Horses Frozen in Time at Churchill Downs
October 16th 2011 23:11
Horses Frozen in Time at Churchill Downs
An article for Thoroughbreds Worldwide and RacingWrite.
Words by Vicki L Vinson
Photography by Amber Chalfin
The traveling Breeders’ Cup statue as seen at Churchill Downs in 2006
This year will be the 8th time the Breeders’ Cup races have been held at Churchill Downs and with each running of the event as with all the host tracks the traveling statue representing the Breeders’ Cup has been carefully placed fully in view of the public as a symbol marking the site for the event each year. The statue is said to be a reproduction of the Giovanni da Bologna’s sculpture the Torrie horse done in the late 1850’s in Florence, Italy. The flayed horse style details all the muscles of the horse. Smaller versions of the statue done in bronze are presented to the winners of each of the Breeders’ Cup races.
This statue of Aristides has long presided over the paddock at Churchill Downs
The longtime resident horse statue in the Churchill paddock is that of Aristides the first winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1875. While the traditional practice of placing a garland of roses around the neck of the Derby winner did not start until 1896, the statue stands proudly surrounded in a bed of the famous roses. Aristides was a chestnut horse by the English sire Leamington out of the Lexington mare Sarong. His owner/breeder was Hal Price McGrath who named the colt after good friend and fellow horse breeder Aristides Welch who owned Erdenheim Stud. It is said that owner McGrath did OK during the California gold rush and used his money to open a gambling house in New York where he won $105,000 in one night with which he started his stud farm. Aristides was trained by Ansel Williamson and ridden by Oliver Lewis. In the 1875 Kentucky Derby the plan for Aristides was to be a rabbit for his stable mate Chesapeake who squandered at the back of the field. During his racing career Aristides earned $18,325 in purse money only $2,850 of that was from winning the Derby. The Aristides statue is by sculptor Carl Regutti and in recent years has been joined nearby by a statue of jockey Pat Day who you can see in the background in the above photo.
The statue of Barbaro stands between the Kentucky Derby Museum and the main entrance to Churchill
In 2006 Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby and truly stirred talks of possible Triple Crown win but two weeks later in the Preakness he shattered those dreams after seriously fracturing his leg shortly after leaving the starting gate in the Preakness. His owners Roy & Gretchen Jackson knew it would be a hard fought battle but they wanted to try and save their horse and he was sent to the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. By the end of the year it looked as if Barbaro might recover but one thing led to another as it often does with horse injuries and he succumbed to the effects of laminitis in January of 2007. In his memory the Barbaro Memorial Fund was formed to study and research on equine health and safety including research for a cure to laminitis.
Barbaro’s win in the Kentucky Derby was nothing short of miraculous it was the longest winning margin since 1946 under a hand ride by jockey Edgar Prado. He came into the race following a 5 week break after winning the Florida Derby for trainer Michael Matz; it was the longest pre-derby break for a Derby winner in 50 years as Barbaro became the 6th undefeated winner of the Kentucky Derby. The Barbaro statue was unveiled at Churchill Downs on April 26, 2009 just a few days before the running of that year’s Derby. The statue was sculpted by Alexa King and depicted Barbaro’s rail skimming run in the Derby with Edgar Prado in the saddle. Barbaro’s remains are interred beneath the statue which is located outside the main entrance to the track near the Kentucky Derby Museum so fans can visit free of charge at any time to remember the horse and his accomplishments.
An article for Thoroughbreds Worldwide and RacingWrite.
Words by Vicki L Vinson
Photography by Amber Chalfin
The traveling Breeders’ Cup statue as seen at Churchill Downs in 2006
This year will be the 8th time the Breeders’ Cup races have been held at Churchill Downs and with each running of the event as with all the host tracks the traveling statue representing the Breeders’ Cup has been carefully placed fully in view of the public as a symbol marking the site for the event each year. The statue is said to be a reproduction of the Giovanni da Bologna’s sculpture the Torrie horse done in the late 1850’s in Florence, Italy. The flayed horse style details all the muscles of the horse. Smaller versions of the statue done in bronze are presented to the winners of each of the Breeders’ Cup races.
This statue of Aristides has long presided over the paddock at Churchill Downs
The longtime resident horse statue in the Churchill paddock is that of Aristides the first winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1875. While the traditional practice of placing a garland of roses around the neck of the Derby winner did not start until 1896, the statue stands proudly surrounded in a bed of the famous roses. Aristides was a chestnut horse by the English sire Leamington out of the Lexington mare Sarong. His owner/breeder was Hal Price McGrath who named the colt after good friend and fellow horse breeder Aristides Welch who owned Erdenheim Stud. It is said that owner McGrath did OK during the California gold rush and used his money to open a gambling house in New York where he won $105,000 in one night with which he started his stud farm. Aristides was trained by Ansel Williamson and ridden by Oliver Lewis. In the 1875 Kentucky Derby the plan for Aristides was to be a rabbit for his stable mate Chesapeake who squandered at the back of the field. During his racing career Aristides earned $18,325 in purse money only $2,850 of that was from winning the Derby. The Aristides statue is by sculptor Carl Regutti and in recent years has been joined nearby by a statue of jockey Pat Day who you can see in the background in the above photo.
The statue of Barbaro stands between the Kentucky Derby Museum and the main entrance to Churchill
In 2006 Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby and truly stirred talks of possible Triple Crown win but two weeks later in the Preakness he shattered those dreams after seriously fracturing his leg shortly after leaving the starting gate in the Preakness. His owners Roy & Gretchen Jackson knew it would be a hard fought battle but they wanted to try and save their horse and he was sent to the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. By the end of the year it looked as if Barbaro might recover but one thing led to another as it often does with horse injuries and he succumbed to the effects of laminitis in January of 2007. In his memory the Barbaro Memorial Fund was formed to study and research on equine health and safety including research for a cure to laminitis.
Barbaro’s win in the Kentucky Derby was nothing short of miraculous it was the longest winning margin since 1946 under a hand ride by jockey Edgar Prado. He came into the race following a 5 week break after winning the Florida Derby for trainer Michael Matz; it was the longest pre-derby break for a Derby winner in 50 years as Barbaro became the 6th undefeated winner of the Kentucky Derby. The Barbaro statue was unveiled at Churchill Downs on April 26, 2009 just a few days before the running of that year’s Derby. The statue was sculpted by Alexa King and depicted Barbaro’s rail skimming run in the Derby with Edgar Prado in the saddle. Barbaro’s remains are interred beneath the statue which is located outside the main entrance to the track near the Kentucky Derby Museum so fans can visit free of charge at any time to remember the horse and his accomplishments.
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