She was there to see American Pharoah win the Triple Crown after 37 years of waiting. That was just so wonderful to see. RIP Penny, you are missed, but so glad you are with your favorite horses again, your Mom and Dad also. I never tire of watching that Triple Crown from 1973 I was a very young girl then. I'm an older woman now and it still gets to me!
I was also young when Secretariat won the triple crown. Even then, I knew it was a big deal. Our family all went to my grandparents’ house & had food all day like it was a holiday. Everyone was jumping up & down & some of the women in my family cried. I have followed the races since then. I saw Penny’s interview at American pharoah’s triple crown win & was so happy she was still here to experience it. No horse will ever top Big Red, but AP stirred that same sort of excitement in me, as he seemed to want to run & win. And his stride reminded me of Secretariat. He seemed relaxed as he ran & seemed to enjoy people like secretariat...rare for race horses. Penny was a national treasure & a pioneer for women in the sport. RIP
Mrs. Chenery was definitely a pioneer in the sport. One of the very first to kick open the door for women to be able to get involved in what had previously been restricted to being for just "the good ole boys club." No matter what, she will always be remembered for having owned and raced one of the greatest thoroughbreds to have ever stepped foot on a racetrack in any country, and for giving us one of precious few Triple Crown winners in Secretariat in 1973. And for some of us who are old enough to remember, Secretariat's year older stablemate, Riva Ridge, who was also owned by Mrs. Chenery, was a pretty damn fine horse in his own right, winning 2 legs of the Triple Crown himself a year earlier (Kentucky Derby & Belmont Stakes) in 1972.
You said it so well GBeret83! Miss Penny Chernery gave more to the sport of horse racing than could ever be weighed. In one interview she did some years ago she, of course, spoke of the wonderful Secretariat, but more of Riva Ridge and how Riva literally saved the farm from bankruptcy in 1972 - paving the way for "Big Red's" magical run for the Triple in '73. Riva Ridge (a very affectionate and loving horse) captured her heart in a way that few others did. I so loved the story as you might guess from the RU-vid handle I picked for myself some years back. Thanks again!
People need to remember this happened towards the end of the Vietnam war, when Walter Cronkite was unfortunately bringing the war home to a broken nation. I agree big red was a big boy who like to eat, might have slowed down the laminitis that took his life. I look at it this way, Secretariat captivated this country. We will never see the likes of big red again, thanks to penny for bringing up the best up the greatest race horse in history. Both great American heroes. Rip penny
She is the FIRST WOMAN OF HORSE RACING!! But she was raised by two experts: her Father and Mother. She stepped up at a bad time and made it happen. She took on the pressure created by her own family and the male dominated Horse industry. She had to syndicate her horse to save the farm. She did the DO OR DIE! Fired a corrupt trainer and hired people she could trust. No one can measure the amount of pressure she had to endure. Much respect to you Penny and GOD BLESS YOU!!! Her heart was as big or bigger than BIG RED!!!
It's called laminitus. At least do some research if you are going to make a comment criticising someone else. Penny was not a vet or a specialist, Claiborne Farms had been entrusted with his care. As for laminitus, once they have it there's only so much they can do to control it. Sometimes they improve, sometimes they don't and many have a reoccurance of symptoms. Some say Secretariat was too obese and that caused it. Some think he may have formed an insulin resistance (Cushings disease) and that caused. Very little was known about either of those diseases in the late 80's. One thing is for sure, Secretariats death had nothing to do with a failure on the part of Penny Chenery.
