The annual Secretariat Birthday Celebration at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County will have extra horsepower this year. Fans can enjoy an even bigger celebration for “Big Red” at his birthplace as a highlight of the new Virginia Horse Festival,March 27-29.
The Secretariat birthday festivities will include celebrity appearances and autograph signings by members of the Secretariat team; a VIP reception and program; local Secretariat descendants; Secretariat merchandise for purchase; a display of Secretariat and Meadow Stable memorabilia; tram tours of the former farm; and an open house in Meadow Hall, featuring the Meadow Champion Galleries, Triple Crown Room and Museum of the Virginia Horse.
A new feature this year is the Meadow Descendants Gathering. Horses who have Secretariat or other famous Meadow champions in their pedigrees will parade into the show ring for a “family reunion.”
“This gathering will pay homage to the Meadow bloodlines, as well as highlight the versatility of retired racehorses, many of whom have found new careers off the track,” said Leeanne Ladin, Secretariat tourism manager at The Meadow.
Visit SecretariatsMeadow.com for birthday event details. Several of the activities are included in general admission to the Virginia Horse Festival; others require separate tickets.
The Virginia Horse Festival celebrates horses and riding disciplines of all types with three days of clinics and demonstrations; a parade of breeds; an exhibit hall full of equine industry vendors; and more. Tickets will go on sale soon at VirginiaHorseFestival.com.
Secretariat was born at The Meadow on March 30, 1970. In 1973, he made history as the only Triple Crown champion to break all three track records, all of which still stand. Today, The Meadow offers narrated “Hoofprints of History” tours of Secretariat’s birthplace from March through December.
The Virginia Horse Festival and Secretariat.com of Louisville, Ky., are co-hosting the Secretariat Birthday Celebration with additional support from the Caroline County Department of Tourism.
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