"Little Wonder, Winner Of The Derby Stakes At Epsom" 1840 Aquatint by Charles Hancock
$1,500
Charles Hancock (around 1800 – 30 July 1877) was a British painter of animals, specialising in equestrian sporting scenes. One of his largest and most recognisable works is the double portrait of two thoroughbreds in a wide landscape, showing Sir Hercules and Thorngrove.
Print Sz: 16 1/2"H x 20 1/2"W
Frame Sz: 24 1/2"H x 28 1/4"W
Aquatint engraving by E. Duncan
Published by R. Ackermann
Little Wonder (1837–1843) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from September 1839 to September 1842 he ran eight times and won only one race. That race, however, was the 1840 Epsom Derby which he won as a 50/1 outsider. Little Wonder was one of the smallest Thoroughbreds to win a major race, standing less than 15 hands high. During his career, there were rumours that he was a "ringer", foaled in 1836 but the allegations were never substantiated. He was briefly retired after being injured in a race in 1842 and died of colic in 1843 while still in training.