Virginia is about to welcome a new statue of Virginia-Bred icon Secretariat, the first one ever in the Commonwealth! The 11 1/2-foot-tall and 21-foot-long bronze monument, designed and produced by sculptor Jocelyn Russell, weighs 3,500 pounds. The unique statue will be unveiled at the Secretariat birthday celebration April 1st in Ashland — on the Randolph Macon campus. It will remain on site for several weeks before traveling around the country by trailer so fans everywhere can celebrate his greatness. The event comes at a perfect time — the 50th anniversary of his iconic Triple Crown run in 1973 when he swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, all in record times.
The Statue, commissioned by Pacific Northwest artist Russell, is the second statue of Secretariat from the artist. The first was commissioned in 2019 and is currently located in a traffic circle in Lexington, Kentucky.
The whole day April 1st will be filled with Secretariat themed fun with activities going on 2:30 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. This will include a free showing of the Secretariat movie at Ashland Theatre and a number of displays and children’s activities at the Town Hall and lawn area, including a presentation by Russell on sculpting the monument. Complete event details are at secretariatforvirginia.com.
