Christopher Chenery
Encyclopedia
Christopher Tompkins Chenery (September 19, 1886 - January 3, 1973) was an American
engineer
, businessman
, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred
horse racing's
U.S. Triple Crown
champion Secretariat
.
Chenery was born in Richmond
, and raised in Ashland, Virginia
. He was the brother of William L. Chenery, Editor-Publisher of Colliers Magazine
. He studied at Randolph-Macon College
and Washington and Lee University
, graduating in 1909 with a Bachelor of Science
in Engineering. He then went to work in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
and Alaska
, but his career was interrupted with service in the United States Army Corps of Engineers
during World War I
. After the war, Chenery established Chenery Corporation, which became the controlling shareholder of the Federal Water Service Company. He served as the water
, gas
, and pipeline
company's president. Chenery was involved in two cases before the Supreme Court of the United States
that are considered landmark cases of United States administrative law
.
, Chenery made his home in the village of Pelham Manor, New York
, for nearly fifty years. However, he is best known for his 1932 purchase of Meadow Farm near his native Richmond, Virginia, that bred
and owned Thoroughbred racehorses.
On the farm property, Chenery operated Meadow Stud, Inc. as a breeding business and Meadow Stable, Inc. as the owner for the horses he kept for racing. His operations produced and raced the champion colt and 1972 Kentucky Derby
and Belmont Stakes
winner Riva Ridge
, and superhorse Secretariat
, winner of the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown. Among his other horses of note, Chenery owned and bred Hill Prince
, the 1950 U.S. Horse of the Year
; Cicada
, champion filly at 2, 3, and 4; and First Landing
, the 1958 U.S. Champion 2-yr-old colt.
Chenery was admitted to the New Rochelle, New York
Hospital in late February 1968. He remained there until his death on January 3, 1973, before Secretariat's Triple Crown victory occurred. His daughter Penny
took over the management of the 2798 acres (11.3 km²) farm and its racing stable. While she recorded her father as breeder of Secretariat, it was Penny Chenery who made the decision to send Meadow Farm's mare
Somethingroyal
to be bred to Bold Ruler
twice. The first mating in 1968 produced the filly The Bride. The second breeding, in 1969, resulted in Secretariat.
Now known as Meadow Event Park
, the former farm became the home of the Virginia State Fair
in 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing's
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
U.S. Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
champion Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
.
Chenery was born in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and raised in Ashland, Virginia
Ashland, Virginia
Originally known as Slash Cottage, Ashland is located on the Old Washington Highway U.S. Route One and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, a busy north-south route now owned by CSX Transportation...
. He was the brother of William L. Chenery, Editor-Publisher of Colliers Magazine
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
. He studied at Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
and Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, graduating in 1909 with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Engineering. He then went to work in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, but his career was interrupted with service in the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war, Chenery established Chenery Corporation, which became the controlling shareholder of the Federal Water Service Company. He served as the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
, and pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
company's president. Chenery was involved in two cases before the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
that are considered landmark cases of United States administrative law
United States administrative law
United States administrative law encompasses a number of statutes and cases which define the extent of the powers and responsibilities held by administrative agencies of the United States Government. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the U.S. federal government cannot always...
.
Meadow Farm
One of the founders of the New York Racing AssociationNew York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
, Chenery made his home in the village of Pelham Manor, New York
Pelham Manor, New York
Pelham Manor is a village located in Westchester County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 5,486. It is located in the town of Pelham.- Demographics :...
, for nearly fifty years. However, he is best known for his 1932 purchase of Meadow Farm near his native Richmond, Virginia, that bred
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
and owned Thoroughbred racehorses.
On the farm property, Chenery operated Meadow Stud, Inc. as a breeding business and Meadow Stable, Inc. as the owner for the horses he kept for racing. His operations produced and raced the champion colt and 1972 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge
Riva Ridge was a thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. A son of First Landing out of Iberia , he was owned and bred by the Meadow Stable of Christopher Chenery. The horse's name came from Chenery's son-in-law, John Tweedy, who was a soldier in World War...
, and superhorse Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, winner of the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown. Among his other horses of note, Chenery owned and bred Hill Prince
Hill Prince
Hill Prince was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who earned Champion honors in his first three years of racing. Trained by Casey Hayes for owner Christopher Chenery, at age two Hill Prince won six of the first seven races he entered and was the American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, sharing the...
, the 1950 U.S. Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
; Cicada
Cicada (horse)
Cicada was an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse bred by Christopher Chenery's Meadow Stud. A bay filly by Bryan G, she was out of Satsuma; Satsuma's dam was Hildene, a "blue hen" mare and the first horse owned by Chenery...
, champion filly at 2, 3, and 4; and First Landing
First Landing (horse)
First Landing was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Turn-To, a grandson of the great Nearco, he was out of the mare Hildene, whose sire was the 1926 Kentucky Derby winner, Bubbling Over...
, the 1958 U.S. Champion 2-yr-old colt.
Chenery was admitted to the New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
Hospital in late February 1968. He remained there until his death on January 3, 1973, before Secretariat's Triple Crown victory occurred. His daughter Penny
Penny Chenery
Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery Tweedy is an American sportswoman who bred and raced Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown...
took over the management of the 2798 acres (11.3 km²) farm and its racing stable. While she recorded her father as breeder of Secretariat, it was Penny Chenery who made the decision to send Meadow Farm's mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Somethingroyal
Somethingroyal
Somethingroyal was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was the dam of U.S. Triple Crown champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Secretariat ....
to be bred to Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
twice. The first mating in 1968 produced the filly The Bride. The second breeding, in 1969, resulted in Secretariat.
Now known as Meadow Event Park
Meadow Event Park
Meadow Event Park is a large park and nature preserve in Doswell, Virginia with several fields and facilities. It has been the home of the State Fair of Virginia since 2009, previously held at Richmond International Raceway. The 2009 state fair was the park's inaugural event. Since then it has also...
, the former farm became the home of the Virginia State Fair
Virginia State Fair
The State Fair of Virginia is held annually at the end of September, currently at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, Virginia. Through 2008, the fair was held at the Richmond Raceway Complex, located in eastern Henrico County, just outside of the capital city of Richmond.-Structure :The...
in 2009.
External links
- Pelham Manor website
- The Meadow Event Park
- Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame
- Bowen, Edward L.Edward L. BowenEdward L. Bowen is an American Thoroughbred horse racing historian and author and the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an institution involved in funding equine research....
Legacies of the Turf: A Century of Great Thoroughbred Breeders (2003) Eclipse Press ISBN 978-1581501025
Further reading
- Nack, William. Secretariat: The Making of a Champion (2002) Da Capo Press ISBN 978-0306811333