Mill Reef Winner of the Derby Stakes 1971 by Susan Crawford Provenance: The Susie Hilfiger Collection
$1,500
From an original oil painting by Susan Crawford in a collection from Mr Paul Mellon
Publisher: Blenheim Fine Arts Ltd, London
One of an original limited edition of six lithographs commemorating the 200th running of the derby, 6th June 1979
Print Sz: 21 1/4"H x 25 1/14"W
Frame Sz: 22 3/4"H x 26 3/4"W
Limited edition 234/ 850
Mill Reef (23 February 1968 – 2 February 1986) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a three-year career from 1970 to 1972, he won twelve of fourteen races and finished second in the other two. The horse was an outstanding two-year-old in 1970 but proved even better at three, winning the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He won both his starts as a four-year-old before his racing career was ended by a severely broken leg that threatened his life. At just under 16 hands as a three-year-old, Mill Reef is considered one of the greatest thoroughbreds to run in Europe since WWII.
Among her many fine works, Susan Crawford (b.1941-) has painted twenty-one Epsom Derby winners and steeple-chasers such as the legends Red Rum, Arkle, and Desert Orchid. In addition to her high profile as a painter of horses, she is also a well-established portrait artist. She has painted five members of the British Royal family, including HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales, as well as HH The Sultan of Brunei and HM The Sultan of Oman.
Provenance: The Susie Hilfiger Collection
From "Point of View", the historic $27M/10 bd/ 10 ba/ 6,797 sq ft Nantucket home of Tommy and Susie Hilfiger located at 9 Lincoln Ave, Nantucket, MA