CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. — A sprawling pasture in Caroline County where racing legend Secretariat once grazed as a young colt will be protected from development forever, thanks to a farmer’s dedication to preserving Virginia’s equine heritage.

Kevin Engel, who owns Engel Family Farms, has placed The Cove in Doswell under a permanent conservation easement with the Capital Region Land Conservancy. The 350-acre property, which includes forestland adjacent to Secretariat’s birthplace at the State Fairgrounds, will remain agricultural land in perpetuity.

“This is part of our family. Part of the history of the state. Part of the history of this country,” Engel said.

The Cove holds special significance as the place where the future Triple Crown champion Secretariat first stretched his legs before his legendary 1973 racing season. Leeanne Ladin with Secretariat for Virginia, an authority on the famous thoroughbred, confirmed the historical importance of the site.

“You can feel the history. That is where Secretariat grazed and played as a young colt,” Ladin said. “There has still never been quite anything like it.”

Engel began farming at The Cove in 1982 and developed a friendship with Secretariat’s trailblazing owner, the late Penny Chenery. In 2023, his family purchased the property to ensure its preservation.

“That was the time where I just wanted to come out by myself and look and say wow we finally got it done and give thanks for that,” Engel said.

The conservation easement means no solar farms, subdivisions or data centers can ever be built where Secretariat once played.

Parker Agelasto with the Capital Region Land Conservancy praised Engel’s vision, noting the timing is crucial as Central Virginia faces rapid development pressure.

“Central Virginia in the last few years has been the fastest growing region of the whole state. We have seen some of our individual counties being the fastest growing in the nation,” Agelasto said.

The property has been an active farm for hundreds of years, making its preservation even more significant for Virginia’s agricultural heritage.

“Where we are is remarkable for its history because it has been an active farm property for hundreds of years,” Agelasto said.

For Engel, protecting The Cove represents something more valuable than potential development profits.

“Money is not everything. It helps, but I want to build something that goes way beyond me,” Engel said. “I want something that sticks around forever.”

The farmer, who describes himself as a Secretariat devotee, was instrumental in bringing a bronze statue of the champion to Ashland in 2024. Now he can ensure future generations will experience the same pastoral landscape that shaped America’s greatest racehorse.

“There are only 50 states in this country, but there is only one state that Secretariat came from. This is it! And this is the spot,” Engel said. “We need to keep this around forever.”

Ladin expressed relief knowing this piece of racing history will be protected.

“It is such a wonderful thing that he and his family did because that really is preserving a special piece of Meadow history and Virginia history absolutely,” Ladin said.

The Cove at Meadow Farm in Caroline County now stands as a permanent testament to Virginia’s equine legacy, where visitors can walk the same fields where a legend once roamed.

“Every piece of land has a story to tell, but you have to let it tell the story. And in this instance, this land is forever connected to Secretariat,” Agelasto said.

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HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Flu cases are climbing across Virginia, reaching some of the highest levels the commonwealth has seen in years.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, over 21% of all emergency department visits in the northwest region this flu season were for respiratory illnesses. Rachel Dumene, spokesperson for the Central Shenandoah Health District, said while viruses can mutate and cause symptoms that are more severe, she said the challenge this year is how fast the flu is spreading.

“Sometimes they can mutate to create new symptoms or become more severe. However, that’s not what we’re seeing this year,” Dumene said. “This is a pretty average flu. However, the thing that’s different about it is that it’s spreading at a more rapid pace.“

That faster spread is leading to more infections overall, and more people experiencing serious symptoms. Children make up the largest share of flu-related emergency room visits in the region, which is why Dumene said vaccination remains one of the best tools to keep people out of the hospital.

“Even though this flu virus seems to be spreading at a higher rate than previous years, the flu vaccine still helps prevent against severe illness,” she said. “It is possible that people who get vaccinated can still get the flu. However, this can keep them from experiencing very negative consequences or having to go to the emergency room.”

It’s still not too late to get vaccinated, Dumene said. Protection develops about two weeks after the shot, and peak flu season often doesn’t arrive until February. She also recommended washing hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when sick to slow the spread.

What hospitals are seeing

Augusta Health Public Relations Manager Kristen Printy said regional hospitals and emergency medical services are working together to manage a seasonal increase in patients to make sure people across the region receive the care they need.

“This season has brought an increase in patients, and it’s important that hospitals and EMS agencies continue to work closely together,” said Crystal Farmer, MBA, MSN, RN, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Augusta Health. “By coordinating our efforts, we can help ensure patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time, even when demand is higher.”

Robert Garwood, VP, Chief Medical Officer Sentara RMH Medical Center said increased ER volume secondary of the flu has translated into increased hospital admissions of these patients.

“The current flu vaccine does not cover the strain that’s circulating throughout our area really well, which has resulted in patients with some significant illness. This is again translated to increase hospital patient censuses and less bed availability, which also impacts our ED,” Garwood said.

Augusta Health added that people should always seek emergency care for serious or life-threatening conditions. For less urgent needs, people are encouraged to consider primary care, urgent care, or telehealth options when appropriate.

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The Virginia Cavaliers clinched yet another conference win last night, this time against California. Overall, this has been a remarkable season for the Cavaliers thus far, with few hiccups along the way. Their latest victory came with a stunning 84-60 finish, but as the story goes, there are still areas that need attention. With that, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of last night’s meeting.

The Good

The Cavaliers are undoubtedly more consistent on offense — they’ve encountered quite a few challenges defensively. However, last night appeared to be a bit of a turning point, said cautiously. The Golden Bears’ efforts with the ball were met with great resistance from UVA. Malik Thomas, in particular, has made strides on both sides of the ball, but his defensive improvements have been noteworthy. As head coach Ryan Odom stated during his postgame press conference:

“… I thought our guys did a nice job. The discipline was there for the majority of the night. They did get us on occasion, not on occasion, probably too many times at the end of drives with shot fakes, but for the most part, in that first 10 minutes of the second half, we were able to stop them in and around the rim and stay down. And they were kind of left with some really hard shots there, which allowed us to get out in transition. I thought our press was pretty good. Even though we didn’t get a lot of turnovers or anything like that, I thought our press, you know, was effective.”

The Bad

Although Virginia wrapped up the matchup with a 24-point lead, there were moments throughout the night in which leads were swapped between programs in the first quarter. Once the second half rolled around, the Golden Bears were unable to catch up. However, the brief moments that they did control the scoreboard could have cost UVA the game, and ultimately, another loss in the ACC.

“I’m not worried about the margin,” said Odom. “It’s more about how we’re playing. And I thought our guys played well tonight, you know, defensively, we’re trying to make strides. We’re trying to get better. The guys are focused on that. Offensively, we can’t lose that, you know, ability to really share the ball and put pressure on our opponents. And I think we’re improving.”

The Ugly

Much of the back-and-forth lead during the first quarter was due to Cal’s pressure. Their defense stayed on top of UVA, which ruffled some of the Cavaliers’ feathers on the court, forcing some turnovers along the way.

Odom described this situation by stating, “Cal was really bothering us with their defense, their aggressiveness, and stepping out and pick and roll, even though we didn’t have a ton of turnovers in that first half. We had five. There were still some bobbled balls. The ball was loose and a little bit too loose for us. And their pressure had a lot to do with that. The end of the half was really important for us, the execution on defense and offense to give us a little bit of a cushion there going into halftime.”

Virginia certainly encountered some difficulty last night, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t successfully navigate. Now, the Cavaliers are gearing up for their upcoming matchup against Stanford on Jan. 10 at John Paul Jones Arena. Will UVA capitalize on its opportunity to extend its ACC record to 3-1?

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