An Unexpected Encounter with Penny Chenery, Owner of Secretariat

By Tobi Lopez Taylor

An Arizona Horse History Project Essay

This essay is part of the ongoing Arizona Horse History Project series, which also includes posts on Hank the Cowdog, Man O’ War’s son By Hisself, Frank Brophy, and Doc Pardee. 

I read today that Penny Chenery, owner of racing legend Secretariat, died yesterday at age 95. Although we never had an opportunity to meet, Ms. Chenery and I did have an unexpected encounter some years ago.
 

      In 2000, Secretariat's second-oldest son, Statesman, then aged 26, lived with me at my home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Statesman was one of two test foals sired by Big Red out of non-Thoroughbred mares, and he went on to have his own career as a breeding stallion, polo pony, and dressage horse. In addition to having an absolute blast riding him, I'd also written two articles about Statesman--one in Blood-Horse and another in Dressage Today. (The latter was later reprinted in An Apple A Day, an anthology edited by well-known equine writer Kimberly Gatto.)

       Statesman's farrier at that time was my friend J.P. Luyssaert, who decided to attend the Rolex three-day event in Kentucky that year. While there, he noticed that an artist was selling signed prints of Big Red and that her co-signer for the day was Penny Chenery. JP kindly decided to buy one for me as a gift.

        When Ms. Chenery asked JP whom she should inscribe it to, he replied, "Make it 'To Tobi and Statesman.'" Ms. Chenery then surprised him by asking if he meant Statesman, the son of Secretariat in Arizona. When he said yes, she told him she'd enjoyed reading my Blood-Horse article and that she was glad that I was enjoying Statesman so much. I was touched by both JP's gesture and Ms. Chenery's kind words.  Godspeed, Penny, and thank you.