Discovered years ago in a Slaughterhouse, Secretariat’s Granddaughter, “Go Go Lark”, Makes Her Final Lap Home to a Rescue, in Maine
Secretariat was a horse racing legend that won the Triple Crown and the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. His times in all three Triple Crown races remain the fastest in history. Secretariat’s owner was a woman named Penny Chenery, as depicted in the 2010 Disney movie, “Secretariat”, starring actress Diane Lane.
When Jenny and Mathew Nichols, co-founders of a non-profit animal rescue in Maine: “Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary” (CCFS), first heard about "Go Go Lark" - Secretariat's granddaughter - it sounded almost like something out of a movie. A fallen princess-tale like the animated “Tangled” or “Anastasia”, where the heroines royal identity isn’t discovered until they first endure many trials and tribulations. The plea for help for this 22-year-old, papered mare was circulated amongst nationwide rescues in an attempt to find placement for her. According to the information given, Go Go Lark was in desperate need of a home as the owners had fallen on hard times and could no longer afford her care or boarding facility fees.
Photo: Secretariat with Penny Chenery as depicted by actress, Diane Lane
Back in 2015, Go Go Lark had been discovered in a Pennsylvania slaughterhouse with only 24-hours to spare before being loaded on a truck and sent to slaughter. Miraculously, she was saved and transported to a boarding facility in Illinois where she has lived for the past six years.
Sadly, Go Go Lark would again have to face an uncertain future and the dark prospects of returning to the place where she had been pulled from. Fully comprehending the stark reality of this having previously saved rescue horses from similar fates, the Nichols and the CCFS board of directors, sprang into action. Go Go Lark’s owners were thrilled when they heard Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary could provide her a permanent, loving home and surrendered her to them. Professional equine transporters will be driving Go Go Lark to the Maine sanctuary in a week - just in time for Christmas!
There has been much speculation as to how such a special horse like Go Go Lark, could have ended up in a kill pen in the first place. Information on her background is dim and the few bits and pieces have been knitted together to show a sparse sequence of events including an early life at a prestigious farm where she was entered into races as a two-year-old. Failing to meet winning expectations, she was eventually sold, where for several years she enjoyed a luxurious life and had at least one foal that she was extremely protective of. Where this little, great-grandchild of Secretariat’s is now, we may never know. One might rightly guess that as Go Go Lark aged, she was deemed unprofitable, and passed from place to place, until eventually, she ended up at an auction house. By a stroke of terrible luck, she was purchased by a kill buyer and brought to the slaughterhouse where she would face a chaotic, terrifying and deadly destiny.
Photo: Go Go Lark,
Secretariat's granddaughter. It is hard to say just how
many of them are left around the world.
Secretariat came to us as a shining example of aristocracy: big, handsome and full of charge he walked with style, stood tall and displayed the best manners. To the eye, he was perfection itself and when he performed it was a breathtaking sight. Commonly known as “Big Red”, Secretariat was born on March 30, 1970. As a colt, he was awkward, chubby and seemed best at eating, sleeping and acting the clown. But by the time he was two-years-old, he stood at approximately 16.2 hands and weighed 1,175 pounds. He had a kind of princely quality about him and was once called, "The horse that God built". Beyond his explosive acceleration and lofty bearing Secretariat exuded a human dimension that quickly gained him national fame.
Today especially, following the horse-punching incident at Tokyo Olympics and just recently, when disputed Kentucky derby winner, three-year-old, Medina Spirit, died suddenly after a strenuous work-out, there is a dark side to equestrian performance sports. Sadly, horse athletes such as these and so many others are often looked at as machines; racing engines that once broken are simply dumped or quietly disposed of; and tragically, many once prized and touted horses are never heard of again - lost somewhere in the pipeline. It is easy to imagine that Go Go Lark, being a direct descendant of the legendary Secretariat would have had high expectations put on her - ones she just wasn’t able to meet - and in the end, she became a tossed treasure.
Photo: Go Go Lark a true princess
Not only was Secretariat known for being kind-hearted, but he also had a big heart in the literal sense. When Secretariat died at the age of 19, an autopsy revealed what every poet knew, that his heart was huge - some two-and-a-half times larger than those who ran so far behind him. In the minds of the Nichols and the people who know Go Go Lark, there is no doubt she inherited this as well - because this courageous beauty certainly has a very big heart.
Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary has started a fundraiser for Go Go Lark. They are hoping to raise at least $5k to cover her travel expenses and ongoing care once she gets to the sanctuary. For this once fallen Princess of Secretariat, there will indeed be a happily-ever-after.
