Edith Woodward Bancroft was a prominent American owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racing horses who made significant contributions to the sport during the mid-20th century. Born in 1905, she developed a highly respected breeding operation that produced some of the era's most competitive and celebrated racehorses, securing her family's legacy in American turf history.
Bancroft is most famous for breeding and racing Damascus, a legendary Thoroughbred who dominated the racing scene in the late 1960s. Damascus was named the American Horse of the Year in 1967 and was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974. His enduring legacy was further cemented when Blood-Horse magazine ranked him 16th on its prestigious list of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century.
Beyond the extraordinary success of Damascus, Bancroft's breeding program produced other high-caliber athletes. Notably, she bred Cloudy Dawn, a talented colt who won the Arlington Handicap and the Dwyer Stakes, and went on to finish third behind the champion Riva Ridge in the 1972 Belmont Stakes. Through these achievements, Bancroft established herself as a distinguished figure in the American racing community.
