Horse Racing Fantasy Community

The Meadow Stable was at a crossroads after the patriarch Christopher Chenery died in late 1972, leaving substantial estate taxes behind, and forcing his daughter Penny to have to decide whether to dissolve the stable or keep it going. 1972 was an unexpectedly great year for the stable, as Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, and then SECRETARIAT emerged as the dominant force in racing during the summer and fall, as he won 7 of his 9 starts and unanimously won 1972 Horse of the Year to become the first and only horse ever to so. Penny Chenery didn't want to gamble on the future survival of the stable, and so with the able assistance of Arthur Hancock, the breeding rights of SECRETARIAT were syndicated for a then world record of over $6 million. The future of the stable was secure regardless of whether 1973 was a success or not. Ms. Chenery has said that she wasn't going to gamble with the survival of the stable, and that was probably a wise idea. However, if she had a crystal ball she definitely wouldn't have agreed to that syndication deal, because 1973 was The Meadow Stable's year, no ifs and or buts about it, and SECRETARIAT and Riva Ridge were squarely in the media spotlight. At the Eclipse Awards, SECRETARIAT would collect three awards (Champion 3-year-old colt, Champion Grass horse, and Horse of the Year), while Riva Ridge would be named Champion Handicap horse.
The two stars of the racing world would only get together on the track one time, and what an amazing event it was! The Marlboro Cup was a field of the best horses around in 1973, including Cougar II, Kennedy Road, Onion, and Big Spruce, but Riva Ridge and SECRETARIAT made them all look inferior on that day!