Some pieces begin at a workbench.
Others begin at a kitchen table.
The Secretariat Pin began with a conversation.
In 1993, I was commissioned by Penny Chenery to create artwork commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Secretariat's 1973 Triple Crown victory. For that project, I painted a watercolor of Secretariat's final work in Canada. During that same visit, seated at my portable easel in Penny's Lexington living room, I also painted several of her beloved Jack Russell Terriers and created a pastel portrait of Secretariat that was later offered through a Sotheby's internet auction.
"Watercolor study of Secretariat created for the twentieth anniversary of his Triple Crown victory."
Five years later, I found myself sitting at Penny's kitchen table in Lexington, Kentucky.
We were folding notecards for an upcoming event and talking about Secretariat, as horse people often do when gathered around a table. During the conversation, I asked about a pin she had worn throughout Secretariat's racing career.
Penny explained that it had been lost.
The original pin had accompanied her through some of the most historic moments in American racing. Gifted to her by her father, it had been present for the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, and countless appearances afterward. Somewhere along the way, it disappeared.
Almost instictively, I offered to create another—this one specifically honoring Secretariat and crafted in 18k yellow gold.
Back in my studio, I began carving. The goal was not simply to reproduce a horse. It was to capture Secretariat's unmistakable presence—the intelligence in his eye, the strength of his neck, and the confidence that made him one of the most recognizable Thoroughbreds in history.
"The Secretariat Pin began as a hand-carved wax sculpture before being cast in gold."
The design evolved the same way many of my pieces do: from drawing and, in this case, watercolor painting, to sculpture, and finally to precious metal.
Working through the lost-wax process, I sculpted Secretariat's likeness and transformed the original artwork into a wearable piece of sculpture. The finished pin was crafted in gold and created specifically for Penny.
When it was complete, I presented it to her at the opening celebration of the renovated Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville.
For me, the moment represented far more than the completion of a commission.
It was a bridge between art, history, and friendship.
Today, the Secretariat Pin remains one of the most meaningful pieces ever created in my studio. Not because it commemorates a champion—though Secretariat certainly was one—but because it connects directly to the people who knew him best and to the stories that continue to inspire horsemen and racing fans around the world.
"The finished Secretariat Pin in 18k gold."
Like all of my work, it began with observation, evolved through sculpture, and became something meant to be treasured.
A journey from canvas to gold.
"The champion who inspired a lifetime of stories."