WEST GROVE, Pa.--Rodman Moorhead, who owned the 2021 Steeplechase Eclipse Award winner The Mean Queen, died Dec. 17.

Rodman Moorhead, second from the left, with Keri Brion, left, at the Eclipse Awards
Moorhead began his thoroughbred racing career with a long and very productive association with Jonathan Sheppard, who trained many winners for the Moorheads..

For years, Sheppard kept his broodmares at Moorhead's farm on Lamborntown Rd. in West Grove, Pa., and eventually Moorhead decided he'd like to see his own mares and foals on his farm.

Sheppard bought him some mares and organized their breeding.

In 2016, Sheppard trained Rose Tree to win the $102,000 Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies Stakes on Nov. 23 and Downhill Racer to win the $100,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes on Dec. 3, the two biggest Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-old filly and colt stakes, both bred by Mr. and Mrs. Rodman Moorhead and raced by Moorhead's Buttonwood Farm.

When Sheppherd retired, the Moorheads kept their horses with his forrmer assistant trainer Keri Brion, who had gone out on her own.

In 2021, The Mean Queen, owned by Buttonwood Farm and trained by Brion, won the G1 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap, the G1 Lonesome Glory Handicap and the Grand National Hurdle Stakes and was named the Eclipse Award winner.

Buttonwood Farm also had the 100 acre field which Sheppard used to train both steeplechase and flat horses on the turf and up and down hills.

 

ON DEC. 17, at Cheshire Hunt, Mary Taylor called for a moment of silence and blew the horn in memory of Rod Moorhead who was an avid foxhunter and supporter of open space.

During his working years Rod often started the day in Manhattan, drove to Buttonwood Farm, hunted with Cheshire for several hours, and returned to New York in time for dinner with his wife and two sons.

Shortly after Mrs. Hannum agreed to give the Cheshire Hunt Conservancy Board sole responsibility of the Cheshire Foxhounds, Rod joined the Board of the Cheshire.

He served as Treasurer from 2002 until 2012.

During his 10 years as Treasurer, Moorhead relied on his financial experience, acumen, and discipline developed working for Warburg Pincus.

He controlled expenses and identified and planned for short- and long-term financial obligations of the Cheshire Hunt.

He also made sure the other Board members carried out his objectives year after year, leaving Cheshire with good financial practices and in a sound financial position.

During his tenure and thanks to generous donations from numerous individuals and entities in the community, the non-profit Cheshire Land Preservation Fund (“LPF”) acquired and preserved the 50 acres of pasture and lawns which harbored the kennels and stables, as well as several houses and related outbuildings.

Significant repairs and improvements were made to the kennels, huntsman's house, and the historic teamsters house was restored into three attractive rental apartments.

Under a long-term lease at market value, the LPF leased the Cheshire Hunt property to the Chesire Hunt Conservancy to be able to generate funds for the purchase of high value agricultural lands and to preserve the beautiful landscapes of Southern Chester County.

The success of the LPF over the past 23 years has been made possible by the support from the community and Moorhead as the single largest donor.

Moorhead also supervised the financing of the CHC’s new stables made possible by contribution from the community to the CHC.

The original stables were torn down and replaced with a beautiful building that houses the stables, wash stalls, and hay and feed storage.

An enclosed shed was also built to house tractors, mowers, and other maintenance machinery.

Besides the adrenalin rush Moorhead got from fox hunting, he particularly enjoyed the camaraderie of riding to the hounds with his friends and neighbors, particularly the “POD” which was and still is a revolving cast of characters that follow Lilith Boucher.