MY HOMETOWN WELCOMES SECRETARIAT BACK HOME TO STAY
Secretariat Monument #2/2, ‘Racing into History’ (Author photo)
I got back to Ashland just in time.
Secretariat was born after I left, but Hanover County is welcoming home its native son.
Born of a carefully arranged marriage (to put it politely) at nearby “The Meadow” in 1970, Secretariat won the Triple Crown when I was long grown and he was three. While at it he set speed records in the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness.
Secretariat has spawned movies, TV shows, countless stories and a few statues; the above is surely #1. A bronze sculpture by artist Jocelyn Russell it shows Secretariat with jockey Ron Turcotte astride winning the Kentucky Derby.
‘Racing into History’ has recently been on a 50th anniversary tour, but now the extraordinary horse is home again. In the center of Ashland VA, widely known (to its intimates at least) as the Center of the Universe. On the campus of Randolph-Macon College, in time for a rare visit of my own.
Happy homecoming to us, Secretariat.
One of the greatest racing horses ever.
Definitely. I’m delighted he’s permanently positioned in beautiful downtown Ashland.