A bronze statue immortalising one of New Zealand's greatest race horses Bonecrusher will be unveiled at Ellerslie in Auckland today.
Bonecrusher, a 1985 New Zealand Derby winner and first New Zealand racehorse to win more than $1 million, was widely regarded as one of the best racehorses ever to race in Australasia.
Bonecrusher died in 2015 aged 32.
The life-sized replica sees the champion racehorse in action and includes his famous shoulder scar and unique protruding tongue.
Bonecrusher's trainer, Frank Ritchie said Boncrusher "was such a special horse and always had a twinkle in his eye."
Bonecrusher won seven consecutive group one races in his prime. Photo: bonecrusher.co.nz
"As soon as he won his first race as a two-year-old here at Ellerslie we knew he had a bright future.
"To see Bonecrusher immortalised like this stirs a lot of emotion and brings back a lot of great memories, it's fantastic to see and I think Michelle and her team have done an incredible job."
The statue was initially made out of clay before being broken down into 26 pieces to be cast in bronze at a foundry in Onehunga.
Bonecrusher's owner Peter Mitchell won't reveal the cost of the statue but it took artist Michelle 15-months to complete the project.
"I was first approached by Peter and his family to create a statue not long after Bonecrusher died. We studied hundreds of photos and produced numerous drawings to ensure we could create a likeness that would be a fitting tribute," she said.
Bonecrusher raced 44 times for 18 wins, five seconds and 12 thirds winning over $2.5 million in prizemoney.
-RNZ
