John M. Gaver, Sr.

Who was John M. Gaver, Sr.?

John Milton Gaver, Sr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.

Born in Mount Airy, Maryland, John Gaver graduated from Princeton University then worked as a prep school language teacher before eventually embarking on a career in Thoroughbred racing. In 1929, James G. Rowe, Jr., a friend and horse trainer, invited him to join the team managing the Brookdale Farm and racing stable owned by Harry Payne Whitney.

After Harry Payne Whitney died in 1930, James Rowe, Jr. took over the running of the Mrs. Payne Whitney family's Greentree Stable and asked John Gaver to come with him. In 1939, Gaver was appointed head trainer for Greentree Stable, a position he would hold for the next thirty-eight years. During his time with Greentree, John Gaver conditioned seventy-three stakes-winning horses, including winners of five American Classic Races. Four of his horses earned Champions honors with Capot and Tom Fool voted Horse of the Year in 1946 and 1953 respectively.

In 1966 John Gaver was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In 1977 he suffered a stroke and his son John Jr. took over as trainer for the Greentree Stable.