FIRST LEG
Penny Chenery may or may not be the most important woman in
the history of American horse racing but she surely is the most symbolic. The
world largely knows her as the brave and graceful owner of the late Secretariat,
the fastest, most sublime racehorse most of us will ever see. The racing
industry gratefully recognizes her as a valuable link between itself and its
mainstream dreams. And generations of young people, who weren't even around to
see Big Red run in 1973, find in her famous story inspiration for their own
happy futures around horses.
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| (Reuters) |
Now 90, Chenery is watching this spring's Triple Crown
procession as closely as she always does, as she always has, since even before
her fast colt Riva Ridge won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont in 1972.
That was the spring before Secretariat became immortal, which means that over a
two-year period the same owner, a heroine then and now, won five of the six classic races. There may
be another Triple Crown winner in two weeks. If not it will come soon enough. But
there will likely never again be a run like Chenery's 40 years ago.
From afar, Chenery is watching closely this spring as I'll
Have Another, worthy winner of both the Derby and the Preakness, tries to
become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the big prize. Chenery
promises that she will, as always, root for the horse which has a chance to win
the Crown. "Oh yes, absolutely," she told me late last week during a
long and productive phone call. "Because I like to see a good horse
achieve its goals. Also, it's good for the industry. We really need something
to cheer for." Why she thinks this is so is worth a closer look.
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