By Each year High Hope acknowledges the three trainers who have the most successful race day at High Hope Steeplechase. The Trainer Bonus awards are given in memory of Thomas H. Voss. Tom raced horses at High hope for many years, winning four races in one day with jockey Jonathan Kiser.
Tom Voss was a lifelong horseman and an important part of the fabric that makes up steeplechasing in this country. He started as an amateur rider, showing his skills in the Maryland Hunt Cup, known to be the toughest timber race in the United States. He left his riding career to train both steeplechase and flat runners in 1973. Tom saw his first win in 1975 at My Ladyโs Manor. He went on to win five National Steeplechase Championships as leading trainer. He won the Maryland Hunt Cup back to back (1998/1999) with Florida Law and Welter Weight. He won the American Grand National in 2001. Tom raced at Saratoga, Belmont, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and numerous other tracks with steeplechasers and flat runners.
Tom and his family lived at Atlanta Hall Farm in Maryland which was purchased by his grandfather Edward Voss in 1930. He built the farm into a state-of-the-art training facility where he trained daily. He and his family hosted the Elkridge-Harford point to point there annually, as did his grandfather. Tom also served as joint master of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt. Tom and his riders could often be seen conditioning his race horses with the hunt. His strong ties to the land and family made him a key player in preservation in his community. Tom was also the nephew of sporting artist Franklin Voss.
Tom Voss had a broad sense of humor. While he was a man of few words, when he spoke, everyone listened. Be it personal or professional, it was always worth hearing.
Sadly, Tom Voss passed away unexpectedly on January 21, 2014. He leaves a large void in the racing community as well as in the lives of all who had the great fortune of calling him a friend. He is survived by his wife Mimi, a son Sam and daughter Elizabeth who, with her husband, has taken the reins of the Voss training stable.
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