Known as “The First Lady of Racing,” Penny Chenery has an estimated net worth of $10 million. Born Helen Bates Chenery Tweedy on January 27, 1922 in New Rochelle, New York, she is an American sportswoman who bred and raced horses. She and her siblings owned the legendary Secretariat, the winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973. She attended the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, a school that offers facilities for riding and housing horses brought in by their students. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in American history.
After graduation in 1943, Chenery worked as an assistant for Gibbs and Cox, a company that designed war craft for the Normandy invasion. She joined as a volunteer for Red Cross and traveled to France. After her return from Europe in 1946, she attended the Columbia Business School.
Chenery’s inspiration to join horse breeding and racing was her from father who was the owner of the Meadow Farm. When he died, she took over the farm and pursued her father’s dream to win the Kentucky Derby. After several changes in the trainers of their horses, the colt Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. The two-year old Secretariat earned the 1972 American Horse of the Year honors. She also gained national attention when Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years in 1973.
Penny Chenery has received several awards along with Martha F. Gery and Allaire du Pont, the three women who were first admitted to The Jockey Club in 1983. From 1976 to 1984, she served as the President of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. In 2006, she received the Eclipse Award of Merit. The Arlington Park Penny Chenery Distinguished Woman in Racing Award was established in her honor. A film version of her story called Secretariat was released in 2010.