Penny Chenery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helen "Penny" Chenery (born 1922) is an American sportswoman known as the "First Lady of Racing" who owned Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
A native of Virginia, Penny Chenery was the owner of Meadow Stable, a Thoroughbred racing operation and horse breeding business in Doswell, founded by her father Christopher Chenery. In 1972 Meadow Stable won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with the future Hall of Fame colt Riva Ridge. The following year, Secretariat captured the imagination of the North American public and racing fans worldwide when he became the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.
From 1976 to 1984, Penny Chenery served as president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. In 1983 she became one of the first women elected a member of The Jockey Club and presently is a member of the judges' panel for the Dogwood Dominion Award.
In 2003, Arlington Park established the annual "Penny Chenery Distinguished Woman in Racing Award". Since 1973, and the massive publicity surrounding her and her "superhorse", Penny Chenery has been an active goodwill ambassador for the sport and, in 2006, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association honored her with the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing.
A long-time resident of Long Island, Penny Chenery now resides near her daughter in Denver, Colorado.
