Historic British Sporting Oil Painting — Victor Wild (Mornington Cannon Up) — Kempton Park, 26 June 1897 By Alfred Charles Havell

🏆 Historic British Sporting Oil Painting — Victor Wild (Mornington Cannon Up) — Kempton Park, 26 June 1897 — Alfred Charles Havell (1855–1928) 🏇🇬🇧

🐎 Subject & Medium
A superb late-Victorian British racing portrait of the celebrated thoroughbred Victor Wild, ridden by the legendary jockey Mornington Cannon, commemorating Kempton Park — “KEMPTON. JUNE 26TH, 1897.” (hand-inscribed on the original inner slip).
Medium: Oil on canvas, presented with a front protective glass cover to safeguard the surface and preserve the accompanying historic relic.

🎨 Composition & Technique
High-quality British “turf portraiture” with real wall presence. Victor Wild is presented in the commanding side profile collectors look for — convincing weight and structure, finely observed tack, and a poised, professional rider’s seat. The open Kempton setting is handled with confident greens and a lively English sky, creating depth and atmosphere without pulling focus from the horse. 🖼️✨

🏇 About the Horse, Owner, Stable & Racing Record
Unusually, this work is exceptionally well-documented on the object itself, retaining the original descriptive slips:

🖋️ Inner slip (pedigree): “VICTOR WILD, BY ALBERT VICTOR — WILD HUNTRESS.”
📍 Inner slip (venue/date): “KEMPTON. JUNE 26TH, 1897.”

Victor Wild was a noted Kempton Park specialist. A specialist-auction record links him with the Royal Hunt Cup (Ascot, 1894) and consecutive Jubilee Stakes (Kempton, 1895 & 1896), and describes this portrait as commemorating the Coronation Cup at Kempton Park (26 June 1897).

The same record identifies the owner as Tom Worton, and notes Victor Wild was trained by Joe Cannon at Waltham House / Lethorne Stables, Lambourn — a desirable Lambourn training-village connection.

And the extraordinary survivor:
🎀 A lock of Victor Wild’s hair, tied with ribbon in the owner’s racing colours, preserved under the front protective glass cover — explicitly described in the specialist auction catalogue for this very work.

🏛️ Historical Significance
Victorian sporting oils are widely collected, but examples that remain named, dated, venue-inscribed, and accompanied by original turf relic material are materially scarcer. This is not generic equestrian décor — it is fine sporting art plus authentic racing history, ideal for a curated American library, office, club room, or trophy-room wall. 🇺🇸📚🏇

🖌 About the Artist
Alfred Charles Havell (1855–1928) is an established British sporting artist, with works recorded in institutional collections including The National Horseracing Museum (Art UK lists multiple Havell racehorse portraits in museum holdings). He first exhibited at the Royal Academy (1878) and soon after worked on commissions with Messrs Fores of Piccadilly, producing portraits of important racehorses for publication — precisely the milieu suggested by the retained Fores label on the reverse.
For market context, Havell’s best turf subjects have achieved strong international results at auction (reported top prices around $36,000 USD).

✍️ Signed
Catalogued as signed and titled by Alfred Charles Havell.
The lower area of the composition also carries the horse identification “VICTOR WILD” (see photos).

🖼 Framed
Housed in the original traditional gilt frame with hand-inscribed inner slip, and fitted with a front protective glass cover — a period-appropriate presentation that enhances longevity and preserves both inscriptions and the hair relic.

📏 Dimensions (Framed)
39.5 cm (H) × 44 cm (W) × 5 cm (D)

📜 Provenance

• Private collection

• Retains historic reverse labeling including Messrs Fores, 41 Piccadilly (corner of Sackville Street), London(label present on verso; see photos)

• Sold through Budds (formerly Graham Budd Auctions), Race to History: Specialist Horse Racing Memorabilia Auction (in partnership with Weatherbys)

• ✅ Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

💚✅ Why You’ll Love It
✅ True Victorian British turf portrait with serious wall presence
✅ Named horse + famous jockey: Victor Wild with Mornington Cannon up
✅ Inner slip dated and located: Kempton, 26 June 1897
✅ Inner slip pedigree-inscribed: Albert Victor — Wild Huntress
✅ Includes rare original turf relic: lock of Victor Wild’s hair in owner’s colours 🎀
✅ Documented specialist-auction provenance
✅ Strong artist market signal on best turf subjects

🛠 Condition Report
Overall very presentable for age. The painted surface shows age-related craquelure and foxing consistent with late-19th-century oils. The frame shows typical wear with later overpaint and small losses. The front protective glass cover shows minor marks/scratches consistent with age and handling. Ready to hang.