Although Voss trains horses for steeplechase and flat races, he said he has no preference.
"There is more action in steeplechase races," Voss said. "But there are more chances to race in flat races. I get the same kick out of both."
As for the art exhibit, Tom and his wife, Mimi, became involved when they were contacted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Tom thought the exhibit was warranted.
"Frank Voss painted mostly on commission, so most of his works were not mass-produced," Tom said. "Some of the pieces in the exhibit have never been seen by the public. The Voss family artists had never been in the limelight. I think they would be aghast if they knew what was going on. But I think there's a need to have the exhibit. It's the only way people will ever see some of the art."
Gregory Weidman, who served as a guest curator to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, spent two years researching and preparing the exhibit. Having been on display at the racing museum since July, the exhibit is now traveling to Maryland.
"It just made sense to have the exhibit in Maryland," said Weidman, who worked on the staff of the Maryland Historical Society for 20 years, including 17 as a curator. "The Voss family artists had a strong connection to Maryland, and some of the Voss family still live here."
The exhibit of the Voss family art belongs in the Maryland Historical Society, said Peter Winants, who knew the Voss family and wrote a book in 2005 called The Sporting Art of Franklin B. Voss.
"The paintings depict so many scenes that I cherished, and people that I admire so," said Winants, 81, a Maryland native who lives in Rectortown, Va.
"Their presence is most heartily felt by many people in Maryland through their love of steeplechasing, and even more so through Ned Voss and his love of foxhunting. Ned was a master of foxhounds for years, and now his grandson Tom is a master, so the Voss name lives on in that heritage."
Included in the Maryland exhibit are about 85 works of art - oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, prints, and sculptures - that are on loan from six museums and 28 private lenders.
Although many of the artworks were in the original exhibition, the historical society has included more Maryland scenes, Weidman said. The exhibit focuses primarily on the works of Franklin Brooke Voss, she said.
