Liz Whitney Tippett
Encyclopedia
Mary Elizabeth Whitney Person Tippett (born Mary Elizabeth Altemus) (18 June 1906 – 30 October 1988) was a wealthy American socialite
and philanthropist
who was a champion horsewoman
and for more than fifty years, a prominent owner/breeder of Thoroughbred
racehorses
.
Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Dobson and her husband Lemuel Coffin Altemus, a wealthy entrepreneur who made his success in the textile
business. "Liz", as she would become known throughout her life, developed a love of horses and equestrian
competitions at an early age. A 1939 TIME
magazine article describes her as "a spirited, devil-may-care rider who has been winning blue ribbon
s on the horseshow circuit for 15 years" and whose "riding technique became the very pattern for aspiring horsewomen."
, a member of the extremely wealthy Whitney family
of New York. Jock Whitney's grandfather, father and uncle were all heavily involved in Thoroughbred
horse racing
. For their 1930 marriage, he bought his bride Llangollen estate
, a large and historic property off Trappe Road west of Upperville, Virginia
at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains
.
Eight miles from the village of Middleburg
, the area had long been home to many horse farms
and since the mid-19th century, a center for equestrian
events. By the early part of the 20th century Thoroughbred
breeding operations were gaining importance and in 1930, Liz Whitney would be one of the first of a number of prominent personalities in Thoroughbred horse racing who would develop substantial and important breeding operations. Others who came to the area include heiress Isabel Dodge Sloane
, who built the highly successful Brookmeade Stud
, the very prestigious Rokeby Farm
of Paul Mellon
, Jack Kent Cooke's
Kent Farms, and the Newstead Farm of Diana M. Firestone and her husband Bertram. Since the early 1960s, for two days each year more than ten horse farms and centers in Upperville and Middleburg open their gates to visitors. The Hunt Country Stable Tour http://www.middleburgonline.com/stabletour/ raises money for the outreach programs of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville.
A prominent part of the hunt set, Liz Whitney was a member of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show for many years and has a place on the organizations Wall of Honor.
In the 1930s, she owned a string of successful racehorses, winning the 1931 Adirondack Stakes with her filly
Brocado and with Stepenfetchit, won the 1932 Latonia Derby
and ran third in the Kentucky Derby
. With her colt Singing Wood, Liz Whitney won the 1933 Belmont Futurity Stakes, the 1934 Withers Stakes
and Queens County Handicap
. In 1936 Singing Wood won the Toboggan Handicap
at Belmont Park
in Elmont, New York
and when her husband's business interest took the couple to Hollywood, the colt raced there and won the 1936 Santa Margarita Handicap.
Divorced in June 1940, Liz Whitney retained the Virginia estate and in Upperville in June 1948, she married for a second time to Dr. E. Cooper Person, Jr., a surgery professor. She would be married a third time in November 1954 in Washington, D.C.
to a forty-year-old public-relations man named Richard Lunn. Her fourth marriage, in 1960, was to Col. Cloyce J. Tippett (1913–1993). This marriage, her longest, lasted until her death in 1988.
Following her divorce from Jock Whitney, in its March 16, 1942 issue, TIME magazine reported that Liz Whitney planned to concentrate on racing and would sell all but one of her show horses. Nonetheless, she remained very active in equestrian sport for many years and race horses in both flat racing
and steeplechase
events under the name of Llangollen Farm. She imported bloodstock from Europe
for breeding purposes and over the years expanded operations to breed horses in Ocala, Florida
and in Ireland
.
She also purchased a farm property on Fitch Road in the town of Saratoga, New York
. The house, built in the 1770s, was used as her residence during the racing season at nearby Saratoga Race Course
where many of America's horse racing elite gathered each summer. Sold in 1971, the property today is owned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC. Her stable colors of purple and pink on farm structures in time have given way to the more modest colors for McMahon of green and white.
Whitney worked with notable trainers
such as future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Henry S. Clark
who got his first stakes win with her colt, Blue Cypress. Other trainers of note who conditioned Llangollen Farm horses were James W. Healy, Stanley T. Greene, Frank H. Merrill, Jr. and another future Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham who got his big break when she hired him to run her California stable. In 1953, Whittingham trained his first Champion
in the form of her two-year-old colt, Porterhouse
. She bred Sherluck
, winner of the 1961 Belmont Stakes
.
Some other successful racehorses owned by Liz Whitney Tippett included:
At her Llangollen estate, Liz Whitney entertained celebrities and politicians as well as personalities involved in the racing world such as Bing Crosby
, Eddie Arcaro
and Prince Aly Khan
. Always a free spirit, in a 2001 book titled The Middleburg Mystique, author Vicky Moon recounted how Whitney hosted wild hunt balls and of the time when she brought her favorite horse into the mansion's great room
. Moon's book also says that she kept thirty-five dogs with the most beloved ones stored in her deep freezer after they died.
, Children's Organ Transplant Association
, Baptist Health South Florida Foundation, Parkinson's Disease Foundation
, University of Miami
, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
, and Push America
.
Mary Elizabeth Altemus Whitney Person Lunn Tippett died of cancer
in 1988 at Llangollen Farm. In 2004, she was inducted posthumously in the Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame.
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who was a champion horsewoman
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and for more than fifty years, a prominent owner/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
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania is a suburban community located outside of Philadelphia in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Wynnewood was named in 1691 for Dr. Thomas Wynne, William Penn's physician and the first Speaker of the Pennsylvania General...
, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Dobson and her husband Lemuel Coffin Altemus, a wealthy entrepreneur who made his success in the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
business. "Liz", as she would become known throughout her life, developed a love of horses and equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
competitions at an early age. A 1939 TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine article describes her as "a spirited, devil-may-care rider who has been winning blue ribbon
Blue ribbon
The blue ribbon is a term used to describe or symbolize something of high quality. The usage came from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners—and prior to that from Cordon Bleu which referred to the blue ribbon worn by a particular order...
s on the horseshow circuit for 15 years" and whose "riding technique became the very pattern for aspiring horsewomen."
Llangollen estate
Through her social standing and involvement with horses, Liz Altemus met and married John Hay "Jock" WhitneyJohn Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
, a member of the extremely wealthy Whitney family
Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635.-Rise to prominence:...
of New York. Jock Whitney's grandfather, father and uncle were all heavily involved in 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...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. For their 1930 marriage, he bought his bride Llangollen estate
Llangollen estate
Llangollen estate is an historic American horse and cattle farm located in western Loudoun County, Virginia on Trappe Rd. near Upperville at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Eight miles from the town of Middleburg, the area is home to a number of prominent Thoroughbred-breeding farms and...
, a large and historic property off Trappe Road west of Upperville, Virginia
Upperville, Virginia
Upperville is an unincorporated community in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, located along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C.. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally named Carrstown by first settler Josephus Carr...
at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
.
Eight miles from the village of Middleburg
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.-History:The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per...
, the area had long been home to many horse farms
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
and since the mid-19th century, a center for equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
events. By the early part of the 20th century 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...
breeding operations were gaining importance and in 1930, Liz Whitney would be one of the first of a number of prominent personalities in Thoroughbred horse racing who would develop substantial and important breeding operations. Others who came to the area include heiress Isabel Dodge Sloane
Isabel Dodge Sloane
Isabel Cleves Dodge Sloane was an American heiress and socialite who owned a major Thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm....
, who built the highly successful Brookmeade Stud
Brookmeade Stable
Brookmeade Stable was a successful thoroughbred horse racing stable owned by heiress and socialite Isabel Dodge Sloane. Sloane first won using the name Brookmeade Stable at the Manly Memorial Steeplechase at Pimlico in 1924....
, the very prestigious Rokeby Farm
Rokeby Stables
Rokeby Stables was an American thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Upperville, Virginia involved with both steeplechase and flat racing. The operation was established in the late 1940s by Paul Mellon who won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder in 1971 and again in 1986...
of Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
, Jack Kent Cooke's
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
Kent Farms, and the Newstead Farm of Diana M. Firestone and her husband Bertram. Since the early 1960s, for two days each year more than ten horse farms and centers in Upperville and Middleburg open their gates to visitors. The Hunt Country Stable Tour http://www.middleburgonline.com/stabletour/ raises money for the outreach programs of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville.
A prominent part of the hunt set, Liz Whitney was a member of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show for many years and has a place on the organizations Wall of Honor.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Following her marriage to Jock Whitney, the new Mrs. Whitney immediately became involved in Thoroughbred racing. Not satisfied to watch her husband race horses, she set up her own operations and made her Llangollen home a major breeding and training center. On the property she constructed a variety of equine fittings, including a famous horseshoe-shaped barn, stud barn and broodmare sheds, tack rooms, paddocks, and a training track.In the 1930s, she owned a string of successful racehorses, winning the 1931 Adirondack Stakes with her filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Brocado and with Stepenfetchit, won the 1932 Latonia Derby
Latonia Derby
The Latonia Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1883 through 1937 at Latonia Race Track in Latonia, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, for its first 52 years the Latonia Derby was contested at a mile and a half; in 1935, the race was shortened to a mile and a...
and ran third in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. With her colt Singing Wood, Liz Whitney won the 1933 Belmont Futurity Stakes, the 1934 Withers Stakes
Withers Stakes
The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
and Queens County Handicap
Queens County Handicap
The Queens County Handicap is an American Grade III Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York...
. In 1936 Singing Wood won the Toboggan Handicap
Toboggan Handicap
The Toboggan Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first week of March at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, New York. Open to horses aged three and older, the Grade III event is contested over at a distance of six furlongs on the dirt and offers a purse of $100,000 ...
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
in Elmont, New York
Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...
and when her husband's business interest took the couple to Hollywood, the colt raced there and won the 1936 Santa Margarita Handicap.
Divorced in June 1940, Liz Whitney retained the Virginia estate and in Upperville in June 1948, she married for a second time to Dr. E. Cooper Person, Jr., a surgery professor. She would be married a third time in November 1954 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to a forty-year-old public-relations man named Richard Lunn. Her fourth marriage, in 1960, was to Col. Cloyce J. Tippett (1913–1993). This marriage, her longest, lasted until her death in 1988.
Following her divorce from Jock Whitney, in its March 16, 1942 issue, TIME magazine reported that Liz Whitney planned to concentrate on racing and would sell all but one of her show horses. Nonetheless, she remained very active in equestrian sport for many years and race horses in both flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
and steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
events under the name of Llangollen Farm. She imported bloodstock from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for breeding purposes and over the years expanded operations to breed horses in Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
and in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
She also purchased a farm property on Fitch Road in the town of Saratoga, New York
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
. The house, built in the 1770s, was used as her residence during the racing season at nearby Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
where many of America's horse racing elite gathered each summer. Sold in 1971, the property today is owned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC. Her stable colors of purple and pink on farm structures in time have given way to the more modest colors for McMahon of green and white.
Whitney worked with notable trainers
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
such as future U.S. Racing 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 Henry S. Clark
Henry S. Clark
Henry S. Clark was an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. He was the grandson of William Jennings, an owner-trainer who won the 1887 Preakness Stakes....
who got his first stakes win with her colt, Blue Cypress. Other trainers of note who conditioned Llangollen Farm horses were James W. Healy, Stanley T. Greene, Frank H. Merrill, Jr. and another future Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham who got his big break when she hired him to run her California stable. In 1953, Whittingham trained his first Champion
Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse
The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971....
in the form of her two-year-old colt, Porterhouse
Porterhouse (horse)
Porterhouse was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Liz Person and raced under her Llangollen Farm banner, Porterhouse was a son of the Argentine-bred Endeavour who also sired Corn Husker, Prove It and Pretense, three top runners who each won the Santa Anita Handicap. His dam was...
. She bred Sherluck
Sherluck
Sherluck was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1961 Belmont Stakes and ending Carry Back's chance to win the U.S. Triple Crown....
, winner of the 1961 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
Some other successful racehorses owned by Liz Whitney Tippett included:
- Corn Husker - won L. E. Stoddard Jr. Steeplechase in 1956 and in 1957 flat racingFlat racingFlat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
won the San GabrielSan Gabriel HandicapThe San Gabriel Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California at the close of each year. The Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf and offers a purse of $150,000.First run in 1935, it...
and San Juan Capistrano Handicap and the prestigious Santa Anita HandicapSanta Anita HandicapThe Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season... - Divine Comedy - won the 1960 Saranac HandicapSaranac HandicapThe Saranac Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Grade III stakes is open to Three-year-old horses and is raced on turf over a distance of 1³/16 miles...
- Gone Fishin - third in the 1958 Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
- Lord Derby - won 1972 San Luis Obispo HandicapSan Luis Obispo HandicapThe San Luis Obispo Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one and one-half miles on the turf...
- Mister Gus - won 1956 San Antonio HandicapSan Antonio HandicapThe San Antonio Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
and 1956 Arlington HandicapArlington HandicapThe Arlington Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1929 at Arlington Park racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Open to 3-Year-Olds & Up, it is currently a Grade III stakes run in July at a distance of 1¼ miles on turf... - Nashville - won 1957 Palos Verdes HandicapPalos Verdes HandicapThe Palos Verdes Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade II event, it is open to horses age four and up, willing to race six furlongs on dirt. It carries a purse of $150,000.In 1971, the Palos Verdes...
- PorterhousePorterhouse (horse)Porterhouse was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Liz Person and raced under her Llangollen Farm banner, Porterhouse was a son of the Argentine-bred Endeavour who also sired Corn Husker, Prove It and Pretense, three top runners who each won the Santa Anita Handicap. His dam was...
- 1953 Champion 2-year-old colt. Won the Belmont Futurity Stakes, San Carlos HandicapSan Carlos HandicapThe San Carlos Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at during the third week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
(1955, 1956), Santa Barbara HandicapSanta Barbara HandicapThe Santa Barbara Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade II event open to fillies and mares, age four and older, it is contested of turf over a distance of one and a quarter miles.Inaugurated in 1935, through...
(1956), defeated SwapsSwaps (horse)Swaps was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. He was the son of Khaled, a stallion imported from the Aga Khan's stud in Europe. Swaps goes back to the immortal Man o' War, via his dam, Iron Reward, through the Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. In the list of the top 100 U.S...
in the 1956 Californian StakesCalifornian StakesThe Californian Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade II event is open to horses age three and up willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt... - Pretense - won numerous stakes races including the 1967 Santa Anita HandicapSanta Anita HandicapThe Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up , and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season...
and finished second to Native DiverNative DiverNative Diver was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Louis K. Shapiro who had claimed his dam, Fleet Diver, the daughter of Devil Diver out of Our Fleet by Count Fleet. Despite the fact that her immediate lineage included members of Blood-Horse magazine List of the...
in the 1968 Hollywood Gold CupHollywood Gold CupThe Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions... - Restless Runner - won 1971 Baldwin StakesBaldwin StakesThe Baldwin Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade III event for three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf at a distance of about six and one-half furlongs....
- Restless Wind - won 1958 Washington Park Futurity, Arlington Futurity, Tremont StakesTremont StakesThe Tremont Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually for 2-year-olds at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.Due to the troubled economy in 2008, the Tremont was canceled by the NYRA as they adjusted races to meet the new Grade I standard purse of $300,000. The Tremont Stakes was...
. He was the leading Florida-based stallion during the mid-sixties. - Royal Living - won 1959 San Juan Capistrano Handicap
- Social Climber - won 1956 San Felipe StakesSan Felipe StakesThe San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently...
At her Llangollen estate, Liz Whitney entertained celebrities and politicians as well as personalities involved in the racing world such as Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
and Prince Aly Khan
Prince Aly Khan
Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan , known as Aly Khan was a son of Aga Khan III, the head of the Ismaili Muslims, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth...
. Always a free spirit, in a 2001 book titled The Middleburg Mystique, author Vicky Moon recounted how Whitney hosted wild hunt balls and of the time when she brought her favorite horse into the mansion's great room
Great room
thumb|A great roomThe term great room denotes a room space within an abode which combines the specific functions of several of the more traditional room spaces into a singular unified space...
. Moon's book also says that she kept thirty-five dogs with the most beloved ones stored in her deep freezer after they died.
Philanthropy
The Liz Whitney Tippett Foundation supports numerous causes such American as Best Buddies InternationalBest Buddies International
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501 organization. It consists of volunteers that attempt to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities ....
, Children's Organ Transplant Association
Children's Organ Transplant Association
The Children's Organ Transplant Association is a 5013 organization based in Bloomington, Indiana that helps children and young adults who need a life-saving organ, bone marrow, cord blood, tissue or stem cell transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support.COTA was founded in...
, Baptist Health South Florida Foundation, Parkinson's Disease Foundation
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
PanCAN
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a 5013 non-profit that funds research, provides patient support, conducts community outreach and advocates for increased federal research funding for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. This year, over 42,000 Americans will be...
, and Push America
Push America
Push America is a 501 non-profit organization, founded in 1977 through Pi Kappa Phi as a way for undergraduate fraternity brothers to experience leadership development through service of people with disabilities...
.
Mary Elizabeth Altemus Whitney Person Lunn Tippett died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1988 at Llangollen Farm. In 2004, she was inducted posthumously in the Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame.