Vox Populi Award

Written by Kate Tweedy

Vox Populi or People’s Choice Award is the only award designed to celebrate Thoroughbred horses for the way their performances that year have touched the public at large.

My mother, Penny Chenery, inaugurated the award in 2010 because she felt that achievement ought to be measured by various factors, not just by wins or speed. Horses should be celebrated not only for their prowess at the track, but also for their story or for their character, or what they may have overcome.

Always an advocate for fans, Mom wanted the public to have a say. As a result, after a panel of experts selects a slate of candidates, the fans get to vote online, favoring any horse that has particularly moved them that year.

The twelve winners since the award’s founding in 2010 reflect a wide range of performances. Some are clearly the year’s top racehorse on the track, like American Pharoah or Zenyatta.

Others have inspiring stories, like Bricks and Mortar who won in 2019. After surviving a devastating illness, he returned to post an undefeated season on several tracks. The winner is, as always, up to the fans.

In 2024, the award wasn’t given due to a transition in leadership. However, it will return in 2025 to give fans a new array of favorites for the Vox Populi Horse of the Year.

2016 Vox Populi Award for California Chrome. Photo credit: Leonard Lusky

Vox Populi winners to date:

2023 and 2022 Cody’s Wish

2021 Hot Rod Charlie

2020 Authentic

2019 Brick and Mortar

2018 Winx

2017 Ben’s Cat

2016 and 2014 California Chrome

2015 American Pharoah

2013 Mucho Macho Man

2012 Paynter

2011 Rapid Redux

2010 Zenyatta

The Eclipse Award

When Mom created the Vox Populi award in 2010, she wanted to offer an alternative to the annual Eclipse Award—think of it as the Oscar of horse racing—of which she kept an amazing six on her mantle. On first seeing them, visitors would often drop their jaws and gasp.

Winning an Eclipse is quite an honor, as it is given to the horse who has performed best in that year, as selected by the racing press and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association—in other words, chosen by racing professionals. The winners are almost always the horses who have won the classic races and/or turned in exceptional performances.

Our family was lucky enough to win a total of 10 Eclipse Awards. Secretariat was so dominant that he won Horse of the Year twice, in 1972 and 1973. He also one 1972 Two-Year-Old Male, 1973 Three-Year-Old Male, and 1973 Turf Male, for a total of five Eclipses.

Riva Ridge won as Two-Year-Old Male in 1971, and Older Male in 1973. Granddaddy won in 1972 and 1973 as Outstanding Breeder. Our champion Hill Prince won an earlier incarnation of the award as 1950 Horse of the Year.

And Mom won a special Award of Merit in 2006. This list does not include awards for our trainer Lucien Lauren and our jockey Ron Turcotte or for our broodmare, Somethingroyal. We have been amazingly fortunate!

1973 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder

January 23, 2025