Why a statue honoring famed Lexington Black jockey has been missing for months
Strong winds that knocked power out to thousands of Fayette County residents in early March also toppled a sculpture honoring famed Black horse jockey Isaac Murphy.
The 16-foot, 4,000-pound sculpture was installed in 2017 at the corner of Midland Avenue and Third Street in the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden.
The sculpture, which is top heavy, came off its base during the storm, said Paul Hooper, a spokesperson for Lexington Parks and Recreation. The sculpture had to be removed and has been missing for several months.
“To ensure any future heavy wind wouldn’t cause any issues, the mounting had to be redesigned with new anchoring and the mounting will be reinstalled with a special epoxy,” Hooper said.
LexArts helped select and pay for the sculpture, one of several art installations in the park. Two stainless steel horses, one grazing and one racing, serve as the base for an iconic picture of Murphy on a medallion at the top of the sculpture.
The sculpture was designed by artists Neal and Tiffany Bociek from San Diego, Calif. The piece was assembled in Lexington by metal fabricator Andy Light because of the large size of the sculpture.
Hooper said once the new anchoring is designed the sculpture will return to the park. Hooper said the city hopes that will happen in coming weeks.
The city wants to make sure the new anchoring system will work. That’s why there has been a delay in the sculpture’s return to Midland and Third, Hooper said.
Murphy is considered to be one of the greatest jockeys of all time. He rode in the Kentucky Derby 11 times and won three times in the late 1880s. At the time he was one of the most famous and highest paid Black athletes in America.
