LEXINGTON, KY (March 13, 2006) "He wasn't just the greatest horse I ever had. He was the greatest horse anybody ever had" said Lucien Lauren, trainer of the legendary Secretariat. According to ESPN’s website, Secretariat is “still the number one name in racing,” and so it is with great honor that the Kentucky Horse Park will celebrate the life of this horse on Secretariat Day, April 8, highlighted by the dedication of a beautiful bronze statue of Secretariat.
Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery, will be on hand to officially dedicate the bronze by world-renowned sculptor, Edwin Bogucki, who will also be in attendance, and to sign autographs. Secretariat’s jockey, Ron Turcotte, is expected to attend along with two of Secretariat’s exercise riders.
The statue is encircled by pavers on which loving tributes by some of his fans are inscribed.
John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park reminisced, “It’s a hard-hearted person who can watch the replays of Secretariat winning the Belmont by 31 lengths and not have a catch in the throat or a tear in the eye.” He continued, “After all these years, we never seem to grow weary or indifferent to the sight of that royally-bred, breathtakingly beautiful horse barreling down the stretch. It’s an image that is forever branded on the hearts of everyone who loves horses. That’s why we are so pleased to be able to honor the memory of Secretariat in this way.”
The Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park will also hold an open house that day for visitors who wish to see the Jim Reno sculpture of Secretariat which stands in front of their center, and to meet rescued and adoptable Thoroughbreds which the center serves in Secretariat’s name.
The public is invited to attend Secretariat Day which is included with park admission. The Secretariat Sculpture Dedication will begin at 10:30 in front of the Visitor Information Center and is included with park admission.
For more information, call 859-233-4303 or click on www.kyhorsepark.com.
Park Hours and Rates: November 1-March 14 the Kentucky Horse Park is open 9am until 5pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for children 7-12. From March 15-October 31, the park is open seven days a week. Admission then is $15 for adults, $8 for children 7-12. Children six and under are always admitted free of charge. Admission includes Secretariat Day and the American Saddlebred Museum.
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The Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm/theme park and equine competition facility dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse. The park is an agency of the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet that hosted nearly 900,000 visitors and 15,000 competition horses in more than 100 special events and horse shows in 2005. The park is located at Exit 120, Interstate 75, just north of Lexington. The place to get close to horses, the park is open daily March 15 to October 31, and Wednesday through Sunday, November 1 to March 14.