Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend ABOUT THE BOOKThough much has been written about Secretariat’s spectacular racing career and even a Disney movie made about him, the complete story of his Virginia birthplace and the Chenery family who raised and raced him has never been told…until now. “Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend” is by Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery (Tweedy) and granddaughter of Christopher T. Chenery, who founded the racing stable. Written with Leeanne Meadows Ladin, a Virginia writer and horsewoman, the book tells not only Secretariat’s story, but the story of an enduring piece of land where an “empire built on broodmares” produced an immortal son. At The Meadow, “America’s Super Horse” first learned to gallop across its rolling fields, then on its loamy track. There, Secretariat first felt the calming hand of a groom, the taste of a bit in his mouth and the weight of a rider on his back. At The Meadow, the red colt took his first steps on the path to becoming an American legend. This pictorial history includes a foreword by Penny Chenery with over 200 exclusive photos from her private collection. It is a must-have for horse lovers and history buffs alike. The book was published just prior to the release of the Disney movie on Secretariat in September 2010, enabling the authors to do book signings at several movie premieres across the country. Kate and Leeanne have been on a national book tour since that time, traveling to such venues as the Kentucky Derby, the World Equestrian Games, the National Museum of Racing, the National Sporting Library and many national equine shows and conventions.
Riva Ridge – Penny’s First Champion ABOUT THE BOOKHe was the horse who almost won the Triple Crown the year before Secretariat. In 1972, Riva Ridge became the first Meadow Stable horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. In 1971, he saved The Meadow and all it horses (including a very promising chestnut colt) from being sold by winning over $500,000 and becoming Champion Two-Year-Old. But Riva Ridge, Penny Chenery’s “Golden Boy,” would be forever overshadowed by his younger stable mate, the legendary Big Red. To give Riva the long-overdue recognition he richly deserves, Kate Chenery Tweedy and Leeanne Meadows Ladin, the award-winning authors of Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend, have collaborated once again. Their new book distills the topsy-turvy career of “the forgotten champion” of Meadow Stable into a tale of triumph and heartbreak. It features exclusive Chenery family photos of Riva along with personal memories from Penny Chenery, Ron Turcotte, Charlie Davis and others who knew and loved him. Marking the fortieth anniversary of Riva’s Derby and Belmont wins, this book celebrates his victories, his valiant spirit and yes, his champion’s heart. The book was published by Dementi Milestone Publishing of Manakin-Sabot, VA.
KATE CHENERY TWEEDY A native of Denver, Colorado, Kate Chenery Tweedy is the daughter of Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, and granddaughter of his breeder, Christopher Chenery. She grew up visiting her grandfather’s Virginia farm, The Meadow, and watching his Thoroughbreds race at the major tracks of the nation. In 1973, as a college student, she was at her mother’s side when Secretariat demolished the field in the Belmont Stakes and captured the Triple Crown. For the last decade, Kate has accompanied her mother, Penny Chenery, to racing events all over the country. Kate and Penny both consulted on the Disney script for the 2010 movie, Secretariat, and can be seen as extras in the Belmont scene. Also in 2010, Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend, which Kate co-authored with Leeanne Ladin, was published. The pictorial history instantly became a national best-seller in horse racing books and now is in its third printing. Since the publication of Secretariat’s Meadow in 2010, Kate has embarked on a national book tour, signing books at such locations as the Kentucky Derby Museum, Keeneland Racetrack, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the World Equestrian Games. She has been a featured speaker at many prestigious venues across the country, such as the Virginia Historical Society, Harvard Club in Boston, University of Denver, University of Kentucky, to name a few. In September 2012, her latest book with Leeanne Ladin, Riva Ridge – Penny’s First Champion, was published. It tells the story of the “forgotten champion” of Meadow Stable who almost won the Triple Crown before Secretariat. Kate took a BA at University of Texas, Austin and then a JD from University of California, Berkeley, where she practiced law for a decade. In 1991, moving with her young family back to Denver, she shifted her energies to teaching and writing. Among other jobs she has edited books, magazines and legal briefs and taught skiing, legal writing, Spanish, and English as a Second Language. She and her husband, Jerry Nelson, live in Centennial, Colorado. Her two adult daughters are both writers and teachers working on their PhDs. LEEANNE MEADOWS LADIN Leeanne Meadows Ladin has been writing and riding horses all her life. A horse racing fan since the age of ten, she first wrote about Secretariat for a college journalism project in 1973. In 2007, she began collaborating with Kate Chenery Tweedy on Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend. The book was published just prior to the release of the Disney movie on Secretariat in September 2010, enabling the authors to do book signings at several movie premieres across the country. Leeanne and Kate have been on a national book tour since that time, traveling to such venues as the Kentucky Derby, the World Equestrian Games, the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga, and numerous national equine shows and conventions, to name a few. Leeanne recently collaborated again with Kate to write Riva Ridge – Penny’s First Champion. The book tells the story of the “forgotten champion” of Meadow Stable who almost won the Triple Crown before Secretariat. Leeanne has written five other books of regional historical interest. Leeanne has been a featured speaker at many venues, including the National Sporting Library in Middleburg, VA, the Virginia Festival of the Book and the Virginia Horse Council. She owns Free Rein Writing, which she founded on her former horse farm in 2000 after a career with state government and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Leeanne is very involved with The Meadow, Secretariat’s birthplace, which is located about 25 miles from her home in Richmond, VA. She has given numerous narrated tours of the farm for public and private groups. She currently is working to achieve a historical designation for the farm and to help establish a Museum of the Virginia Horse on the grounds. |
