Retired Horseman Stanley T. Greene Dies

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Stanley T. Greene, who trained for Alfred G. Vanderbilt and Liz Whitney Tippett, died March 12 in a hospital near Purcellville, Va. He was 82.

Son of a trainer, Greene was raised in Leesburg, Va. When he was 12, he developed the world champion show horse Queen of Sheba and, at the personal invitation of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, rode the mare in FDR's 1933 inauguration alongside legendary cowboy Tom Mix.

In the mid-1950s, Greene and his good friend, Frank Wright, put their horses up for the winter, pooled their money, bought one sports coat, and headed off to Florida, where a brief and friendly conversation with Gustave's Ring's wife (on the day it was Greene's turn to wear the sports coat), led to a breakthrough opportunity to train a formidable stable. For Ring, Greene trained major winner Don Poggio.

Greene also conditioned important stakes winner Divine Comedy for Liz Whitney Tippett's Llangollen Farm and trained for Vanderbilt through the mid-to-late 1960s before retiring to become a state steward at Charles Town.

In the 1970s, Greene founded Virginia Stallion Station, notable for standing the famous amputee Spanish Riddle, who sired multiple grade I winner Love Sign.

In addition to Ann, his wife of 53 years, Greene leaves behind two sons: Stanley "True" Greene III, who managed James and Alice Mills' Hickory Tree Farm in Virginia, and current trainer Thomas "Tuck" Greene. Greene also is survived by a brother, Marvin, who managed Catoctin Stud for Bertram Firestone.

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