Sacramento police search for life-size horse statue stolen on Del Paso Blvd.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A bronze horse statue in north Sacramento is missing, according to police.
The Sacramento Police Department said it received reports Wednesday that the statue, previously located on the 1900 block Del Paso Boulevard, was stolen.
Anyone with information on the statue is being asked to contact police.
The life-sized bronze statue depicted Ben Ali, a racehorse with deep ties to Sacramento history. Ben Ali trained at Rancho Del Paso in Sacramento County before winning the Kentucky Derby in 1886, becoming the first California-bred horse to win the race.
For nearly two decades, the statue stood along Del Paso Boulevard near the Sacramento Youth Center, where people who work in the area said it became a familiar neighborhood landmark.
Mina Perez, Vice-Chair of the North Sacramento Chamber, told KCRA 3 the statue represented more than the horse’s racing history.
“It was the heart of this boulevard,” Perez said.
Perez said Ben Ali’s story also represented the community surrounding the boulevard.
“You’ve taken our heart,” Perez said of the theft. “It’s like a family member.”
The theft comes less than a year after part of another statue was stolen along the same boulevard. In December 2025, Sacramento police asked for the public’s help after part of a sculpture depicting a woman dancing with a child was stolen from the 2100 block of Del Paso Boulevard.
Anyone with information on the statue is being asked to contact police.
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