A tribute for a stallion worth his weight in gold - and limestone

Invincible Spirit became immortal on Friday afternoon, when his likeness, hewn out of Irish limestone, was unveiled close to the stallion yard of the Irish National Stud.

The statue, carved from a single 20-tonne block of limestone by artist Simon Carman, is a lifesize representation of the most successful sire to stand at the stud since its inception by the Irish state in 1946.

Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud, addressed the guests who included the stud’s chairman Matt Dempsey and Beale’s predecessors John Clarke and John Osborne, the driving force behind the art installation.

"We have stud 80 stallions at the farm under State ownership but there has only been one Invincible Spirit. He is the sire of 127 stakes winners and 18 Group 1 winners, including this year’s 2,000 Guineas winner, and his sons are flourishing as sires across the globe," he said.

"In Australia there is the superstar stallion I Am Invincible and in Europe the rising star Kingman. His legacy will last as long as racehorses run.”

The 22-year-old strutted his stuff for the assembled onlookers and he was in rude health with his bay dapples gleaming in the autumn sun, the explosive power which brought him to Sprint Cup glory hinted at in the stallion’s muscular frame.

Paul Croke, head stallion man, and Michael ‘Daffer’ Kelly, who has cared for Invincible Spirit since he arrived at the Irish National Stud to commence his stallion career, were awarded the honour of pulling back the blue drapes and giving the audience the first viewing of the stone sculpture.

Kelly knows Invincible Spirit better than any other person having spent 17 years tending to him and he saw in stone a perfect symmetry of the flesh and blood horse.

“He caught his head perfectly, the mouth and eyes and that look he has,” pronounced Kelly. “You don’t get a horse like him every day and he is worth his weight in gold, or limestone!

Sculptor Simon Carman, who created the likeness, with the Irish National Stud's Cathal BealeCredit: Caroline Norris

"He has his own little quirks but there’s no badness in him, he’s the same now as he was the first day except, like the rest of us he’s getting older.”

The praise was received with delight by Carman, whose family were in attendance for the unveiling. Regarded as one of Ireland’s foremost living sculptors, he is based in Fermanagh but carved the piece over a period of 18 months in the yard of McKeon Stone in Co Laois, the quarrying firm which supplied the limestone block.

"I realised during the carving of the piece that these magnificent horses don’t pop up from nowhere like mushrooms in a field, there is a whole team, an industry behind them and the block of stone behind Invincible Spirit came to represent those people, it’s the time, energy
and intellectual rigour that goes into the breeding of these horses.

"This sculpture appears from the stone like these horses appear from the land and people around them,” Carman revealed.

If the statue was about immortalising the present, the afternoon also offered a glimpse of the future for the Irish National Stud, which has a dual role as a stallion farm and a tourist destination.

Next spring, the Stud will add another dimension to its visitor offering with the opening of the Irish Racehorse Experience, an interactive journey through the life of a racehorse from planning a mating right through to retirement.

Designed by DMW Creative, which has previously worked on the world-famous Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, the centrepiece of the exhibition will be the opportunity to experience for yourself what it feels like to ride a horse in a race.

Michelle Dowling, of DMW Creative, gave a sneak preview of what can be expected once the Irish Racehorse Experience opens its doors to visitors in May next year.

"This is a purpose-built exhibition space designed to the highest level and it is truly world class," she explained.

"It teaches people in a fun way how to engage and interact with the industry and it is a very interactive and immersive experience. The very important message to get across is we are the best in the world at this because of our land and our people. It celebrates everything
the industry has to offer.

"The experience will allow visitors to experience an auction at Goffs where they can purchase their own racehorse, visit a trainer’s yard modelled on Jessica Harrington’s Commonstown Stables, pick their colours, name the horse, train it and then race it.

"There is also the opportunity to record a race commentary and then to learn about thoroughbred aftercare, with a panoramic viewing area for the Living Legends’ paddock.

Beale said: "I think it is stunning and revolutionary for the industry, it tells the story we are trying to get out about our industry."

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