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The bronze shows Secretariat as he danced to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs on May 5, 1973, lead by his longtime groom Eddie Sweat with jockey Ron Turcotte in the irons. It will be placed at the Kentucky Horse Park so that generations to come will be able to see the legendary Secretariat at his athletic peak as he stirred the nation with his incredible feats on the racetrack.
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| Bogucki, an internationally renowned sculptor, is no stranger to the racing world. His life-size bronze of the battle between John Henry and The Bart in the inaugural running of the Arlington Million is at the Arlington International Racecourse in Chicago, Illinois. His bronzes and paintings are in museums and private collections around the world.
He began the Secretariat bronze, in a smaller version, after visiting Secretariat at Claiborne Farm in the summer of 1989 - just months before his death on October 4. Photographs, videotapes, sketches and measurements were collected, to be used in conjunction with older photos to capture the horse in prime racing condition.
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| Bogucki wanted to include Sweat in the bronze after finding a particularly moving photo during his research. It was a picture of a young man sitting upon a low wall at Claiborne, waiting for a ride home. He appeared to be crying. The young man was Sweat, Secretariat's groom, who had come to Claiborne to deliver his horse into retirement at stud. The heartbreak on his face was unmistakable. Bogucki realized at that moment that he could not do a portrait of Secretariat without including this man who had loved him and been closer to him than anyone else. Sweat died of leukemia on April 18, 1998. He knew of the project and was happy that he would be a part of the memorial.
Bogucki visited with Turcotte and Sweat to get measurements to insure accuracy in the portrayal of these two men. It was after talking with them about the horse's behavior while racing that he decided on one particular moment after Secretariat had just won the Kentucky Derby to be portrayed in the bronze.
Sweat was leading Secretariat to the winner's circle and he was on the muscle, dancing on his toes and pulling on the lead strap. It was at that moment, with all its power, emotions, spirit and tension, that Bogucki captured in the bronze.
Looking at it, every horseman recognizes that moment when a horse is so full of himself that he can barely be restrained. Both Turcotte and Sweat had told Bogucki how Secretariat had come off the track at Churchill Downs after the Derby and lunged against their restraints repeatedly, almost dragging Sweat all the way to the winner's circle.
Because Secretariat became such a cultural icon, the one racehorse whose name everyone seems to recognize, contributions for the project from the public as well as from private and corporate sources are accepted. In this way, everyone who was moved or touched in some way by not only his amazing racing feats, but also by the remarkable charisma he displayed to the thousands of visitors who came to Claiborne Farm to see him after his retirement, can contribute and feel a part of the memorial.
For more information about the Bronze or contributions in its name, please contact the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation (859) 255-5727.
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