frances dodge johnson van lennep
Year of Birth:
1914
Immortal:
Yes
DriverTrainer:
Yes
OwnerBreeder:
Yes
Driver:
Yes
Owner:
Yes
Elected as Immortal:
1971
Year of Death:
1971
Biography:
A famed horsewoman, Frances Dodge Johnson Van Lennep founded the Dodge Stable. It was in the early 1940s that she became interested in harness racing and in 1945 purchased Castleton Farm in Kentucky. She operated the farm with the help of her husband, Frederick Van Lennep, whom she married in 1949. Van Lennep rode Greyhound to saddle for a 2:01 3/4 world mark which stood until 1994. Mrs. Van Lennep's Castleton Farm produced such outstanding performers as Hoot Mon, Ensign Hanover and Horse of the Year winners Victory Song (1947), Emily's Pride (1958) and Speedy Scot (1963).
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals