July 30, 2024

The Inaugural Penny Chenery Award will be presented on August 10 at Colonial Downs racetrack. The goal of the award is to recognize women who have demonstrated outstanding sustained commitment to celebrating the achievements and legacies of thoroughbred champions, for the benefit of the horse industry and the education of the public.

“Mom was a tireless champion of the idea that great equine athletes ennoble the humans that surround them, and that their stories carry profound lessons for all of us,” said Ms. Chenery’s daughter Kate Chenery Tweedy. “We created the Penny Chenery Award in her honor, to recognize and encourage those who carry on her tradition of telling the stories that will inspire generations of horse fans to come.”

August 10 will be a special day at Colonial Downs. It will feature both the Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat Stakes and the $100,000 Penny Chenery Stakes – the first stakes race ever run in Penny Chenery’s name. Members of Penny Chenery’s family will be in the Winner’s Circle to bestow the Penny Chenery Award as well as to present the trophy to the winner of the Penny Chenery Stakes, as well as to greet fans.

The Award features a rare photo of Penny Chenery, taken in June 1973 by renowned sports and music photographer Ken Regan. It was part of a special photo shoot at Belmont Park in the immediate aftermath of Secretariat’s record-shattering 31-length victory at the 1973 Belmont Stakes which clinched the first Triple Crown in 25 years and established Secretariat’s place as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century.

Penny Chenery kept the original folio photos from that shoot in a personal album that has not previously been made available to the public. A commemorative poster of the Award, featuring the Regan photo, will be available for purchase and signature at the event at Colonial Downs on August 10.

The identity of the Inaugural Penny Chenery Award recipient will be revealed when the Award presentation takes place live on August 10. Said Ms. Chenery’s son John Tweedy, “We are beyond excited to show our gratitude to this special individual, and to celebrate this special day with Secretariat fans and horse lovers.”