Katharine M. Voss

Katy Voss has been a trainer in Maryland for many years and has been active in horsemen’s issues for most of that period. She was elected in 2024 as the first female President of MTHA.

Katy helped found the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in 1987.. She also is a longtime board member and Secretary-Treasurer of Maryland Million Ltd. and a former president of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association.

Katy comes from a well-established family of horse people. Her father, the late John B. Merryman, served on the MTHA Board of Directors, and, with Voss’ late mother Kitty, bred and raced a successful stable for many years. Her siblings—Ann, Edwin and Elizabeth Merryman—have been successful trainers in the region.

Katy owns and operates Chanceland Farm, a large breeding, training and rehab facility in Howard County that she developed with her longtime companion, the late Bob Manfuso who passed away in 2020. Chanceland is also an active consignor at Maryland auctions.

Over the years, Katy has developed many outstanding stakes winners including Twixt (a Maryland-bred champion in the 1970s), Bishop’s Fling, Smart ’n Quick, Due North, Wood So, Woodfox, Rugged Bugger, Carnival Court, Polish Holiday, Creamy Dreamy, Lies of Omission, Tuzia, Our Peak, Plata, Corvus, Saratoga Bob and Las Setas.

“Going forward, I believe the biggest challenge to the Thoroughbred industry, not just in Maryland but nationally, is the cost of developing horses,”

Katy said. “The vast majority of owners never recoup their investment unless the horse is a stakes horse. The consequence is fewer owners developing fewer horses, resulting in shorter fields, which leads to lower demand for young stock and breeders breeding fewer mares as reflected in The Jockey Club’s annual foal crop statistics.

“This downward spiral will continue if we don’t come up with solutions and move to implement them as soon as possible. In Maryland, the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority presents us with an opportunity to make the necessary changes and improvements to solidify the future for Maryland racing.”

‍