The mock up was finished October 15, 2004 and the presentation and approval from Churchill was given on October 21. The mock up was created in pastels on paper and is exactly one fifth the size of the mural itself. The finished mural is 36 feet long therefore the mock up is 9 feet in length.

9-04-04 At the Drawing Table Preparing for Mock-Up

Drawing for Mock Up ( In Peb's hand above)

9-04-04 At the Drawing Table Preparing for Mock-Up


Pencil sketch for mock up to establish relative size

Comparing Sketch with Mock Up in Final Stages of preparation

Mock Up in Final Stages of preparation
before showing the concept to Churchill Downs.

Warehouse space was found in Bristol, PA and the 7 x 36 foot canvas was stretched and placed on the wall. Work began on November 7, 2004 and the first stage - the 19th century jockeys were drawn and painted by November 15th. The mock up and also several tools were used to gain correct perspective at such a large scale.

To quote Peb: "Many adjustments were made and are still made. For example, I may change Earl Sande's silks and make it Belair Stud since he won a Triple Crown with them. I'm not sure yet. Same about Desormeaux . I actually changed Gary Stevens from the Klein silks to the Tabor's strickly a matter of avoiding to much color repetition... It's fun, it's exciting, and very tiring, standing an average of 4 hours ( sometime six!) standing up painting and forgetting the time!"

Asked if he woke up with a start wondering if he had forgotten a jockey, Peb replied "Yes I wake up after dreaming a lot about this job. Yes, earlier in the work, I had forgotten one jockey named Carter ,19th century guy. He is now securely painted for posterity!"