Barbaro Memorial

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

·

Landmarks and monuments

✓

Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A bronze memorial to Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, stands outside the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Sculpted by Alexa King and unveiled on 26 April 2009, it shows the colt and jockey Edgar Prado in mid-stride, with his ashes interred beneath.

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

No recommended arrival yet

We have not checked a recommended place to arrive or stop here yet.

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Barbaro Memorial

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 38.2023° N, 85.7708° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Barbaro's story falls into two parts. The first was his win in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, which the Associated Press later called the widest margin of victory in 60 years. The second began when he broke down in the Preakness Stakes, according to BloodHorse, and ended with his euthanasia on 29 January 2007 after months of treatment that drew national attention.

The memorial at Churchill Downs holds on to the first part. The Kentucky Derby Museum says the bronze, created by Kentucky artist Alexa King, shows Barbaro and jockey Edgar Prado in mid-flight between strides in the 2006 Derby. A horizontal bronze rail supports the 1,500-pound sculpture, so that horse and rider appear suspended in the air. The museum says it was the first time an equine statue of that size and scope had been presented in this manner, with all four feet off the ground.

The plan was announced on the first anniversary of his death. The Associated Press reported in 2008 that his owners chose a spot where the public could pay tribute whenever they wanted. BloodHorse reported the unveiling on 26 April 2009 outside the main entrance to Churchill Downs, in front of a "Friends of Barbaro" crowd of about 500. One of his owners, Roy Jackson, told them: "the fact you raised more than a $1 million and saved from slaughter more than 2,900 horses is remarkable to me."

The museum says Barbaro's ashes are interred beneath the memorial, which it describes as standing in front of the museum.

Add a photo

PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

A bronze of Barbaro and jockey Edgar Prado, described in 2009 as life-sized, held in mid-stride on a bronze rail, outside the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs.

ACCESS

In front of the Kentucky Derby Museum, 704 Central Avenue, Louisville, next to Churchill Downs (BloodHorse placed it by Gate 1 at the 2009 unveiling). In 2008 the AP reported the owners wanted a place where the public could pay tribute.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

✓

Current

St. James Court Lamplighter (carved oak)

Louisville, Kentucky

Carver Rob Peterson transformed a 15-foot-tall, over-100-year-old dead oak stump in Old Louisville's St. James Court into a Victorian lamplighter and gas lamp sculpture, commissioned by the St. James Court Homeowners Association. The 70-hour on-site carving (plus a half-size practice piece made beforehand) stands near the court's central fountain and has been seen by thousands of visitors during the annual St. James Court Art Show.

Public art

·

3.9 km away

TRANSPARENCY

Sources & research

Something not right?

If this Big Thing has changed, moved or gone, telling us keeps the guide honest for the next traveller.

Suggest an update →Report a problem →