The pair of valuable bronze horses which sat on pillars at the entrance of Downpatrick Racecourse have been stolen – for the second time writes Joe Kavanagh.
Police are investigating the incident which took place late Friday evening and before 8.30am on Saturday morning.
The bronze statues depicting The Taming Of The Wild Horses by Coseau which have been on display at the course for 150 years with much larger versions on display on the Champ- Elysees near the Arc De Triomphe in Paris were previously stolen in the mid 1980’s only to be found at the back of a hay shed when a farmer was clearing his hay.
Downpatrick Manager Richard Lyttle said: “The horse statues were the first thing you would see through the gates. They were their own statement piece. It is disappointing and sad that someone thought they should take them from us. They depict the same horses that are on the Arc de Triomphe (in Paris) which are called Marly horses.”
The pair of very valuable bronzes had sat on large pillars at the entrance of Downpatrick Racecourse just outside the town on the Newcastle road and were cemented into the pillars. Thieves must have come very well prepared due to the height and construction of the figures.
Police are appealing to anyone who has information to contact them via the non-emergency number 101.
