Bay Middleton with jockey up, a racecourse beyond

Bay Middleton, sired by Sultan, was owned and bred by the 5th Earl of Jersey; he won the Derby in 1836, the year of this portrait. Although he had a temper and was a difficult horse to train, Bay Middleton was one of the great Derby winners. He was given the name Bay Middleton after his first victory, in honour of a previous winner, Middleton, who had also belonged to his owner, the Earl of Jersey. The jockey in this painting is almost certainly James Robinson, who rode Bay Middleton in all of his races, and the racecourse seems to be Newmarket where Herring Junior had established himself following the family's move to Newmarket in 1830. Bay Middleton was the sire of two notable horses: The Flying Dutchman and Andover.