A monumental silver-plated 'Hurst Park Club Cup' horse racing trophy from 1893unmarked A dramatic figural scene, possibly representing Alexander III of Scotland being rescued from the fury of a Stag by the bravery of Colin Fitzgerald, a silver plaque to the front inscribed 'HURST PARK CLUB CUP AND £1000, Won by T Worton's VICTOR WILD (3 YEARS) OCTOBER 5TH 1893', height 60cm, length 60cm.Footnotes:ProvenanceWon by Mr Tom Worton by his racing horse Victor Wild, on October 5th 1893.Thence by descent to the present owner.Lot EssayBenjamin West's 'The Death of the Stag', is by far the largest painting in the National Gallery of Scotland's collection and notedly represents his heroic and monumental style. It would have been a well known painting in Victorian Britain, and it is not surprising that its dramatic subject matter was re-enacted in this fine horse racing trophy from 1893, a symbol of heroic triumph. The painting illustrates a legend in which the first chieftain of the Clan Mackenzie saves the life of the Scottish King. Colin Fitzgerald is shown about to spear a fierce stag who had turned on the Scottish King, Alexander III, during a hunting expedition. West includes other huntsmen, horses and dogs whose dynamic poses and striking gestures enhance the dramatic moment. Francis Humberston Mackenzie became chieftain of the Mackenzie Clan in 1783 and commissioned the painting to commemorate, rather conspicuously, his illustrious ancestor. Thus the legend was brought to the fore in the public imagination.The 'Hurst Park Club Cup' racing trophy on offer, with prize money of £1000, was won at Hurst Park on October 5th, 1893. This valiant victory was achieved by the legendary three year old race horse 'Victor Wild', a great middle-distance runner, who was owned by the infamous Mr Tom Worton. Tom Worton was an unusual racing horse owner, as he was not a member of the elite ruling classes, but a publican of a well known drinking establishment in Walthamstow. As such, Victor Wild and Tom Worton were extremely popular winners with the public, as they bucked convention and ignited the imagination of the masses. Victor Wild went on to win six events that year and achieved many notable successes over the following years, which included winning the prestigious Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot in 1894.Therefore, the race won at Hurst Park took place at an early stage in Victor Wild's illustrious racing career. It was a popular racecourse that existed at Moulsey Hurst, West Molesey, Surrey, near the River Thames. The course itself was situated near to Hampton village, approximately 12 miles from London. When the 'Hurst Park Club Cup' was won by Victor Wild in 1893, the race course had only been open for three short years. The previous years had seen racing at nearby Hampton Court Racecourse, but this track was forced to close in 1887. Spotting a business opportunity, a group of local businessmen formed the Hurst Park Club Syndicate Limited in 1889, as a replacement for Hampton Court Racecourse. The first meeting at Hurst Park was a jumping fixture on the 19th of March 1890. The opening race was the 'Hurst Park Club Cup', worth £199, over two miles. It was won by Mr. Dougall's Sir Benedict, who also rode it. The well known 'Victoria Cup' was a fiercely competitive handicap, which was first contested in 1901 over two miles, then over various distances, until establishing itself in 1908 as a handicap run over a straight seven furlongs. However Hurst Park as a whole was an oval course of eleven furlongs in total, and by the turn of the century was hosting top class racing and attracting the best horses. Racing was never halted over the intervening years, apart from the following exceptional circumstances.Such as, on the 8th of June 1913, the racecourse grandstand was the scene of an arson attack by Kitty Marion and Clara Elizabeth Giveen, two well known suffragettes. The women were carrying out a revenge attack following the infamous death of Emily Davison at the Epsom Derby four days earlier. Racing also ceased from 1916 to 1918 for the First World War, and there was no racing from 1940 to 1945, when the course was used as a military camp for the Second World War. After the war, Hurst Park reopened and wishing to recognise the significant part Winston Churchill had played in securing victory in the war, the 'Winston Churchill Stakes' were established. The race was first run in 1946 and was won by Preciptic, which was owned by the Maharajah Gaekwar of Baroda. Winston Churchill visited the racecourse on a number of occasions, but his most exciting visit was in 1951 when his grey horse Colonist II won the 'Winston Churchill Stakes'. The win was a very popular one and the course continued to be extremely well supported by the general public. However, the original venture was first and foremost a business venture, and the Company were keen to maximise their profit. They realised that the racecourse land was significantly more valuable as development land. Approval to build on the land was gained in 1961, leading to the closure of Hurst Park for new residential housing. The last race to be held was the Byfleet Stakes, the 4.30 on Wednesday 10th October 1962. Hurst Park's legacy was its most notable flat race, the 'Victoria Cup', which duly transferred to Ascot. The Triumph Hurdle, over two miles for four year olds, was then run at the Cheltenham Festival every March. Mansfield Town F.C. bought one of the grandstands for later use as the West Stand at Field Mill, and Ascot Racecourse purchased 20 acres of turf, which was used to lay down Ascot's new National Hunt racing course.LiteratureJoseph Cannon, 'Memoirs of an Old-Time Trainer - Part II - Victor Wild', The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, July 24, 1936, pp.186-187 and p.216Hurst Park Racecourse, accessed via www.greyhoundderby.com/Hurst%20Park%20racecourse.html on 11/01/24Kingston Heritage Service, 'Kingston Suffragettes', accessed via www.kingstonheritage.org.uk/homepage/63/kingston-suffragettes on 11/01/24For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
