The Secretariat Vox Populi Award, also known as the "Voice of the People" award, was established in 2010 by

Penny Chenery Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery (January 27, 1922 – September 16, 2017) (married names: Penny Tweedy until 1974 and later Penny Ringquist until 1980) was an American sportswoman who bred and owned Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown. T ...

, who was the owner of

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...

. The annual award "recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the American public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing." Recipients of the award to date: , the award was chosen by a combined vote of the general public, conducted online; plus a vote of the Vox Populi committee, and a vote by Chenery. After Chenery's death in 2017, the voting procedure changed; , six nominees are chosen by a committee of "several distinguished personalities from within and outside the racing industry who all share a keen interest and affection for the sport". Online voting is then turned over to the general public, who can write in their own choices. Voting closes on November 30, with the winner announced in December.

References

{{reflist Horse racing awards Horse racing in the United States American horse racing awards Awards established in 2010