Centennial Park Dedication Ceremony
Storm Cat to Stand in for Native Dancer
Update 6/1/15: Tom Roohan snapped some photos from the dedication ceremony this morning:
Article re-posted from The Saratogian
By Lauren Mineau, Saratogian
Posted: 05/28/15, 3:55 PM EDT
View original article
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> The new Centennial Park at the end of Union Avenue will be dedicated at a public ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday as planned – almost.
A life-sized sculpture of Native Dancer isn’t done, so on Thursday a crane lowered the statue of another celebrated thoroughbred, Storm Cat, for the time being.
Centennial Park is a “pocket park” in a portion of Congress Park that welcomes visitors to the city.
The park is a gift from local horse owners and philanthropic couple Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson. They are donating the remodeled area, being built by Bonacio Construction, along with a custom bronze statue of Native Dancer by equine artist Gwen Reardon, as part of the city’s Centennial celebration.
With the artist needing more time and the dedication set for Monday, Hendrickson made a call to friends at Overbrook Farm in Lexington, Ky. The Young Family agreed to loan their statue of Storm Cat, another celebrated thoroughbred, for a few months, and Hendrickson had it brought in.
Storm Cat captured the American Stakes and the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile in 1985. He retired from racing in 2008 and spent the remainder of his life at Overbrook Farm, according to Bloodhorse.com. He was known for high breeding fees, his peak being $500,000, one of the highest in the world.
Native Dancer was the first racehorse to be made famous through television. The winner of the Saratoga Special Stakes in 1952, he ran undefeated at all races in Saratoga. In the Associated Press rankings of the greatest racehorses of the 20th century, he was ranked third, tied with Citation, behind only Man o’ War and Secretariat. Native Dancer was also featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1954.
The Native Dancer is expected to be ready for installation by Aug. 1, just in time for the Vanderbilt Handicap.
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