Romantically stylized horses were first painted in France by Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault, a friend of Alfred De Dreux's uncle, who painted a portrait of the artist as a child (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). The influence of these artists can clearly be seen in this compostion by the stance and positioning of the horses as well as their rounded conformation. The inclusion of the fashionably dressed spectators documents the popularity of sporting events and leisure activities in the middle of the 19th Century.

Alfred De Dreux first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1831 at the age of 21 with Intérieur d'Ecurié (Stable Scene). He was renowned for his equestrian subjects and in 1840 began a series of equine portraits including the stables of the Duc d'Orléans and of Abd el Kadar. De Dreux traveled to England in 1848 and, upon his return, was commissioned to paint a portrait of Napoleon III.

This work will be included in the catalogue raisonne of the works by Alfred De Dreux being prepared by Galerie Brame & Lorenceau and Mrs. Marie-Christine Renauld.