John Frederick Herring Sr.

Sir Herbert Ramsay, Bt. (and sold: Christie's, London, May 22, 1914, lot 73)
Brown (acquired at the above sale)
Possibly, Arthur Tooth & Sons, London
Mr. William Murray (circa 1920)
Mrs. J. M. Colvin (by descent from above and sold: Christie's, London, July 15, 1988, lot 31A, illustrated)
Richard Green, London
Acquired from the above in 1988

Possibly, Oliver Becket, J. F. Herring & Sons, London, 1981, p. 174

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been quite recently restored, perhaps in the last 20-30 years, and if the varnish were to be freshened, the painting should be hung as is. The canvas has a good glue lining. The paint layer is clean and varnished. In the sky a few very delicate and thin retouches have been applied in some of the clouds in the upper right and to a considerably lesser extent in the upper center in a few spots in the upper left. As far as we can tell there are practically no restorations in the figures or in the foreground, and clearly the condition of this important picture is extremely good. There is a scuff in the varnish beneath the black horse and in the tail of the light brown horse, but these are easily remedied.
"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."

The Doncaster Cup was founded in 1766 and remains the oldest continuous horse race in Britain. At Doncaster, the entrants raced for a Gold Cup valued by the Racing Calendar at 350 guineas, and given by the Stewards of Doncaster Racecourse, The Marquess of Londonderry, and Sir J. V. B. Johnstone, Bt. The trophy was the grandest object offered as a racing prize up until the Victorian era, when it was matched in splendor by the cups at Ascot and Goodwood.

In the present work, Herring depicts many of the celebrated competitors who vied for the enticing prize and its accompanying fame in 1825. At the composition's left is the Cup's eventual winner, Lottery, preparing to start with G. Nelson up. In the exciting race, Lottery's closest match was Mr. Craven's Longwaist (shown in the present work at the left of the three horses standing in mid-ground), bested by half a neck. Left over half a mile behind, the rest of the field included Mr. Lumley's second place finisher Falcon, Mr. Farquharson's third place Figaro (the right most of the three horses), with also-rans comprising Lord Silgo's Starch, Mr. Lambton's Cedric (the middle horse of the three), the Duke of Leeds' Crowcatcher, Lord Exeter's Zealot, and Mr. Duncome's bay filly St. Helena.

Although Lottery became one of the most celebrated horses of racing history, his beginnings were less than auspicious. Lottery was a brown bay foaled in 1820 by Tramp (Doncaster Cup winner in 1814) out of Mandane and a half-brother to two English Classic Winners, Manuella (1812 Oaks) and Altisdora (1813 St. Leger). Bred by Mr. Richard Watt of Bishop Burton, Yorkshire, Lottery was originally named Tinker and demonstrated an early nervous behavior which often led him to throw his rider. Believed to be unsuitable for the turf (ironically many blamed his misbehavior on overtraining), Lottery was reportedly saved from being shot by Mr. Thomas Whittaker of Dowthorpe who purchased the horse in 1823 for 450 guineas. Mr. Whittaker's early gamble on Lottery proved profitable as the horse matured. Lottery's notable physical prowess is brilliantly conveyed by Herring in the present work. Standing fully sixteen hands high, Lottery looms over his groom, the tense, sleek, musculature suggest his famous speed, and the wide eye and proud stance remind the viewer of his strong spirit. Though many consider the 1825 Cup Lottery's finest achievement, that same year he won the Fitzwilliam Stakes at York and would go on to win Mr. Whittaker a second Gold Cup through a victory at Preston. Lottery would end his life in France, one of many English thoroughbreds imported in the 1830s by Henri Lacase, a buyer for the French National stud of the Orleans monarchy (1830-1848).

The present work is one of Herring's finest depictions of Doncaster racecourse, and this composition was repeated several times by the artist, but with differences to the figures in the background.