On the eve of the 141st running of the Belmont S. (G1), the legacy of the
race’s most illustrious winner continues to shine throughout the equine
community. Helen “Penny” Chenery, owner of 1973 Triple Crown champion
Secretariat and president of the Secretariat Foundation, is pleased to announce
the Foundation’s recipients of charitable grants for 2009.
Most of this year’s grants, with a sum of $27,000, are aimed toward Chenery’s
continued focus on the plight of unwanted Thoroughbred racehorses and the
ongoing battle against laminitis, the disease that claimed the lives of both
Secretariat and 2006 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Barbaro as well as thousands of
other horses worldwide.
“More than 35 years after the thrill of Secretariat’s Triple Crown, I am so
honored that his memory lives on through the beneficiaries of the Secretariat
Foundation,” Chenery said. “I am especially grateful to his fans and supporters
who have made it possible for us to contribute to these projects.”
The 2009 Secretariat Foundation grant recipients are:
| * | Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation of Saratoga Springs, New York,
$8,500 (unrestricted) |
|
| * | Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program of Blanchard,
Oklahoma, $1,000 (unrestricted) |
|
| * | University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School at New
Bolton Laminitis Fund, Philadelphia, $10,000 (unrestricted) |
|
| * | Old Friends, Inc: A Retirement Home for Thoroughbred
Stallions, Georgetown, Kentucky, $2,500 (unrestricted) |
Additionally, the Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to the Dawn of a New
Library project in Dawn, Virginia, where many Meadow Farm employees have lived
and raised their families during their service to the Chenery family. The new
5,000-square-foot facility will house a greatly expanded collection of books,
reference and research materials, state-of-the-art computer lab, and a meeting
room available to all community patrons.
“Penn Veterinary Medicine is deeply grateful to Mrs. Penny Chenery, the
‘first lady’ of Thoroughbred racing and her continued, generous support of our
work in the field of laminitis research,” said University of Pennsylvania
Veterinary School Dean Dr. Joan C. Hendricks. “It is this type of on-going
generosity that allows us to do the very important but painstaking work to
uncover the secrets to curing and ultimately preventing laminitis and we thank
her profoundly for her help.”
The Secretariat Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization created by
Chenery to assist the Thoroughbred industry in the areas of research,
rehabilitation, retirement and recognition. She named the foundation after her
champion to use his enduring appeal to bring greater awareness to the many
causes found within the equine-related community.
Secretariat Foundation revenue is raised through donations, signing
appearances, and the sales of memorabilia and officially licensed products on
Secretariat.com. For more information or inquiries, contact information@secretariat.com.