Statue of legendary bull unveiled

A larger-than-life statue of a legendary bull from the Calgary Stampede rodeo was unveiled Thursday outside the city's stock exchange tower.

The giant bronze tribute to Outlaw — a 995-kilogram, red and white speckled bull who was only ever ridden once in 71 tries — is mounted on a pedestal at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Second Street S.W.

"Outlaw reflects our western heritage and the entrepreneurialism, grit and determination symbolic of the capital markets," said Wes Peters, spokesman for the Calgary Chartered Financial Analyst Society, which worked with Calgary Stampede to commission the statue.

The $450,000 bronze, created by Saskatchewan artist Richard Loffler, was revealed at 2 p.m. sharp, as the siren marked the end of trading at the Toronto Stock Exchange.

"Outlaw was truly a champion in the world of bull riding and his statue will only add to the pride we have in our western heritage," said Dr. David Chalack, president of the Calgary Stampede.

In 2004, Outlaw rang the closing bell — using the bell around his neck — to mark the closing of the New York Stock Exchange, the first animal in the exhange's history to do so.

He died a month later at age seven and was buried at a cemetery for champion rodeo animals near Hanna, 215 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

Outlaw's sculpture is one of several large bronze pieces planned by the Stampede's public art committee to be placed on the Stampede grounds and around Calgary, the organization said.

Outlaw has also been immortalized on canvas for the 2010 Calgary Stampede poster.