he relocated his operations to Lexington, Kentucky
.
During his time in racing, Ben Whitaker employed trainers Jack Howard, "Blackie" McCoole, and future Hall of Fame
inductee Jimmy Conway
who was in charge from 1946 until Whitaker's death in 1954. The owner of horses that won 231 races, among Whitaker's top runners were:
In April of 1954, sixty-year-old Ben Whitaker suffered a heart attack and died a week later in a Dallas hospital.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
oilman with producing properties throughout the state of Texas, an owner of the Hotel Whitmore in Dallas, and a major owner and breeder of Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses including two Champions
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
.
Ben Whitaker began racing horses under his wife's name in the 1930s with stables based at Garland, Texas
Garland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
. His horses competed at the Arlington Downs racetrack located between Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
and Dallas but after racing was banned in the state of Texas he relocated his operations to Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
During his time in racing, Ben Whitaker employed trainers Jack Howard, "Blackie" McCoole, and future Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee Jimmy Conway
James P. Conway
James P. Conway was an American Hall of Fame trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing who trained forty-three stakes winners including five Champions and a winner of two American Classic Races....
who was in charge from 1946 until Whitaker's death in 1954. The owner of horses that won 231 races, among Whitaker's top runners were:
- Requested - purchased for $1300 - at two he won seven stakes races. Sire of Champion, Miss Request.
- My Request - won 16 stakes races at age two through five including the Wood MemorialWood Memorial StakesThe Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
- Miss RequestMiss RequestMiss Request was an American Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Bred by Dallas, Texas businessman Ben Whitaker and raced under his wife's name, his sire was Requested, a good runner who won the 1942 Wood Memorial Stakes...
- American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1948) - Grecian QueenGrecian QueenGrecian Queen was an American Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. She was bred by Dallas, Texas businessman Ben Whitaker and raced under his wife's name. A consistently good and durable runner at age two and three, she won at distances from five and one half furlongs to a mile and three...
- American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly (1953)
In April of 1954, sixty-year-old Ben Whitaker suffered a heart attack and died a week later in a Dallas hospital.