FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nate Newby
(626) 574-6391
Nate.Newby@santananita.com
MUCHO MACHO MAN TO BE HONORED FOR SECRETARIAT VOX POPULI AWARD
Santa Anita Event Jan. 11 to Feature Poster Give-Away and Autograph Signing
ARCADIA, Ca. (Jan. 8th, 2014) – The West Coast will toast horse racing’s past and present in true Southern California style on Saturday, Jan. 11, with the annual presentation of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award at Santa Anita Park followed by the California premiere of Landlocked Films’ documentary Penny & Red: The Life of Secretariat’s Owner.
The celebration for the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic and Secretariat Vox Populi Award winner Mucho Macho Man will begin the day at Santa Anita Park with a commemorative poster give-away and autograph signing. His owners, Dean and Patti Reeves, and jockey Gary Stevens will join Penny Chenery’s designees — her son John Tweedy and Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay — to sign autographs and meet guests beginning at 11 a.m. Following the signing, Tweedy and Pincay will present the custom-made Vox Populi trophy to Stevens and the Reeves in a public ceremony scheduled to be broadcast live on HRTV.
Mucho Macho Man was the clear favorite in the voting for the annual Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People” award. The tenacious 5-year-old was sidelined for five months earlier in the year as he fought both bacterial and viral infections. Still, the strapping bay’s earnings for 2013 were nearly $3 million with only five starts, and his impressive wins in the Grade I Awesome Again Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic propelled him into the limelight and further enhanced his popularity among racing fans.
The excitement on Jan. 11 will continue into the evening with the California premiere of Penny & Red, presented by Santa Anita Park and Secretariat.com, at the Krikorian Theatre in Monrovia. This revealing film, produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker John Tweedy and narrated by actress Diane Lane, is a 60-minute documentary that gives Penny Chenery’s honest reflection on her storied life as “The First Lady of Racing” and her incredible experience of owning “America’s Horse.”
Proceeds from the premiere will benefit equine welfare and rescue efforts through TROTT (Training Racehorses Off The Track) and the Secretariat Foundation. The evening will begin with an optional VIP reception at 6:30 p.m., where guests are invited to join Tweedy and other racing celebrities for hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Following the screening, guests will be invited to ask Tweedy questions related to the film.
Various ticketing levels will be offered for the premiere. General admission is available
for $40. Premium admission, which includes reserved seating inside the theatre and access to the
VIP reception is available for $95 per ticket, while the Deluxe package, which includes premium
admission, reserved seating plus a commemorative DVD of the film autographed by Mrs.
Chenery, is offered at $150 per person. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Secretariat.com or
by calling 949-813-9566. Tickets may also be purchased at the door pending availability.
For more information about Secretariat or the Vox Populi Award, visit Secretariat.com.