70 Years, 100 Celebs, 1 Work of Art
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 3:36 PM PDT
Hayne Palmour IV/North County Times
Artist Pierre Bellocq, also known as PEB, puts on the finishing touches on his mural depicting the 100 most important people involved in the Del Mar races over its 70-year history at the Del Mar racetrack on Friday.
Come Opening Day, thoroughbred racing fans will have one more reason to head down to the track in Del Mar -- a lively and iconic new mural on the east wall of the entrance to the Turf Club, the North County Times reported.
Painted by renowned racing artist Pierre Bellocq, better known as PEB, the 30-foot-by-6-foot brightly colored mural was installed Friday June 10.
It portrays more then 100 racetrack personalities and six famous horses from the Del Mar racetrack's illustrious 70-year history, all done with Bellocq's classic wit and whimsy.
"I was born a caricaturist," the artist told the paper. "I was just gifted at making caricatures and from there, I did cartoons and paintings." Bellocq's work has been featured in the Daily Racing Form for over 50 years and his murals grace the clubhouses at Churchill Downs and Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
