Category: Horse sport centers

Pegasus World Cup Invitational

Here is what Franks says:

” We wanted to create a classic race, like the Triple Crown or the Breeders’ Cup, that would attract the best horses in the world. But we also wanted to do something very innovative that had never been done before.

That’s where we came up with the idea of having 12 horse owners each kick in $1 million for a spot at the starting gate, with all of the owners sharing in the profits from the race and one of us going home with the biggest purse in history.

Finally, we wanted to enhance the entertainment around the race and offer not just great live racing but also great music and food and great fun—an overall unforgettable day at the racetrack.”

Link to official Pegasus World Cup website

Origin & Background

• In 2011, Frank Stronach, Founder and Honorary Chairman of The Stronach Group, drafted the initial rough sketch of a massive horse sculpture to honor the great contributions that horses have made to human civilization throughout history.
• Five years later, the result of Frank Stronach’s tribute is Pegasus and Dragon, an iconic monument that pays homage to the courage, speed and power of the horse. The monument features Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, standing triumphantly over a fallen dragon.

Structural Dimensions & Key Facts

• Located on the north side of Gulfstream Park, Pegasus and Dragon is the world’s largest horse sculpture and one of the largest bronze statues ever made.
• The sculpture is a marvel of modern-day engineering, cast in Germany and built by more than 500 workers, then shipped to Gulfstream in 1,250 bronze sections and 4,740 pieces of steel, where it was assembled piece by piece.
• Measuring 110 feet in height and 115 feet in width, and weighing more than 450 tons, the sculpture is supported by a highly complex internal steel skeleton with massive steel girders anchored deeply into the rock formations below and is designed to withstand hurricanes.
• The sculpture’s outer bronze layer, fastened to the steel structure in sections measuring six feet by nine feet, weighs more than half a million pounds and was fitted together with microscopic precision.
• The entire bronze surface of the sculpture was then sandblasted, cleaned and given a patina application that involved heating each section with a gas torch to create an oxidation process, giving the metal its distinguished color.

Frank Stronach, Pegasus & Dragon

An Enduring Landmark & Tourist Attraction          

Already established as a major landmark, the majestic Pegasus and Dragon sculpture will greet visitors to Gulfstream Park for generations to come and is destined to become one of the Sunshine State’s most famous tourist attractions.