LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A larger-than-life bronze statue of Aristides, winner of the first Kentucky Derby on May 17, 1875, was unveiled Sunday in the paddock tulip garden at Churchill Downs, home of the Run for the Roses.
The statue was created by Carl Regutti of Cary, N.C., founder of the Society of Nature Artists. He was on hand for the unveiling and to autograph Aristides sketches given to racing fans.
The track's president, Thomas Meeker, said the statue 'signifies the renaissance that has taken place at Churchill Downs during the past five years. It's fitting that the first Derby winner, Aristides, has taken a place of honor at this historic race track.'
Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear congratulated the track and said the statue and sculptor had joined 'a fine winning tradition with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.'
The statue of Aristides -- pronounced air-is-TIDE'-eez -- 20 percent larger than the chestnut colt, who was smallish by modern thoroughbred standards, and was financed through a private $50,000 fund-raising drive.
Kentucky-bred Aristides, with Oliver Lewis aboard, won the first Derby by a quarter-length in a field of 15, including pre-race favorite Chesapeake, also owned by H. Price McGrath. He originally entered Aristides to set the pace for Chesapeake but urged on Lewis as the favorite finished eighth.
The statue, which is mounted atop a 4 -ton granite base, sits behind the main clubhouse in the track's colorful paddock garden, where the gold-lettered names of Derby winners are mounted in order from Aristides to 1987 winner Alysheba.
Aristides won nine races, finished second five times and showed once in a four-year, 21-race career with winnings of $18,325, including $2,850 for the Derby win. He finished second in the 1875 Belmont Stakes in New York and was third in the Travers Stakes that year.
The track, which opened its month-long meet Sunday, inaugurated a new bugler, R. Kurt Weiss, 25, of Cincinnati, who will play the 34-note 'Call to the Post' daily on a herald trumpet. Weiss has a master's degree in trumpet from the University of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music.
He succeeded the track's second bugler of modern times, Karen Easterday, a University of Louisville senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, whose student teaching duties prevented her from returning to the track this semester.
In the opening day feature race, Lake Champlain with Pat Day aboard won the 14th running of the 1 1-16 mile, $50,000-added Cardinal Stakes for fillies and mares 3 years old and up in 1:46 1-5 on the Matt J. Winn turf course.
Lake Champlain paid $6.40, $4.40 and $3.40. Marianna's Girl was second and paid $16.60 and $8.20 and Shot Gun Bonnie was third, paying $3.