John Frederick Herring Sr.

Estate of Eugene Benjamin (and sold: Christie's, London, November 23, 1898, lot 537)
Glen (acquired at the above sale)
Captian G. De Mahler (and sold: Sotheby's, London, July 18, 1969, lot 170)
Leger (acquired at the above sale)
Roy Miles, London
Collection of Thomas Mellon Evans (and sold: Christie's, New York, December 3, 1998, lot 31, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

London, Leger Galleries, October 1969, no. 12, illus.

Country Life, November 9, 1972, p. 22, illustrated
Apollo, December 1972, p. 105, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been fairly recently restored and although it is probably slightly dirty, further restoration is not necessarily encouraged. The canvas has a synthetic, non acidic lining. The paint layer is fairly smooth yet stable nonetheless. The paint layer has been retouched. The retouches are visible under ultraviolet light behind the jockey's head and in a few tiny spots on his cheek and chin. The horse is almost completely un-retouched, except for a couple of spots in his shoulder. Under ultraviolet light there are patches of old varnish and other patches that signify a more clean paint layer. Yet in terms of real retouching, there are only a few specks on the left side of the sky and in the upper right corner, and a spot or two in the grass on the left side.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In 1832 St. Giles (foaled in 1829 by Trump out of Arcot Lass) won the Epsom Derby and the Newmarket Craven Meeting. He was owned by partners Robert Ridsdale, a Yorkshire groom-turned-high-stakes gambler, and John Gully, a working-class, Gloucestershire-born boxing champion.  Their partnership was marked by controversy, as some suspected the pair unfairly influenced races, while at the same time one accused the other of various dishonest practices. Tensions came to a head soon after St. Giles' Derby win, and its substantial prize of £47,000 further fueled Ridsdale's extravagant lifestyle. Such spending, coupled with jealousy over Gully's 1832 win at St. Leger with Margrave, likely inspired a quarrel that ended with the hot-tempered Gully horsewhipping Ridsdale in a hunting field.  Ridsdale quickly sued Gully for damages receiving a £500 settlement ("Gully, M.P. of the P. R.", The New York Times, May 16, 1886, n.p.). Obviously, the partnership could not continue, and St. Giles was soon sold to Mr. Kirby, and would go on to win the Craven Stakes at Catterick. and the York Spring Meeting in 1835.  None of this dramatic backstory influences Herring's portrait of the sleekly muscled, bright-eyed St. Giles and jockey William Scott (1797-1848), who won nineteen of the British Classic Races, including a record nine times at the St. Leger Stakes between 1838 and 1841.

The present work was held in the collection of Thomas Mellon Evans, Edward P. Evans' father, whose brilliant mind and keen eye served him well in both his business pursuits and personal interests.  Evans was reknowned for his skill in organizing complex corporate mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, Evans developed an important breeding program, resulting in eighty-eight stakes winners, including the 1981 Kentucky Derby Winner Pleasant Colony. His impressive art collection included masterpieces of American, Old Master and Sporting Paintings.