Horse racing is one of the sports very much associated with Ireland This is the magnificent 'Hambletonian', a masterpiece by George Stubbs an 18th century English painter best known for his paintings of horses. This painting depicts Hambletonian, the celebrated racehorse. being rubbed down after winning the Match Race with Mr Joseph Cookson's 'Diamond' at Newmarket racecourse on 25th March 1799. It was commissioned by the owner, Sir Henry Vane Tempest (1771-1813), whose daughter Frances Anne, was later to marry Charles Stewart of Mount Stewart. This is one of Stubbs greatest paintings.
Painted at the end of his long career around 1799-1800, it demonstrates his profound understanding of the anatomy of the horse, and his deep empathy with the animal. Stubbs had to take Vane-Tempest to court of claim the 300 guineas he was owed for the painting. The painting measures 82.5 inches by 144.5 inches. The National Trust has just finished an extensive £35k reframing of the painting that is so important that no value can be placed on it. Great time was devoted in that TV programme about Mount Stewarts restoration to the efforts of the restorers to take down this painting without damaging it. Hambletonian was the most important racehorse in Britain in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. It was a phenomenon and only ever lost one race.