Secretariat’s Lasting Legacy is not a Horse, by Marion Altieri
June 11 , 2007
Ah, yes, Belmont Stakes Day, 2007. Today a great-granddaughter of the mighty Secretariat won on the same track where he broke records while astonishing the world.
It seems only appropriate that we reprint here a piece I wrote four years ago, after meeting Big Red's owner, Helen B. (Penny) Chenery. Here's that article from "Soundings," the newsletter of the Episcopal Parish of Christ the Redeemer, where Penny grew up and I was blessed to be a parishioner at the time we met.
I hope you gain some insight into the accomplishments and legacy of Secretariat…and dream a new dream for his great-grandgirl, Rags to Riches!
Today’s quiz, darlings:
What being does our Parish have in common with Father Hoag; Jack Nicklaus; a football field; and the study of cardiology and combustion?
The answer:
Secretariat. Even if you’re not a horseracing fan, you know the name. The world’s greatest Throroughbred, virtually unmatched in the history of horseracing. The Big Red Horse. His name is synonymous with the sport itself: ask the average Joe on the street to name the most famous horse in the world, and Secretariat’s name will be invoked every time—even if the Joe’s never been to a track.
It seems that everyone has a memory of Secretariat. Even people who don’t worship the mighty Equine species remember where they were when Secretariat trampled the field in the Belmont Stakes in 1973.
Everyone loved Christopher and Penny Chenery’s Big Boy. Everyone. And Father Hoag loved him, too…
• Big Red’s original breeder/owner, Christopher Chenery, loved his Church—none other than Christ Church, Pelham. He was a devout Episcopalian, and cared passionately about the Parish and its people. Sadly, Mr. Chenery died in January of 1973—so he never saw Secretariat single-hoofedly redefine the sport of Thoroughbred racing. He did live to see his beloved Riva Ridge win the Derby and Belmont in ’72, and to make sure that Secretariat left a gift to his Church that would last long after the Great Horse hung up his bridle.
Mr. Chenery and his daughter, Penny—who bravely, brilliantly stepped up to the plate when her Father became ill—made sure that Riva Ridge and Secretariat followed their stars all the way to their respective destinies. Then she literally put her money wherein was her mouth, and her faith: she confirmed an endowment, in the names of Christopher Chenery and Secretariat, for our Parish. That endowment has paid for repairs, rebuilding and restoration around the building—things that could never have been done without the Chenery gift.
I spoke with Penny Chenery in July; during our conversation about this remarkable relationship with our Church, she said, “We knew that Secretariat would have progeny to carry on his name, but we wanted him to have a lasting legacy…” Her Big Boy provided a spiritual legacy that will continue to bless and build, as does our Church Family. There are no mere “co-incidences” in God’s World.
• Father Hoag, according to legend, goes to an OTB once a year and bets $2 on a horse in Secretariat’s memory. He was there for the family during Christopher’s illness, when Penny took over the reins…with the Church itself, Father Hoag remains a sweet memory in her heart.
• Jack Nicklaus, watching on TV Secretariat’s brilliant 31-length victory in the Belmont, fell to his knees, wept and pounded his fist on the floor. As he recounted the experience to CBS racing commentator Heywood Hale-Broun, Nicklaus said, “Why me? I’m not a racing fan!” Hale-Broun responded, “Jack, your whole life is a quest for perfection…and you saw it in the Belmont.”
• ...speaking of that 31-length lead…that’s about the length of…a football field. While all the other horses were back at the beginning of the virtual football field…Secretariat was joyously romping across the finish line. His only point of reference was himself.
• Secretariat was often called, “The Horse with a Heart.” That nickname was proven more true than thought when he died. The veterinarian who did his necropsy discovered that, while the heart of a “normal” Thoroughbred is the size of a basketball and weighs 8.5 pounds...Big Red’s heart was more than twice the size, and weighed 22 pounds! This was not due to disease or dysfunction: this was the God-given blood-pumping machine that contributed to the mighty steed’s success.
If I raced my late, beloved 1969 Deuce-and-a-Quarter (Buick Electra 225), with her 455 engine, against a “normal” Buick of today—the biggest Buick available, with a six-cylinder engine—my Deuce would win, hands-down. Her ability to pump more fuel, faster, through the engine would assure a brilliant race in which my car left the other Buick in the dust, literally.
So it was with the venerable Secretariat, and his engine. His heart could theoretically pump twice as much blood; generate more oxygen to his lungs and cells; and propel him forward, faster, on his powerful legs.
The Thoroughbred that changed racing forever also changed our Church for eternity, and for the better. One cannot walk around the buildings without experiencing a place touched by his gift. We cannot measure the many gifts that Secretariat gave the Parish of Christ the Redeemer, because the endowment will continue to feed our physical and spiritual needs for generations to come.
I believe that animals join us in Heaven…so I know that Secretariat is throwing back his mane, playing in fields with stablemate Riva Ridge…and eternally making Christopher Chenery smile.
After Secretariat won the Preakness, Pimlico general manager Chick Lang said, "It is as if God decided to create the perfect horse."
Apparently, God had even bigger plans for that Perfect Horse. Plans with an investment in Eternal Grace.
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