“Bradshaw to Clark” was how this former high school All State receiver imaged hearing the PA call across the stadium as a kid.  At the Race Track Chaplaincy event at Chuchill Downs it was Clark to Bradshaw as the artist donated a portrait of the Hall of Fame quarterback to the event’s auction.  Bradshaw was the keynote speaker at the event last year before the KY Derby.  He is a Thoroughbred owner with a few of his long time friends at Twin Creeks Racing.   “I never thought I’d use this photo in a post, but with Twin Creeks winning the G1 Donn Handicap today with Graydar; what the heck ,’Are you ready for some football?’ Congratulations Randy and Kim Gullatt and all of Twin Creeks Racing.”

Old baseball fans remember the great Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks; who loved the game so much that every day when he came onto the field for a game would say. “It’s a great day, let’s play two.”  I guess that is how Double Diamond Farms’ owner Don Dizney feels about his Grade 1 winning stallion First Dude.  It was my honor as the artist chosen by Mr. Dizney to portray his homebred in both a conformation painting at the farm and in a scene with him capturing the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup.  First Dude stands in Ocala at Double Diamond where he covered a full book of well over a hundred mares and appears to be on course to do the same again this year.

The phone rang and it and the first thing I heard was “Gretchen Jackson asked me to call you”.  When a call starts like that, the correct reply is “What do you, I’ll do it”.  And that is how I got to know Susan Wagner and her organization, Equine Advocates.  The result was that I did a painting specifically for their event in Saratoga honoring George Strawbridge, Roy & Gretchen Jackson, and Edgar Prado.  The painting was from a source photo taken by my brother of Edgar and Barbaro in the post parade moments before their dramatic victory in the Kentucky Derby.  The connection between the horse and rider is so subtle and yet so strong.  Over the years I’ve painted Barbaro live at several charity events.  Those paintings have raised over $50,000 for various charities.  Equine Advocates is aggressive in the rescue of horses from slaughter.  This painting went home with Victoria McCullough who said she was not going to leave without it.

Robert Clark was pleased to be able to use two prints of one of his commissioned pieces to help benefit two charitable organizations that assist the families of kids with a variety of challenges.  Home Safe offers at risk children a better environment for them to live, learn, and grow up.  Home Safe the beneficiary of a special event hosted at Wellington.  The other event was hosted by the former Boston Red Sox star Tim Wakefield for the benefit Space Coast Early Intervention.  Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Greg Bonen-Clark for their permission to reproduce and donate a print of their painting to both of these charities.

George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable’s Eclipse Award winner Informed Decision was the horse that was brought to life on canvas at this year’s Keeneland yearling sale. The gray Monarchos filly is shown winning the Grade 1 Vinery Madison at Keeneland. This was the ninth Keeneland Sale that Bob has painted at over the years and is again grateful to people at Keeneland for their wonderful hospitality during the September sale.Informed Decision painting finished

This is Cedric and Laura Kraut who were part of the USA gold medal  Olympic Show Jumping Team in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games held in Hong Kong, China.  Cedric is a bit of a new direction for me as I have  declined severalopportunities over the past decade to paint breeds  other than Thoroughbreds and in other sports in addition to Thoroughbred Racing.  I was able to see Cedric in Wellington last year and meet his  rider Laura Kraut.  The duo recently teamed up again to win the 2012  Global Champions Tour event in Lausanne, Switzerland.  This painting is  actually set at the scene of his 2010 Global Champions Tour victory in  Chantilly, France.  As an artist when picking the setting for the  painting I was intrigued by the possibilities of what could be done in  the  background.  Painting Cedric in front of the Chateau de Chantilly  for former owner was a pleasure and it has already opened other doors  that may pull me to other events and paint other great (non-racing)  horses. This painting was commissioned by his former owner Cortright  Wetherill whose family has been in sport of kings for nearly a hundred  years; so there is a connection.

This is the painting of Animal Kingdom that was presented to trainer Graham Motion at the 2012 Kentucky Derby Trainers’ Dinner presented by the KTA-KTOB. It’s an honor for me to capture this piece of history and even more honored to be introduced to the audience by my friend and Hall of Fame trainer, Carl Nafzger, who trained derby winners Unbridled and Street Sense.

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 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 recieve 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.

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.