Breeders’ Cup ‘Art of the Horse’ program statue on display at L’Auberge Del Mar

As a sponsor of the Breeders’ Cup “Art of the Horse” program, L’Auberge Del Mar, has commissioned a seven-foot tall vibrant yellow, purple and orange fiberglass artistic horse created by San Diego mixed media artist Daphne Gaylord – which is now on display at the resort.

Recently installed at the hotel entrance at 1540 Camino Del Mar, the life-sized 150-pound statue is called “Buttercup” and depicts an intricate hand-painted image of a woman hanging on to the horse and her hat. A sequence of stamped flowers, which Gaylord applied using a handcrafted stamp, adorn the life-sized statue. “I wanted to create something whimsical depicting the dresses and big hats of the opening day races,” said Gaylord, who spent a month-and-a-half in her Balboa Park Spanish Village Art Center studio working on the piece.

“Buttercup” is part of a series of equine statues being placed around San Diego, including local communities, for the “Art of the Horse” program, created to generate enthusiasm for the Breeders’ Cup, which debuts at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Nov. 3 - 4.

The statues are reimagined replicas of the horse atop the Breeders’ Cup trophy – a bronze reproduction of the original Torrie horse created in Florence by Giovanni da Bologna in the late 1580s. The “Art of the Horse” campaign puts the Torrie horse statues up for sponsorship with some of the Torrie horses going up for auction after the Breeders’ Cup and others remaining with their owners. Breeders’ Cup will auction L’Auberge Del Mar’s horse with the proceeds benefiting community events surrounding the Breeders’ Cup World Championship and local charities.

According to Terry Buchholz, general manager for L’Auberge Del Mar, the resort is thrilled to sponsor the program and showcase the work of this local artist. “We selected Daphne’s work after careful consideration as we were impressed by her highly creative and humorous approach,” said Buchholz. “These beautiful statues help spread the word about the Breeders’ Cup – a huge boon to the area economy to be held at Del Mar for the first time ever – as well as spotlight the distinctive work of talented local artists like Daphne.”