To learn more about Gallopalooza, click here.

This year, horses won't only be running the track at Churchill Downs - they'll be grazing the sidewalks and streets of Louisville Metro. It's Gallopalooza: Louisville's Sidewalk Derby. This summer-long spectacle will celebrate our city's most popular claim to fame with artistic flair and fun. Picture more than 200 magnificent, life-size horses, crafted from fiberglass and then painted, sculpted, or otherwise recreated by regional professional and amateur artists and graphic designers. Past Kentucky Derby winners (plus the 2004 winner) will be featured, along with Pegasus horses and other horses of note. Best of all, proceeds from the event will benefit Brightside to provide a lasting impact on the beautification of the Louisville area.

And I am very please to announce that myself and D'Arry Jone Frank of Prestige Farms will be creating TWO horses for the Gallopalooza event. We are sponsored by Old Friends ~ a retirement farm for horse racing legends. Old Friends was established to help preserve famous racehorses and racehorses who deserve a quiet, stable retirement. Last year Kentucky was devasted to learn that Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, was likely slaughtered in Japan after no longer being needed for breeding services. With the help of many horseracing enthusiasts and political friends, Old Friends is campaigning to bring Derby winners home from overseas to retire. One horse slated to retire to Old Friends is Sea Hero.

D'Arry and I will be creating Ferdinand and Sea Hero for Gallopalooza and honor them in the dignity they deserve. Our horses will be very life like and hopefully bring justice to these two racing heros.

Keep checking back on our progress!

Ferdinand & Sea Hero - the work begins!!

Lisa working on prepping "Jerry Bailey"

Sea Hero & Jerry Bailey - primed!

Ferdinand with a soon to be new tail and look!

SEA HERO
We had to formulate a new plan....and moved the horses inside D'Arry's studio and began to rethink how we were going to do these horses. Slowing but surely...Sea Hero emerged!!

Sea Hero completed - with Ferdinand's garland of roses!

Sea Hero completed!

FERDINAND
Ferdinand, being the reason that Old Friends was created, we are making him a bit more special. Ferdinand has a whole new face, a new mane, new tail, and will even be completed with a garland of roses and bridle! Notice on his face...he even has lip wrinkles!!








PROJECT COMPLETED!
Here are the boys getting unloaded from the trailer and into Patterson's Body Shop in Modesto, Illinois. Patterson's are clear coating our horses so they can be outside for everyone to enjoy!



UPDATE!
Ferdinand and Sea Hero have both been sold at public auction. Ferdinand was purchased by the City of Elizabethtown (Kentucky). Ferdinand was used a prop in the upcoming moving starring Susan Soranden, Orando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, and Alec Baldwin called Elizabethtown which is due in theatres in October 2005.

Sea Hero now resides at Meadow Springs Farm, a thoroughbred racing and training facility, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio. These two horses raised almost $5000 for Old Friends! A big thank you to everyone who helped make these horses a success.

...but the project didn't spot there... click HERE to see the 2005 Gallopalooza project!