Everybody is Lookin At Lucky

This is the latest painting off the easel.  It’s the Eclipse Award winning colt Lookin At Lucky who raced for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.  Trained by Bob Baffert, Lucky is easy to spot with Bob’s trademark shadow roll.  Lookin At Lucky’s stakes wins include the Grade 1 Haskell and the Preakness.  This painting taken from the source photo of Pimlico track photographer Jim McCue shows the colt breaking out of the pack as the field enters the stretch during the Preakness.  As an artist I was so awed by this photo that I had to paint it – with one slight adjustment. Lucky was shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the field, but in the painting I’ve moved him forward by increasing his size – instead of a painting of several horses battling for the lead – what we have is a champion breaking clear of the pack and all eyes on are on him; so everybody is Lookin At Lucky.

Super Saver painting presented at the Kentucky Derby Trainers Dinner

Super Saver painting to be presented to Todd Pletcher at Derby Trainers Dinner

Thoroughbred artist Robert Clark, in collaboration with Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders/Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, announced a new presentation at the annual Derby Trainers Dinner on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.  Every year, the dinner hosts the trainers of Kentucky Derby contenders and honors the trainer of the previous year’s Kentucky Derby winner.  This year it will host 2010 winner Super Saver’s trainer, Todd Pletcher.  In addition to the traditional KTOB/KTA Trainer’s Award statuette, this year’s honoree will receive an original oil painting by Robert Clark, of Super Saver splashing home to win the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. 

“I’ve been a fan of Todd’s for years and to help honor his first Kentucky Derby victory is a real privilege for me,” Clark said.  “The Trainers Dinner is one of the most entertaining pre-Derby events I get to attend.  The camaraderie and mutual respect that these great horsemen show for one another is wonderful, especially when you know they’re all trying to beat each other on race day!”  From his studio in Melbourne, Florida, Clark has painted many of the biggest stars of Thoroughbred racing, including a portrait of 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta which brought $4,700 at the recent Ocala Horse Farm Chaplaincy Call to Post Event to benefit Ocala area horse farm workers.

The Derby Trainers Dinner will be held Tuesday night, May 3, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.  

painting Gio Ponti at Palm Meadows Fasig Tipton sale

It was my privledge to paint the two time Eclipse Award winner at the Fasig Tipton sale at Palm Meadows on March 3rd. Fasig Tipton utilized the training facility for their Florida sale for the first time after several years at Calder Race Course in Miami (with the an exception being the year they held it at Ocala a few years ago).  Palm Meadows and Fasig Tipton worked together to put on a great presentation for the horses and pleasant environment for the people.

Gio Ponti came out of this sale three years ago and since then has gone on to win two Eclipse Awards.  As his owner Shane Ryan of Castleton Lyons said when accepting the second Eclipse Award at the Fountainblue in Miami Beach, “We lost to Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup and won an Eclipse Award, then we got beat by Goldikova in the Breeders’ Cup and won a second Eclipe Award; two of the best fillies on the race track . . . all we have to do is figure out who the best filly is next year and lose to her in the Breeders’ Cup.” – - You just have to admire a great since of humor while paying a compliment to all three of these champions.  And yes, Gio Ponti is still in training.  His trainer, Christophe Clement, came by during the sale and commented that he had just left Gio Ponti at the training barn and it looks like he followed him over to the sale becuase it looks just like him.

Thanks go out to Jeff Coady, the track photographer at Keeneland and Oaklawn for the wonderful source photo for this painting.