Helen B. (Penny) Chenery, by Marion Altieri (May 13, 2007)
Penny Chenery, the First Lady of Racing, has provided a role model for women and girls in racing for 35 years: in 1972, she took the reins of Meadow Farm, the racing operation built from the ground-up by her father, the venerable Christopher Chenery. Christopher had fallen ill, and Penny was the natural choice to walk in his large, accomplished footsteps. None of her brothers had expressed an interest in Christopher's passion for Thoroughbred horses, but Penny had the bug.
The Smith College Alumna took the first of her great Champions, Riva Ridge, to a joyous triumph in the 1972 Kentucky Derby, then the Belmont. Riva Ridge always had a special place in Penny's heart: she loved him dearly. Her father watched Riva's run for the roses from his hospital bed, knowing that his legacy was secure. He didn't live to see Secretariat prove that he was a superhorse, and that his daughter, Penny, was a superwoman.
Penny, born in 1922, was 51 when Secretariat won the Triple Crown. She's accomplished virtually everything possible in this sport: the list of the ways in which she tore down barriers is long, but includes:
* She served as President of TOBA (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association), from 1976-1984.
* In 1983, she was the first woman elected a member of The Jockey Club. (An amazing fact, considering that The Jockey Club was formed in 1884.)
* She serves on the Judges' Panel of the Dogwood Dominion Awards; and
* in 2006, NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) presented her with the Eclipse Award of Merit, for a lifetime of achievement in Thoroughbred racing.
So, what else can be said about Penny Chenery? Ah, yes. She's the racing woman I look to as my Mentor. In 2003, I attended an Episcopal parish in Pelham, New York. I'd heard a rumor that Secretariat had left $1,000,000 to the church. I thought this sounded fantastic (as in, "being of the nature of fantasy"), so I emailed Penny via www.Secretriat.com.
The next day, my phone rang—it was THE Penny Chenery, calling me from Lexington, Kentucky!
We talked for 45 minutes: she was thrilled to meet someone from Christ Church, and to talk about her love for the place. (She'd grown up there; got married there and baptized her babies in that parish.) At the end of the 45 minutes, she asked, "So, what's YOUR dream, Dear?"
I responded, "Well, you're kinda living it: I need to be a woman in racing who has enough authority to influence the sport, to make it a more egalitarian place for women and girls—and a more nurturing environment for the horses. And I think I'll accomplish it with my writing."
Without hesitating, she asked, "Can you meet me in my box at Saratoga on Opening Day, and we'll see what we can do to get the ball rolling?"
(No, Ms. Chenery: let me check my Palm. See if I can squeeze you in…)
I went. (I'd have made it to Saratoga if I'd had to crawl on my knees on broken glass.)
We met.
The rest is history.
When I think of Penny Chenery, I think of not just one of the greatest horsewomen of all time, but a key leader of the Women's Movement. Penny's involvement in Thoroughbred racing was a fortuitous gift for all women, not just those of us who love this sport. Every door she broke down, every private club to which she had to be admitted—widened the horizons of women in every endeavor, in every sport, for all time. Penny Chenery is brilliant, entertaining, encouraging, uplifting, nurturing—she's the role model for Alpha Mares everywhere. On the foundation that Penny laid, we can build a strong, smart, capable house, a (club) house where we are accepted on our merits and accomplishments, and not conveniently overlooked.
I adore Penny Chenery. I pray that she lives forever. But, in the event that she doesn't—I know that this great woman will NOT go quietly. And, she'd say—neither should we.
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