Secretariat's Meadow: The Land, the Family, the Legend

Kate Chenery Tweedy is a member of my church and I met her back in April 2009. It wasn't until March/April 2010 that I discovered her mother was the owner of the famed horse, Secretariat. Kate gave a wonderful speech and photo presentation to a large audience at the Bemis Public Library in Littleton, Colorado several months ago as a preview to the release of this book. At that presentation, many of us were amazed at the strength and conviction the Penny Chenery had when it came to saving her family's home, The Meadow, as well as her father's numerous horses (which included Something Royal, the mother of Secretariat).

Secretariat is a name that I have heard all of my life, my grandfather and mother both were fans of the horse and both watched him win the Triple Crown. When Barbaro raced the Kentucky Derby, my mother referenced Secretariat as she spoke about Barbaro's beauty, strength and speed. I have always been a fan of Secretariat without truly knowing what it was about him that drew me to him. I was very excited when Kate informed us that she had written a book about her family and what led to her mother becoming the owner/breeder of Secretariat.

I read this book in one day. Kate, I think, did a very thorough job of researching her family history back to her great-grandfather (and beyond in some chapters) and how her grandfather, Christopher Chenery, came to be the proud ownder of The Meadow and several well-bred horses. This book focuses more on the Chenery family more than on Secretariat, but I do feel a lot of justice was done in regards to Penny Chenery and how she came to be the one to take over the Meadow and race Secretariat. Kate and Leeann tell a very clear story about the history of The Meadow, and how it survived (and thrived) through both good times and bad. The book is filled with pictures of her ancestors as well as the staff who worked with Secretariat in 1970-73. I recently told Kate how much I enjoyed reading her book and learning so much about her own history. She said it was an insightful journey for her and she really enjoyed being able to tell the story of the people and the land that bred this amazing Triple Crown winner, Secretariat.