They ponied up!
Famed New York artist Domingo Zapata, who seems to have launched a new phase of his career in the Middle East, has traded a painting for a stake in an elite racehorse, Page Six has learned.
We’re told the painter traded a 2025 piece, “Horses, Free Spirit,” estimated to be worth $250,000, for an undisclosed percentage of Imperial Emperor, a 6-year-old gelding with five wins who’s set to compete in the prestigious Dubai World Cup on Saturday.
The race boasts a purse of $12 million. “I’ve always been inspired by horses, but I never imagined that one of my own would end up competing at this level,” Zapata told Page Six.
Imperial Emperor will be ridden by Irish jockey Tadhg O’Shea, a 12-time UAE Champion, and trained by world-renowned trainer Bhupat Seemar, a two-time Dubai champion trainer known for working with past Dubai World Cup winners.
Zapata — who has painted stars including Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara, and painted with the last pope — plans to paint the Spanish flag on O’Shea’s boots for the race.
We previously reported that Saudi Arabia has commissioned Zapata to create the largest mural ever made — a staggering 50,000-square-meter painting — in Riyadh.
Apparently the nation’s Ministry of Culture has given him an “unlimited budget” for the project, which is expected to be visible from space and to take four to six years to complete.
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