Churchill Downs will honor Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, the Louisville oval’s
all-time leading rider, with a life-size bronze sculpture. The track has
commissioned Kentucky native Raymond Graf, creator of the bronze of legendary
shortstop Harold “Pee Wee” Reese that greets visitors to Slugger Field, to cast
the statue.
The recently retired Day owns the distinction of being the all-time leader in
career earnings by a jockey ($297,912,019), and with 8,803 victories to his
credit, he ranks fourth on the all-time list behind leader Laffit Pincay Jr.’s
9,530. Day racked up 2,481 of those wins at Churchill Downs, making him the
historic track’s winningest rider. Other Churchill marks held by Day include
number of stakes scores (155) and total riding titles (34), with a record 15
jockey championships at the Spring Meet and another milestone of 19 at the Fall
Meet.
Although officials have set no firm date for completion of the statue, hopes
are that it will be finished during the 2006 Spring Meet. The Day sculpture will
be placed in the track’s Paddock Garden near the bronze of another Churchill
legend, Aristides, who gained immortality as the inaugural Kentucky Derby hero
in 1875.