As Leeanne Meadows Ladin and the rest of the staff of The Meadow prepared to throw a party for the 45th anniversary of Secretariat’s birth this weekend, they got a piece of news that gave them even more to celebrate.

(And yes, that’s her real name. Nomenclature is destiny?)

On March 19, Ladin, who is The Meadow’s Secretariat Tourism Manager and coauthor of Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend,learned that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources had added Secretariat’s birthplace to the Virginia Landmarks Register.

The designation applies to the Meadow Historic District, which includes the foaling shed where Secretariat was born; his training barn; the yearling barn where he lived; and a yearling barn annex stallion barn, horse cemetery, well house, and pump house.

The district is part of The Meadow Event Park in Caroline Country, Virginia, which has been owned by the Virginia Farm Bureau since 2013.

“I am deeply honored that the birthplace of Secretariat is now listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register as the Meadow Historic District,” said Penny Chenery, the owner of Secretariat. “This designation is a fitting tribute to the land, our horses and my father’s legacy.”

The farm is worthy of historic designation — even if you take Secretariat out of the picture.

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