Friday, October 17, 2008

Legends of Racing

Tomorrow's fourth race on the card at Santa Anita is an allowance providing mounts for the "Living Legends" - Hall of Fame champion jockeys coaxed out of retirement. They be: Pat Day, Julie Krone, Jerry Bailey, Gary Stevens, Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero Jr., Sandy Hawley and Jacinto Vasquez - it can't get any better than that. Not just an exhibition race, it's the real deal with pari-mutual wagering.

I received an e-mail today from my friend Tom Chapman out in California who is himself a former race-rider turned terrific artist. He's painted a fantastic, and I mean *fantastic* depiction of some of the legendary characters squeezing back into various silks.

living legends
The piece is an absolute hoot, and you can read more about it here, including Tom's inspiration and ideas on his website. Giclees of the original are also available.

Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of ''the rat race'' is not yet final. - Hunter S. Thompson

2 comments:

Valerie Grash said...

The only thing wrong with the painting is Angel Cordero Jr. should be riding well into the middle of the track, elbowing and bumping everyone out to the far rail (yeah, I still haven’t forgive him for his ride on Codex)! LOL! What a great painting! :)

Sharon Crute said...

...and wildly flailing his whip into the faces of his opponents!