In reality, horse racing was one aspect of American life which had a long history of women owning big-time stables. Many top stables, going w-a-a-y back. It was quite accepted. Elizabeth Arden. Mrs. John Hertz. I love the old 30s and 40s photos of dressed-to-kill women leading their winning steeds to the winner's circle.
yes, but owning a racing stable is very different from hands-on management. I too knew some of the great ladies, but I never saw them get their hands dirty with the nuts and bolts of farm operations or difficult financial issues. People respected Penny as her father’s daughter and the heiress of The Meadow, IIRC, but were a little taken aback at her wheeling and dealing, which the movie shows.
One of the flaws in the film is an omission: Wallace chose not to include the contributions of Dr Olive Britt, the first woman large-animal vet in Virginia, who was the farm vet for The Meadow Farm and was there for the delivery of Secretariat. She taught Penny Chenery about horse care and breeding, and her instruction allowed Penny to make some of the astute decisions Penny did. But Dr Britt was a very rare bird indeed.