Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

Oil Painting Jockey Sir Gordon Richards On Race Horse Rose of England At Newmarket

£3,950.00

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Ride into style and elegance with this beautifully crafted important oil painting featuring Sir Gordon Richards and Rose of England at Newmarket by H Watson. Perfect for any horse racing enthusiast, this painting captures the thrill and grace of the sport. Hang it in your home for a touch of sophistication and a nod to an iconic moment in racing history.
Impress your clients & guests with this equine sporting masterpiece to display on your office or home wall space.
Subject sporting Equine horse study portrait of the known animal brown & white race horse Rose of England thoroughbred horse facing right in full side profile standing on the lush short green grass at Newmarket races. The horse is wearing its saddle & reins wearing number 11 above the jockey rider Sir Gordon Richards, who is side on & weaing his traditional jockey clothing colours, a striped hat red, white and blue, wearing white trousers & having brown & black riding boots, he is holding his whip and looking towards the viewer. The horse and jockeys shadow is being projected onto the ground near the bottom, In the background you can see a grandstand at Newmarket, abive a mix of light blue with scattered cloud sky.
The details are so incredible.
Title “Sir Gordon Richards Riding On Number 11 Rose of England Debut at Newmarket 1930” By H Watson. also inscribed Frank Griggs Newmarket 1930.
Oil on canvas.
Set in such a traditional decorative original gilt frame.
Circa 1930 early 20th century.
This painting is signed in the bottom corner by the artist H Watson.
In our opinion this is one of his finest sporting equine works.
Artist biography H Watson was a known British artist born in the late 19th century & he died during the early 20th century. In his works he loved to capture the effects of naturalistic light which gives his artworks an impressionist style.
Biography of the known Jockey Sir Gordon Richards (5 May 1904 – 10 November 1986) was an English jockey who was the British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times, and is often considered the world's greatest jockey. He remains the only flat jockey to have been knighted. Gordon Richards was brought up in the Shropshire village of Donnington Wood (now part of Telford) where he was born at Ivy Row (now demolished), the third son of eight surviving children of coal miner Nathan and former dressmaker Elizabeth. His mother was the daughter of another miner, William Dean, who was also a lay preacher, and Richards was given a strict Methodist upbringing.
The family later moved during his childhood to Wrockwardine Wood where they lived in a row of cottages called The Limes, Plough Road, built on land bought by his mother His father reared several pit ponies at their home, and fostered the young Richards' love of equestrian sport. He rode the ponies bareback from an early age, then from the age of seven drove the pony and trap passenger service his family ran between Wrockwardine Wood and Oakengates station.
It is said that this is when he developed his unique riding style, using a long rein and an upright stance. He had two brothers, Colin and Clifford, who shared this love of horses and also became jockeys: the latter was a Classic-winning jockey. Leaving school at the age of 13, he became a junior clerk in the warehouse of the nearby Lilleshall Company engineering works, sometimes riding a pony to work. He found work as a clerk monotonous and already held ambitions of a career with horses. He answered a newspaper advertisement to be an apprentice to Martin Hartigan, trainer at the Foxhill Stable near Swindon, Wiltshire, owned by Jimmy White, and on New Year's Day 1920 left home to move there. His riding skills were soon noticed by his new employer, who gave him his first ride in a race at Lincoln on 16 October 1920, after a deal struck during a football match against the neighbouring Osbourne Stables.
White had bet on his stable to win, and the match stood at three all when his team were awarded a penalty. White insisted that Richards take it, with the incentive that he would ride at Lincoln the next day if he scored. He did, and got to ride the horse, called Clock-Work. He weighed out at 6 stone 9 pounds. His first win came the following season: Gay Lord at Leicester on 31 March 1921. He soon became known by the nickname of "Moppy", for his thick, black hair.
He was the first jockey to ride 4,000 winners and the leading rider in British flat (Thoroughbred) racing for 26 of his 34 seasons (1921–54). His career total of 4,870 victories was a world record, which was broken by Johnny Longden from the United States on Sept. 3, 1956. He was the first jockey ever to be knighted. Richards first led British jockeys in victories in 1925. In 1943, when he established a British single-season record of 269 winners, he exceeded Fred Archer’s career total of 2,749, a record for British riders. On May 4, 1950, Richards rode his 4,000th winner. In 1953, a few weeks after he had been knighted, he scored his only triumph in the Derby. He was more successful in other leading stakes races, winning the St. Leger five times and the 2,000 Guineas on three occasions. After being injured twice in races (May and July 1954), he retired as a jockey and became a trainer of racehorses (1955–70) and a racing manager thereafter. His autobiography, My Story, was published in 1955.
Subsequently, Richards trained at Beckhampton and Ogbourne Maizey in Wiltshire, and finally Whitsbury, Hampshire. His training career was less stellar than his riding one, but not without success. His main owners were the partnership of Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Lord Weinstock. They placed their first horse, London Cry, with Richards in 1957 and he went on to win the Cambridgeshire Handicap of 1958. Richards also trained Pipe Of Peace, the champion two-year-old colt of 1956.
The Sobell/Weinstock owned colt Reform was probably his finest horse, winning 11 of his 14 starts including the Champion Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes. He also trained for Lady Beaverbrook when she took up her interest in racing. An early owner was Dorothy Paget, and when she died he was an influence in Sobell and Weinstock purchasing her Ballymacoll Stud, breeding and racing stock. His stable jockey for much of his training career was Scobie Breasley, and when he retired Edward Hide took over.
At the end of the 1970 season, circumstances forced his hand and he had to give up training: the bookmaker William Hill, from whom he leased his stables, wished to restart his breeding operation there. Sobell and Weinstock negotiated to buy West Ilsley Stables from Jakie Astor, but a stipulation of the purchase was that incumbent trainer Dick Hern, and stable jockey Joe Mercer remained in place. He gave up training, but was elected an honorary member of the Jockey Club that year. He took up the role of Racing Manager in 1971 to Sobell, Weinstock and Lady Beaverbrook, and continued as such until his death. In this capacity he worked closely with Hern and was particularly active in the purchasing of yearlings for Lady Beaverbrook.
Under his management these owners had tremendous success with horses such as Sun Prince, Sallust, Admetus, Cistus, Troy and Sun Princess (for Sobell/Weinstock), and Boldboy, Bustino, Relkino, Niniski and Petoski (for Lady Beaverbrook). Richards married Margery Gladys (d. 1982), daughter of railway carriage fitter Thomas David Winckle on 1 March 1928. They had three sons and a daughter. The daughter and one of the sons were twins, but the son only lived a few hours. He published his autobiography, My Story, in 1955. Richards died of a heart attack at his home, Dove House, Kintbury, Berkshire, on 10 November 1986. His funeral service was held at St Mary's, Kintbury, and he was buried at St Mary's Church, Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Biography of the known race horse Rose of England (1927 – April 1947) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Was the progeny of Teddy (1913-1936), arguably one of the most influential sires of the 20th century. Rose of England was sold at auction as a yearling in 1928 & the winning bidder was Lord Glanely who paid a fee of 3100 guineas. Bred by Lady James Douglass and trained by Thomas Hogg at Newmarket, She was unraced as a two-year-old and finished fifth in the 1000 Guineas on her debut before recording her first and only win in the Epsom Oaks. She ran with Richards for the Oaks at Epsom and won by three lengths.
She failed to win in four subsequent races and was retired from racing at the end of the year. She had considerable success as a dam of winners. Rose of England was a brown mare with a white blaze and a white sock on her right hind leg bred in the United Kingdom by Lady James Douglas. As a yearling in 1928 the filly was put up for auction and bought for 3,100 guineas by Lord Glanely. She was sent into training with Lord Glanely's private trainer Thomas Hogg at Newmarket, Suffolk.
She was sired by the French stallion Teddy who stood with great success in both France and the United States. His other offspring included Sir Gallahad, Bull Dog and La Troienne. Rose of England's dam Perce-Neige produced several over winners including the winner Winterhalter (Coronation Cup) and Star of England (Yorkshire Oaks). 1930: three-year-old season On 9 May 1930 Rose of England made her racecourse debut in the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket Racecourse and ran well to finish fifth behind Lord Derby's filly Fair Isle who won from Torchere and Sister Clover.
On 6 of June the filly was stepped up in distance for the Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom Racecourse in which she was partnered by Gordon Richards and started at odds of 7/1 in a fifteen-runner field. Fair Isle was made the 5/4 favourite. Rose of England won the race by three lengths from Wedding Favour with Micmac taking third place ahead of Fair Isle.
Rose of England failed to win in four subsequent races. She finished unplaced behind The Pen in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket in October. At the end of her racing career Rose of England was retired to become a broodmare for her owner's stud. After Lord Glanely's death in 1942 the mare was bought by Florence Nagle. She produced at least ten foals and five winners between 1932 and 1943: Rosegain, a brown filly, foaled in 1932, sired by Gainsborough. Winner. Eastern Rose, brown filly, 1933, by Singapore. Chulmleigh, bay colt, 1934, by Singapore. Won St Leger. Faerie Queene, brown filly, 1935, by Solario. Won Scottish Derby and Newmarket Oaks. Rose of Kandy, brown filly, 1936, by Colombo. British Empire, bay colt, 1937, by Colombo. Won July Stakes. Rangoon, colt, 1939, by Singapore Merchant Navy, bay colt, 1940, by Hyperion. Coastal Traffic, bay colt, 1941, by Hyperion. Winner. Westerlands Rose, bay filly, 1943, by Colombo Rose of England produced no living foals after 1943 and died in April 1947. Frank Griggs was a known publisher and photographer based in Newmarket.
Provenance Gifted by Richards to a relative, from a high end Shropshire auction also in the collection of Cheshire Antiques Consultant.
Having such magnificent controlled brush work. Such a delightful racing equestrian horse lover collectors scene.
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With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home display.
Condition report offered in fine used condition. Front painting canvas having various foxing stains also craquelure to the surface & stretcher lines showing, the frame having general wear, scuffs, stains and some losses commensurate with usage & old age.
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Dimensions in centimetres of frame

High (61.5 cm)
Length depth thickness (3.5 cm)
Wide (79 cm)