Elizabeth R. Moran, an owner and breeder of horses in Chester County, dies at 89

Elizabeth Ranney Moran, 89, of Willistown, an owner and breeder of thoroughbred horses through her well-known Brushwood Stable in Chester County, died Thursday, Jan. 23, of cardiopulmonary failure at her home.

Born in Bryn Mawr to Claude J. and Frances Buck Ranney, Mrs. Moran, known as “Betty,” lost her mother at a very young age. She and her father moved to Brushwood Farm, a dairy farm in Willistown Township, in 1942.

As a young girl, she went to live at Mater Misericordia Academy, now Merion Mercy Academy in Wynnewood. As a teenager, she was a boarding student at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr. While there, she made many lifelong friends and was a fierce sports competitor.

She attended what is now the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. On a visit home, she saw James Maxwell Moran passing the collection plate at St. Patrick Church, Malvern. She and “Max” Moran married in 1950 and had six children. Their lives became a whirlwind of activity.

“Betty thrived on the nonstop activity, and Max took it in stride with a sense of humor,” her family said in a statement.

A lover of animals, Mrs. Moran focused her attention on horses, first at fox hunting and pony club events through the Radnor Hunt Club, and at weekend horse shows. Later, she built a successful career racing steeplechasers and horses on a flat course.

In the 1980s, Mrs. Moran began investing in thoroughbred horses, and soon began racing from the Brushwood Stable on the family farm.

While her commercial breeding operation focused on producing horses for sale as yearlings, Mrs. Moran also operated a small racing program over the years, winning the 2004 Arlington Million with Kicken Kris and the 2009 Spinster Stakes with Mushka, according to the Paulick Report, an online horse racing newsletter.

She never lost track of Kicken Kris even after he was sold to Japanese owners for stud work.

“He had an unremarkable stud career for a few years, and thinking that he might be in danger, Mrs. Moran negotiated to bring Kicken Kris safely back home,” Mona Phillips, office manager for the Brushwood Stable, told bloodhorse.com in March 2014. The horse quickly adapted to life back in Pennsylvania.

According to bloodhorse.com, Mrs. Moran enjoyed success as an owner. Her Creme Fraiche was the first gelding to win the Belmont Stakes in 1985 and was a two-time winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Her Papillon won the 2000 Grand National steeplechase in England.

As a breeder, the Brushwood Stable produced two-time champion Unique Bella and a producing stallion, Hard Spun. Her Brushwood Stable also bred European champion Russian Rhythm, the website said.

Mrs. Moran gathered around her a group of women friends who played backgammon, bridge, and rummikub, a game with elements of gin rummy and mah-jongg. “The collective children of these women watched in awe the friendships that were steadfast,” her family said.

She had a passion for travel that took her around the world, but her favorite destinations were the western United States and Maine.

Mrs. Moran supported various Chester County nonprofits with her time and money, including the Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Malvern and Home of the Sparrow, which helps women facing homelessness.

She also supported Community Volunteers in Medicine, Chester County Food Bank, Chester County Boy Scouts, and the Barn at Spring Brook Farm, which provides animal-assisted activities for disabled children.

Mrs. Moran’s motto was, “Be kind, considerate, charitable, and fierce,” she told the Thoroughbred Times in a 2010 profile. She lived it to the letter, her children said.

Mrs. Moran’s husband died in 1989, and a son, James Maxwell Moran Jr., died in 2008. She is survived by children Michael Moran, Frances Abbott, Elizabeth Legnini, Ranney Moran, and Caroline Moran; 15 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

A life celebration service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne. Interment will be private.

Memorial contributions may be made to Community Volunteers in Medicine via https://cvim.org/ or the Chester County Food Bank via https://chestercountyfoodbank.org/.