Tales from the Meadow

Here you can read our family’s stories, recollections, and other information about the Chenerys’ Meadow Stud breeding operation, the life and history of Meadow Farm, and the racing careers of Secretariat, Riva Ridge, and our other champion horses.  From time to time we will be posting photos and videos as well.  We’d love to hear your reactions and answer your questions! 

Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

Thoughts on the 2025 Preakness Race by Kate Tweedy

On Saturday, May 17, we celebrated the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, a nail-biter in which the gallant winner Journalism was violently sandwiched between two rivals in the homestretch but recovered in just enough time to snag the lead at the wire. It was a thrilling reminder of what keeps racing fans coming back year after year. And, as in the Derby, all of the entrants were Secretariat descendants!

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Reflections on the 1973 Wood Memorial Stakes
Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

Reflections on the 1973 Wood Memorial Stakes

Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial Stakes was long known as the proving ground for three-year-olds--the big final prep for the Derby that comes just two weeks later. Winning or losing it was a big deal, no matter who you are.

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Remembering My Grandfather, Christopher T. Chenery, by Kate Tweedy
Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

Remembering My Grandfather, Christopher T. Chenery, by Kate Tweedy

Remembering My Grandfather, Christopher T. Chenery, by Kate Tweedy

Chris Chenery, my grandfather, died on Jan 3, 1973, at age 86, at the hospital in Westchester County NY, where he had been for several years. His death was expected but devastating to his family. Within a few days, all the Chenerys had gathered at the Meadow in Virginia to say goodbye.

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Remembering Mom, by Kate Tweedy
Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

Remembering Mom, by Kate Tweedy

Remembering Mom, by Kate Tweedy

Every year on this day, I bring roses to my mother’s grave. It has been seven years since she died, but it seems like yesterday. She lies in the Chenery plot in Ashland, VA, with her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

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A New Generation Celebrates Big Red
Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

A New Generation Celebrates Big Red

In the years after 1973, long before the internet, fans of Secretariat could only relive his astonishing races by talking about them with relatives and fellow fans. When YouTube appeared in the early 2000s, they could finally watch his races and feel the goosebumps once again.

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Riva Ridge and His Remarkable Belmont of 1972
Kate Tweedy Kate Tweedy

Riva Ridge and His Remarkable Belmont of 1972

Written by Kate Tweedy

Secretariat’s legendary Belmont of 1973 is indelibly etched in horse racing history. But on June 10, 1972, his stablemate Riva Ridge became the first horse of Meadow Stable to win the mile-and-a-half test of champions. And he accomplished it under very challenging circumstances.

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