Two people have been taken into custody in connection with the theft of a bronze statue celebrating a Kentucky Derby-winning horse from Sacramento’s Del Paso Boulevard, but investigators say the sculpture has yet to be found.
The Sacramento Police Department identified the two suspects as Joshua Hughes, 28, and Aushajuan Hardy, 48. According to jail records, Hughes has since been released, while Hardy remains in arrest and is ineligible for bail.
On September 30, police stated they were alerted that the approximately 7-foot bronze monument of Ben Ali had been removed from its place at Del Paso Boulevard and Winnipeg Street. The sculpture, worth around $80,000, has been there for nearly two decades.
Ben Ali won the Kentucky Derby in 1886 and was tied to the area via Rancho Del Paso, a vast ranch that formerly comprised over 44,000 acres and nurtured thoroughbred horses. The statue was installed in 2007 with the assistance of a grant and municipal funds.
The theft left only a bronze hoof at the spot, causing anxiety among community members who saw the statue as a symbol of the area’s history and culture.
The Sacramento Police Department is still investigating and is requesting anyone with knowledge regarding the statue’s location to contact them.
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