Maryland Will Miss... Robert Tyree Manfuso


of West Friendship died on March 20. He was 82. Man- fuso owned and operated Chanceland Farm with his longtime partner Katharine Voss. Manfuso grew up in the horse industry and had his first major stakes winner in 1973 with Crackerfax, owned by Fourbros Stables, which in- cluded Manfuso, his brother Tom and the Huguely brothers Jeff and George. More recently, Manfuso, with Voss, bred


the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia at Chanceland. Cathryn Sophia was named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year in 2016, the same year that Manfuso was named Maryland Breeder of the Year. In 1986, Manfuso joined his brother Tom


and Frank J. De Francis and Martin Jacobs in purchasing Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course. Te Manfuso brothers sold their share of the tracks in 1989 after the death of De Francis. Te following year, Manfuso pur- chased the land in Howard County where he built Chanceland. Te facility to this day con- tinues to be a complete racing operation from breeding to foaling to training with numerous local and national success stories.


www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580


Frances Dennis Gould Fox Submitted by her daughter Fran Burns Frances Dennis Gould Fox lived an amazing 92 years! She was born on June 30, 1927 and died on March 20, 2020. Seriously, she never stopped going despite being on oxygen for 15 years and suffering from COPD. She grew up on her family’s farm located at the corner of Falls and Padonia Roads. After marrying, she lived in the Essex Farm tenant house, which was located on Seminary Avenue. Essex was sold when the Baltimore Beltway was built through the farm so she moved back up to West Pa- donia Road to Happy Hopeful Farm, a 120-acre farm given to my mother by her grandfather John M. Dennis. Horses were a huge part of her life. Grow- ing up she fox hunted with Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club and rode the countryside with dear friends Harriet Iglehart and Nancy Maher, to name a few. Tey rode everywhere and jumped everything! She had guts! She


Robert T. Manfuso


rode her horses to the Maryland State Fairgrounds for the Mary- land State Fair and probably won more Hunter awards than I ever knew. She was an amazing equita- tion rider, winning seven Gittings Medals. Yes seven! I was told she was the leading rider in Maryland at one time. Best of all, she was known as a “catch rider,” so she could ride anything! I hear riding stories and I marvel as she never told me or boasted about her rid- ing accomplishments.


She always drove us to our horse shows in “the blue van.” One time she was dressed in her luncheon club clothes: white hat with net- ting, beautiful blue suit, heels and white gloves. She was never a horse show mom. She taught the three of us (Al, Hellen and me) that we needed to work hard, be honest and play fair. After the divorce when we were young, she met


Col. George C. Fox of the U.S. Marine Corps from Warrenton, VA, who shared her love of horses. Tey rode together and never missed a steeplechase in Maryland or Virginia, includ- ing the Maryland Hunt Cup. After marrying George, he was transferred to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina where my mother learned the ways of being a military wife. She took right to it and really loved the parades and festivities. It was there she was introduced to boat-


ing. Tey started with “Guzzle Gut” and soon moved up to “Fox Den.” After retiring from


napolis as an historic tour guide for Tree Centuries Tours for many years where she would greet guests while dressed in Colonial garb. Her extensive knowledge of Maryland and our family history was astounding. George and Fran spent a happy 20+ years


together. After his death and my sister’s death, most people would have struggled to move on. She never stopped. She stayed involved in horses, albeit a bit less directly, with my hors- es on my farm and our beloved special pony Gizmo. She was always very interested in the Tor-


oughbred rescue work I did with MidAtlan- tic Horse Rescue and my other rescue proj- ects. You could often find her at McDonogh Shows, watching my horse Dreamer show. She was very proud of the Hellen Burns Smyth award that we cofounded to remember my sister at the Maryland State Fair. She was especially proud because it was bringing new folks and interest to the State Fair. Her grand- father, John M. Dennis, was the president of the Maryland State Fair and she loved telling people stories about that, especially that he used to put her on the rides to test them. I would like to think she is up in heaven with George, at a horse show with Hellen, drinking her bourbon (as many as she likes now) smil- ing and breathing easily. If that isn’t a life well lived, I don’t know what is! Cheers! I love you Mother Dear!


James Vernon Whalen, Jr., of Sudlersville died on March 24 at the age of 64. Whalen was born in Chester, PA, and left high school to enlist in the U.S. Army. He moved to Mary- land in 1995 and was a self-employed painter and Standardbred racehorse trainer.


Kathleen “Katie” Ward Lehan of Middle- Frances Dennis Gould Fox


USMC, they moved to Arnold where they lived on the Magothy River, boating all over Maryland and down the inland waterways to North Carolina. Fran loved history, Maryland history was her


favorite but she excelled in Baltimore County history. She always could connect people and network like no one else. She worked in An-


town died on March 26 at the age of 34. Le- han was involved with 4-H, Frederick Pony Club and New Market-Middletown Valley Hounds. She graduated from Urbana High School and then Salisbury State University with a degree in Psychology. Her husband Tomas Lehan has been charged with first- degree murder in relation to her death.


Heather Y. Zujkowski was shot and killed


on April 2 outside her home in Mt. Airy. She was 36. She was married but separated from the suspected shooter, Joseph Zujkowski, who took his own life later that day. Heather was a


continued ... MAY 2020 | THE EQUIERY | 47


Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association


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