When 22-1 longshot Mixto won the 2024 Pacific Classic (G1), it was more than a moment of redemption for the horse and its jockey, Kyle Frey.
The improbable win also relaunched the career of renowned Canadian equine painter and sculptor Elaine Macpherson, whose remarkable portrait of Mixto’s Del Mar victory will be on permanent display at the track, a tribute to the resilience of horse, rider – and artist.
The saga began in the summer of 2024 when Alberta-based Macpherson, a Thoroughbred breeder and owner, was dining at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and noticed that Joe Harper, president and CEO of the racetrack, was standing nearby. Sitting with Macpherson was bloodstock agent Gayle Van Leer, who suggested Macpherson approach Harper to express her interest in the commission to paint the winner of the upcoming 34th edition of the Pacific Classic – undertaking a portrait of the race winner is a tradition at the track.
Harper asked Macpherson to send him a portfolio of her work, which included an earlier commission she had obtained to paint equine royalty – Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome.
“I sent all the material, but I really did not think Del Mar would cross the border to engage a Canadian for the commission. Thankfully, I was wrong,” Macpherson says.
The Mixto project could not have come at a better time for Macpherson. Personal tragedy had put a halt to Macpherson’s artistic career. Her husband and partner in their Thoroughbred business, Harvey Trimble, had died a few years earlier after a fall and lengthy illness, and she was only beginning to feel the desire to restart her professional career in equine art.
“I told myself I just had to pull myself together,” she says.
Art and horses have been Macpherson’s two lifelong passions. After graduating from the renowned Ontario College of Art in the 1970s, she found work immediately with the Ontario Jockey Club as an illustrator and designer. She also did many commissioned pieces for high-profile owners including Frank Stronach and Ernie Samuel of Sam-Son Farms.
California Chrome. (Copyright Elaine Macpherson)
For Macpherson, the painting provided an exceptional opportunity to bring the stories of Mixto and rider Kyle Frey to the canvas. Prior to his victory in the Pacific Classic, Mixto had only one lifetime victory in 13 starts. Meanwhile, Kyle Frey’s journey in overcoming addiction and mental health issues to return to his riding career captivated many racing insiders and fans.
“I wanted a painting that was compelling, one that engaged the viewer and told these stories.”
A conformation portrait would just not do. Macpherson opted for a high-energy, action image that catches the moment of triumph for horse and rider.
“In the image you can see Mixto’s eyes are lit up, and Kyle Frey has the beginnings of a secret smile. This is the point in the race when Mixto has changed leads, and they both know they are going to win,” she says.
Ensuring the accuracy of anything she creates is paramount for Macpherson. It’s a mix of art and science. The drawing process begins with a pencil sketch, using a proportion scale to ensure precision in representing the physical aspects of the horse “so nothing is too elongated, for example that the knee to fetlock distance is correct, and the top of the head to the tip of the nose is proportional.”
The pencil drawing is then transferred in ink to portrait linen using carbon paper.
Macpherson has a long-standing preference for deciding how to proceed with adding paint to the outline.
“I like to eat the dessert first – painting in the most interesting pieces. The horse’s head, then the jockey, then the horse’s chest, and back.”
To determine when the painting is finished, she relies on advice she received from her father, an architect, engineer … and painter: “The sign of a good artist is knowing when to stop. The painting just tells you when to quit.”
Macpherson then crated the 24 by 30-inch portrait and sent it off.
“I was very happy with the painting, but it was different from the other paintings Del Mar had commissioned for the Classic winner. I wasn’t sure how it would be received. The contract from Del Mar said basically one thing: they had the right to reject the painting if they didn’t like it.”
A few days later Mac McBride, Director of Media at Del Mar, called to say her work was a hit.
“Everyone at Del Mar is loving the painting,” McBride says. “It is unique, Elaine has the horse floating in the air, it is so different from the other paintings we have of past Pacific Classic winners. So many of our staff are saying ‘it’s cool.’”
The original has been installed at the entrance to the Del Mar offices where ”it is the first thing visitors see when they come through the door,” McBride says. A copy will be positioned on the first floor of the clubhouse so the public can also enjoy the image.
Macpherson continues her engagement with Thoroughbred breeding and racing with half a dozen horses. Her greatest success has been Timely Ruckus, the very first horse she bred in Alberta. An outstanding sprinter with 25 wins in 68 starts and earner of more than $600,000, Timely Ruckus helped Macpherson win the Alberta Breeders Award of Excellence five years in a row, from 1996 to 2000.
As for building on the success of the Mixto commission, Macpherson is looking for more opportunities for equine painting and sculpting, and plans to make a pitch to paint the winner of this year’s Dubai World Cup (G1), Hit Show, who caught none other than Mixto at the wire in the $12 million US race at Meydan.
“Hit Show is a beautiful dappled grey, I would love to paint him,” she says.
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