The Earls of Derby and Horse Racing through the Centuries
One of the outstanding features of the Derby Collection, is the extensive collection of horse-racing trophies which were commissioned, collected and won by various Earls of Derby from the 10th Earl right down to the current Lord Derby, the 19th Earl. Of particular interest are three spectacular silver trophies which were commissioned in the mid-19th century by Lord Stanley, later the 14th Earl, who was Prime Minister three times during the 1850s and 1860s.
All three trophies were created as a result of his winning the Steward’s Cup at Goodwood in Sussex in 1849, 1850 and 1853, the first two with the colt he bred called Canezou. In 1849 the leading London silversmith Charles Frederick Hancock first made an action-packed trophy devoted to hunting. Around the base there are three equestrian figures, showing jousting, boar-hunting and falconry, while around the top of the trophy can be seen the heads of a stag, a boar and a bear. The following year Lord Stanley commissioned the same artist to make another large silver sculpture, showing the three figures of Robin Hood, Little John and the Sheriff of Nottingham on horseback, together with two Irish wolfhounds belonging to the famous outlaws of Sherwood Forest.
Above: The Steward’s Cup, Goodwood 1849, by Charles Frederick Hancock; image courtesy of the Derby Collection
The 1853 Steward’s Cup was rediscovered in 2017, when it was located in a disused gallery behind the Jockey Club at Newmarket, where it had been on loan since the 1980s. It was found to be completely tarnished and blackened. After its return to Knowsley Hall, it was beautifully cleaned and polished by Head Butler Jonathan Cullum. The sculpture, which was designed and made by Garrards, the well-known London silversmiths, shows the blind King John of Bohemia being tied to two horses belonging to his fellow knights, before he charges bravely into the thick of the Battle of Crécy in 1346 on the side of the French army against the English army led by Edward, the Black Prince, the eldest son of King Edward III. The French lost this battle, while the corpses of the King of Bohemia and his horses were found dead in the aftermath.
Above: The Steward’s Cup, Goodwood, 1853, by Charles Frederick Hancock; image courtesy of the Derby Collection
Most of the Earls of Derby since the 10th Earl at the beginning of the 18th century have been wholly committed to horse racing across England, with the centre of their horse-breeding operations being at Newmarket in Suffolk. The current Lord Derby, the 19th Earl, has continued the family tradition, notably breeding the filly ‘Ouija Board’, which won The Oaks at Epsom Downs in June 2004, being ridden to victory by the Irish jockey Keiran Fallon. A fine small silver statuette represents the most famous winning moment in the illustrious career of this very special mare, sadly passed away recently, having achieved the ultimate feat in producing the Colt, named Australia, who won the Derby in 2014.
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