Pat Day Sculpture to be Unveiled at Churchill
CDI Edited press release, Blood-Horse
Date Posted: 9/19/2006 2:40:57 PM Last Updated: 9/19/2006 2:47:22 PM

A life-size bronze sculpture of retired Kentucky Derby (gr. I)-winning jockey Pat Day is on schedule for a formal unveiling and dedication at Churchill Downs during the opening week of its Oct. 29-Nov. 25 fall meet. Day is the all-time leading rider at Churchill Downs and a member of Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame.

Louisville sculptor Raymond Graf is creating the bronze, and Day and Churchill Downs president Steve Sexton visited Graf's studio Sept. 19 to admire the work-in-progress. Graf has completed a clay model of the sculpture, and his next step will be the creation of a rubber mold of that model. Wax will then be poured into the rubber mold to make a wax copy, and that copy will be sent to a foundry to be cast in bronze.

Graf's bronze captures an image of Day raising his eyes and hands toward the sky as he gave thanks to God following his victory in the 1992 Kentucky Derby aboard W.C. Partee's Lil E. Tee. That victory marked Day's only success in the Derby in 22 attempts.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Day. "I don't know if any mortal person deserves to be immortalized quite like this, but this is tremendous honor for me and my family, and for everybody that's helped me in my incredibly successful career – not the least of which is the one that I'm acknowledging in this pose."

Graf's work will ultimately be located in the Paddock Garden. He has created distinctive bronze sculptures of Louisville sports icons such as Brooklyn Dodgers star Pee Wee Reese and Notre Dame and Green Bay Packers legend Paul Hornung; business and education leaders J. Graham Brown, Tom Simons, Finis E. Davis, and Al Schneider; Boys' Haven founder Father James Maloney; and the University of Louisville's Cardinal Bird mascot.

"The sports figures are a lot more fun," said Graf. "A guy in a suit is kind of boring. You get to put a little life in their stance. It's lots of fun."

"In order for Illinois racing to improve and grow, it's important that both Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Course have the opportunity to be successful," said Arlington Park President Roy Arnold. "The dates awarded by the IRB have given both of us that opportunity."

Regarding the six weeks of four-day racing in May and June, Arnold said: "By racing four days a week during May and the first two weeks of June, we're confident that we'll have larger fields running for higher purses during that time frame."

The first two days of the 2007 Arlington racing season will coincide with the simulcasts from Churchill Downs of the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 4 and the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) May 5.