Brushwood Stable's Betty Moran Dies at 89

Elizabeth "Betty" Ranney Moran, the owner and breeder of multiple grade 1 winners through Brushwood Stable, died peacefully Jan. 23 at home in Malvern, Pa. She was 89.

Moran was born Aug. 7, 1930, in Bryn Mawr, Pa., to Claude (1971) and Frances Buck Ranney (1937). In 1942, she and her father moved to Brushwood Farm, a dairy farm in Willistown Township. She spent holidays and summers with extended family in Barryville, N.Y., and enjoyed farm life and animals in her free time.

She attended Mary Washington College in Virginia and while home from school she met her husband, James Maxwell Moran, at St. Patrick's Church in Malvern as he passed the collection plate. Their lives together involved their children, horse shows, fox hunting, trips to the beach in Avalon, and both flat racing and steeplechase racing.

Moran enjoyed success as an owner with Creme Fraiche, the first gelding to win the Belmont Stakes (G1) in 1985 and a two-time winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1); Arlington Million (G1T) and Secretariat Stakes (G1T) winner Kicken Kris; Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) winner Mushka; and Papillon, winner of the Grand National steeplechase in England.

As a breeder, Brushwood produced two-time champion Unique Bella, grade 1-producing stallion Hard Spun , grade 1-winning juvenile and 3-year-old High Yield, and Whitney Handicap (G1) victor Unaccounted For. Her Brushwood Stable is the breeder of European champion 3-year-old filly Russian Rhythm (Kingambo—Balistroika, by Nijinsky II), who counted the 2003 Sagitta One Thousand Guineas (G1) among her four group 1 scores for owner Cheveley Park Stud.

Moran was an avid supporter of her community and organizations such as Thorncroft, Home of the Sparrow, Chester County Boy Scouts, The Barn at Spring Brook Farm, Community Volunteers in Medicine, and the Chester County Food Bank.

She was preceded in death by her husband (1989) and her son James Maxwell Moran Jr. (2008). She is survived by her children Michael Moran (Anne), Frances Abbott (Franny), Elizabeth Legnini (Bob), Ranney Moran (Terri), and Caroline Moran, as well as her 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren who knew her as "Chummy."

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life service Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. at Saint David's Episcopal Church, located at 763 South Valley Forge Road Wayne, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Moran's name can be made to Community Volunteers in Medicine (cvim.org) at 300 Lawrence Dr., Ste. B, West Chester, PA 19380 or to the Chester County Food Bank (chestercountyfoodbank.org) at 650 Pennsylvania Dr., Exton, PA 19341.