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The life of Penny Chenery: The prominent woman in horse racing who owned 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat

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The life of Penny Chenery: The prominent woman in horse racing who owned 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat

It has been over 50 years since Secretariat became a Triple Crown winner, yet with every horse race season, he continues to be talked about.

It’s no wonder because the horse holds the fastest times for all three Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, to this day. 

Another name that is often heard is Penny Chenery, the owner of the record-breaking racehorse. Chenery was able to save her father’s farm when it was on the brink of collapse. That ended up being the birthplace of the racehorse that is still beloved today. 

Penny Chenery was the owner and breeder of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

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Below is a deeper look into Chenery’s life as the owner of the historic racehorse.

  1. Who was the owner of Secretariat?
  2. What farm did Penny Chenery own?
  3. How much money did Penny Chenery make from Secretariat?

1. Who was the owner of Secretariat?

Chenery was the owner of the racehorse widely known as the best of all time: Secretariat. 

The racehorse, also known as Big Red, was an American thoroughbred that often dominated the competition on the track. 

He and his jockey, Ron Turcotte, won the Kentucky Derby in 1973. The duo then went on to win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The Triple Crown winner set records in all three races. To this day, no other horse has been able to beat Secretariat’s times in the Triple Crown races.

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Chenery lived a long life. She died on Sept. 16, 2017, when she was 95 years old.

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2. What farm did Penny Chenery own?

Chenery was the owner of Meadow Stable, now called Meadow Event Park, in Virginia, where Secretariat was born.

Penny Chenery took over the operations of Meadow Stable when her father started to become ill. (RJ Sangosti/Denver Post via Getty Images)

Chenery started to take over the farm when her father began to fall ill in 1968, according to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. When she took over, she was able to save the financially struggling farm from being sold. Chenery was the one who arranged Secretariat’s breeding, according to the source.

Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970, a year after Riva Ridge, a horse also bred at Meadow Stable, won two Triple Crown races a year before Big Red. Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner since Citation, who won in 1948.

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Through her long life, Chenery continued to be involved in horse racing long after Secretariat’s reign. She became the first female president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

She was also one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. 

Penny Chenery was portrayed by Diane Lane in the 2010 movie “Secretariat.” (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Chenery’s life and Secretariat’s were the inspiration for the 2010 Disney movie named after the famous racehorse. In the movie, Diane Lane appeared as Chenery.

3. How much money did Penny Chenery make from Secretariat?

Secretariat was syndicated in 1973 for a record $6.08 million. The horse was syndicated by 23-year-old Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm.

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Chenery’s father, Chris, died in 1973, as Secretariat was preparing for what would make him a legendary racehorse.

Chenery getting Secretariat syndicated was a way to keep the farm afloat when a tax bill arrived, according to History.com.

Secretariat was syndicated before his horse racing debut in 1973 but proved to be worth the high price fronted by Hancock.  

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Southeast

Rev. Franklin Graham delivers Kentucky flood survivors new homes for Christmas: ‘We can finally breathe’

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Rev. Franklin Graham delivers Kentucky flood survivors new homes for Christmas: ‘We can finally breathe’

Standing in the snow on an eastern Kentucky mountaintop Friday, Rev. Franklin Graham dedicated 18 newly constructed homes in Jesus’ name to families who lost everything in the region’s catastrophic 2022 floods. It was a moment survivors described as the first real breath of relief they’ve had in three years.

“This is Franklin Graham,” he says in an exclusive video to Fox News Digital. “Terrible floods here a few years ago just destroyed hundreds of homes. Well, today we are dedicating 18 houses that are finished and ready for people to move in.”

The homes are part of the new Chestnut Ridge subdivision, a 57-lot neighborhood built from scratch by Samaritan’s Purse and an army of volunteers.

“We’re grateful to God,” Graham added. “We couldn’t do this without the partners who provided land, the finances, the volunteers. These people are going to be in their homes for Christmas.”

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Rev. Franklin Graham shares a lighthearted moment with Paul Johnson, a home recipient who can now register for a lung transplant with a permanent address after years of being displaced from flooding. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

Flood survivor Lora Honycutt described the moment she stepped into her new house in a raw, unfiltered way captured on video.

“When I walk in this house here … the floors are not sinking,” Honeycutt said, wiping her eyes. “Even the smell is different. … I can’t describe the feeling.”

She added through tears, “These are happy tears. … These are happy tears.”

Video clips showed families breaking down as they crossed thresholds, their first structurally sound homes since the deadly floods destroyed entire communities three years ago.

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For Paul Johnson, the dedication was life-changing. When the floods wiped out his home, he lost the permanent address required to stay on his lung transplant list.

“I was taken off the list when I moved into an RV. After today, I can get back on the transplant list,” Johnson said. “This home exceeds anything I expected. It’s beautiful. I feel very blessed. It’s a great day.”

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The Chestnut Ridge subdivision in eastern Kentucky has 18 homes for survivors of 2022 floods that devastated the region. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

The Chestnut Ridge homes have two, three or four bedrooms with one notable exception. A family with 10 children has the only home in the new subdivision with five bedrooms after spending 1,128 nights crammed into two campers since losing everything in the floods.

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“We were thankful to have a place to lay our heads,” the mother said, “but it was aggravating. We were all on top of each other.”

Looking around her new five-bedroom home, she couldn’t hold back.

“We’re so dumbfounded, I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We can breathe.”

A SEASON OF HOPE: T2T’S GIFT OF INDEPENDENCE AND DIGNITY FOR INJURED HEROES

Rev. Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and dedicated 18 homes in eastern Kentucky for survivors of 2022’s deadly floods. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)

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Former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft and her husband, Joe, the CEO of coal mining company Alliance Resource Partners, donated the land on which the new neighborhood was built.

Graham also praised employees at the Lowe’s in Hazard, Kentucky, some of whom volunteered on construction crews.

Samaritan’s Purse has now constructed nearly 100 homes across Kentucky, from tornado-ravaged Mayfield to the devastated communities of the east. 

Crews are also rebuilding in North Carolina, which continues to reel from Hurricane Helene.

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As snow fell across the mountaintop, Graham prayed over families receiving their brand-new houses, no longer haunted by the memories of 2022’s floods.

“We give God the glory, and we praise Him and, of course, these people are going to be in their homes for Christmas,” Graham said as he looked over the row of new homes.

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Wounded National Guardsman beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ remains in acute care: West Virginia gov

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Wounded National Guardsman beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ remains in acute care: West Virginia gov

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The National Guardsman who was injured after being shot last week in Washington, D.C., is starting to “look more like himself,” West Virginia’s governor said, relaying a message from his parents. 

Gov. Patrick Morrisey provided the update Friday evening before attending a prayer vigil in Andrew Wolfe’s honor at Musselman High School in Berkeley County, W.Va., where the recovering 24-year-old graduated from, according to WUSA9. 

“His parents report that his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself,” Morrisey said in a statement.  

“Overall, the family expects that Andy will be in acute care for another 2-3 weeks but have been optimistic about his progress,” the Republican governor added. “We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers! They are making a difference!”

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The family of National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, inset, are “optimistic about his progress” after he was shot last week in Washington, D.C., West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. In the background, on Dec. 4, 2025, the flag on the south lawn of the White House flies at half staff in honor of Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, who was killed in the attack. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Department of Justice)

The vigil began Friday with a moment of silence for National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old who was killed in the Nov. 26 shooting, WUSA9 reported. 

Speaking about Wolfe, Morrisey said, “You are not alone. South Berkeley stands with you, and West Virginia and the whole country are praying for you,” the station added. 

During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi described Wolfe as a “miracle” who is now “able to open both eyes.”

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SENATE REPUBLICANS DEMAND VETTING OVERHAUL AFTER SHOOTING OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS 

Undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of  two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. (Provided by Department of Justice)

“Please continue to pray for Andy. I saw Andy. I’ve met with his mom. I talked to his mom constantly, Melody. His dad, Jason. He has a sister, a brother, an eight-month-old niece. They’re all in the hospital with him,” Bondi said Friday. 

“He’s a miracle. From day one, his mother, Melody said, ‘My son is going to live. My son is going to be 100%.’ And I can say this because the parents let me. I was there when the doctors all came in the room after they had done an angiogram. He has no blood clots. He’s a miracle. And now he’s able to open both eyes,” Bondi added.

People gather on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, for a vigil in Webster Springs, W.Va., in honor of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, one of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C. (Kathleen Batten/AP)

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The suspected shooter is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.  

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

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Murdaugh family housekeeper says white truck ‘haunts’ her from night of murders years later

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Murdaugh family housekeeper says white truck ‘haunts’ her from night of murders years later

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The Murdaugh family’s longtime housekeeper, Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, said a white pickup truck still “haunts” her years after the brutal Lowcountry murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Her book, “Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship,” co-authored with Mary Frances Weaver, chronicles not only her close relationship with Maggie Murdaugh but details of the night Maggie and her son Paul were killed.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Turrubiate-Simpson discussed the moment that still troubles her more than four years later, including a white pickup truck she saw near the family’s property off Moselle Road in Colleton County, South Carolina. The property was known simply as “Moselle.”

“The part that really haunts me,” she said, “was not looking into that white truck that was parked out there by the hangar.”

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Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson answers questions from prosecutor John Meadors during Alex Murdaugh’s trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse Feb. 10, 2023.  (Joshua Boucher/Pool via USA Today Network via Imagn)

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She recalled that she initially assumed it belonged to Paul and felt no reason to check it.

“When I heard testimony during the trial where they specified that Paul’s phone was dinging in Okatie, I said, ‘Well, who was driving that truck? Who was driving the white truck? The white F-150?’ That’s one of the main ones that bothers me.”

Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, S.C., Sept. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

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MURDAUGH HOUSEKEEPER REVEALS ONE DETAIL THAT CONVINCED HER ALEX WAS GUILTY OF MURDERS: ‘HE DID IT’

Turrubiate-Simpson said she has often replayed that moment in her mind, wondering why she felt compelled to leave the property through a different gate rather than drive past the kennels.

Maggie and Paul were found dead near dog kennels at the family’s home, police said. The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

“Perhaps it was like a divine intervention or something that said, ‘No, you need to go out the other gate,’” she said. “I wasn’t worried because the truck looked just like Paul’s truck, so it wasn’t a red flag then.”

A side view of the house at the Murdaugh Moselle property March 1, 2023, in Islandton, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA Today Network via Imagn)

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In the book, Turrubiate-Simpson shares several small inconsistencies on the property the morning after the murders that only a longtime confidant would catch.

She told Fox News Digital that Maggie’s car was parked in a spot she had never seen her use.

“Maggie used to always pull up to the left of Paul,” she explained. “But that morning, Maggie’s car was to the right, and it was not close up to the house. It was a little bit further to the right, kind of where the hunting room entrance is. I knew she didn’t put it there.”

The placement didn’t make sense, she said.

“There was no need for her to park there when there were no other vehicles really there.”

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Bullet holes in glass at the Murdaugh Moselle property March 1, 2023, in Islandton.  (Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA Today Network via Imagn)

‘Oh my God. He did it.’

Turrubiate-Simpson said she had her doubts about Alex Murdaugh’s responsibility in the double murders until bodycam video was played in court.

During the trial, prosecutors played video from Deputy Daniel Greene, the first officer to arrive at the property. Turrubiate-Simpson said her husband encouraged her to watch the video, even though she initially said she had no interest in seeing the crime scene.

“He said, ‘I think you need to watch at least a little bit of it,’” she said.

When the camera briefly passed the family’s black Suburban, she immediately recognized a towel.

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“I saw one of the towels that I had washed, that was going to be going back to Edisto [Murdaugh family’s island getaway],” she said. “In a glimpse, something caught my eye.”

Alex Murdaugh talks with defense attorney Jim Griffin during a jury-tampering hearing at the Richland County Judicial Center Jan. 29, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

She said she immediately asked her husband to rewind.

“And I told my husband, ‘Go back, go back, go back.’ He’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ I said, ‘Go back to the truck, go back to the truck.’ So, he’s steady going back, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ I said, ‘He did it.’ And, at that point, my husband said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘He did it. That was him.’ I said, ‘That towel was going back to Edisto. I had just washed it and set it on top of the shelf.’ I said, ‘He … he … he did it.’

“To me, that towel being there made no sense unless he grabbed it,” she added, suggesting she believed Alex used the towel during a frantic cleanup as he moved between the house and the kennels.

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“His demeanor didn’t match up with the nurturing, loving father that I saw within the home.”

A view from the path toward the house of the kennels at the Murdaugh Moselle property March 1, 2023, in Islandton.  (Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool via USA Today Network via Imagn)

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In her book, Turrubiate-Simpson floats a theory that Alex may not have acted alone that night, not in the murders themselves, but in the aftermath.

“My theory in the book is that he had help to clean, possibly setting up,” she told Fox News Digital.

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The distance between the main house and the kennels, she said, plays a critical role.

“It takes a good few minutes to get back and forth. In the time that they said it was done, there’s just not enough time.”

Turrubiate-Simpson said her theories are rooted in her intimate knowledge of the family’s routines, noting that “there’s no evidence” that she’s aware of suggesting that Alex had help.

“Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie” is a 2024 book by Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson that offers a personal account of her experiences with the Murdaugh family. (Palmetto Publishing)

‘Because of Paul and Maggie’

In her memoir, Turrubiate-Simpson said her purpose was not to fuel speculation, but to remind the world of Paul and Maggie’s lives.

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“I wrote this book because of Paul and Maggie,” she said. “I don’t want her forgotten. When they hear his name, I’m tired of hearing just his name. The two victims have been forgotten in all of this.”

A possible new trial

The South Carolina Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Murdaugh’s appeal Feb. 11.

Murdaugh’s team requested a new trial, arguing he did not receive a fair trial because of alleged jury tampering by Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill.

Alex Murdaugh, right, is shown here with his family.  (Fox News)

FOX NATION: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF MURDAUGH: FROM EGG TO Z

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“I think we all deserve a fair trial,” Turrubiate-Simpson said. “If they determine that he did not receive one, then we just must follow through. It’s the law.”

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh’s headstones mark their final resting places in Hampton. (Michael M. DeWitt Jr./USA Today Network via Imagn)

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Turrubiate-Simpson said she doesn’t plan to watch Hulu’s recent dramatization of the Murdaugh saga.

“I’ve watched some documentaries,” she said. “But I don’t feel the need to watch the Hulu series because I lived it. There’s no point in watching something that I already lived.”

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