The 1886 St Leger Stakes Vignette w/ 7 Jockeys Watercolour by Finch Mason
$2,500
Art Sz: 11 1/2"H x 14 1/2"W
Frame Sz: 15 7/8"H x 18 3/4"W
Watercolour & mixed media
The 1886 St Leger Stakes was won by the legendary unbeaten colt Ormonde, ridden by Fred Archer and trained by John Porter. Held on September 15, 1886, at Doncaster Racecourse, the victory secured Ormonde's English Triple Crown.
George Finch Mason (1850-1915) was a sporting artist, author and illustrator, specialising in humorous studies and caricatures. His father was a schoolmaster at Eton and he was educated there in 1860-64. He contributed to several books including Humours of the Hunting Field (1886), Flowers of the Hunt (1889), The White Hart and other Stories (1891), The Run of the Season (1902), and Heroes and Heroines of the Grand National (1907 and 1911). He was a frequent contributor to many sporting publications of the time and was ‘Uncle Toby’ of The Sporting Times. He also worked for Punch.
The St Leger Stakes is the oldest and longest of Britain's five Classic horse races. Established in 1776 by Colonel Anthony St Leger, this Group 1 flat race is run annually each September over 1 mile, 6 furlongs, and 115 yards at Doncaster Racecourse in Yorkshire.