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Lot Essay
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Agility, a bay filly foaled in 1867, was a full sister to Apology, the filly who won the 1,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger in 1874. She was bred and owned by the Rev. John William King (1793-1875) of Ashby Hall, Ashby de la Launde, Lincolnshire. Agility won twenty-one races and dead-heated in the Doncaster Stakes, winning 6,000 in prize money. Among her wins were the Tyro Stakes and Seaton Delaval Stakes at Newcastle, the Nottingham Biennial Stakes (twice), the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, the Zetland Biennial Stakes at Stockton, the Warwick Cup, the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, the Free Handicap at New market, the Stockton 4-Y-O Claret Stakes, the York Cup and Queen's Plates at Shrewsbury, Chester, Manchester, Newcastle, Carlisle and Lichfield.
The Rev. John King was one of the last of a dying breed, the foxhunting and racehorse-owning vicar. The fourth son of Col. Neville King (1752-1833), he had never expected to inherit Ashby Hall and had entered the Church, holding the livings of Ashby de la Launde and Bassingham. In 1841, on the death of his third brother, he inherited the house and his father's stud, which had previously produced Bessy Bedlam, winner of the Beverley Cup, and Fulford, winner of the Doncaster Cup.
Parson King was a popular figure among his tenants, vicar of St Hybald's, Ashby for fifty-three years, and a lifelong rider with the Burton Hunt. Racing was his passion and he built up the stud which had languished since his father's day. His trainers were the Osbourne family of Ashgill, Middleham. King raced in the name of 'Mr Launde'. His first major success came in 1856 when his part-owned filly Manganese won the 1,000 Guineas. Apart from Agility and Apology, King owned the appropriately-named Holy Friar, which won every event for two-year-olds except the Middle Park Plate and was made favourite for the 1875 Derby.
Unfortunately 'Mr Laundes's' racing successes came to the attention of Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln, a dour man of whom it was said that he lived 'more in the 9th century than the 19th' (Gerald Pendred, 'Tiff about the Turf', Country Life, 27th April 1989, p.151). Wordsworth rebuked King for his racing activities and told him either to resign his livings or give up the sport. He is said to have received, in return, a card with a single word: 'Apology'. Apology then promptly won the St Leger and Wordsworth went into battle, writing a letter to The Times accusing the octogenarian King of bringing scandal on the Church. Correspondence raged about the appropriateness of vicars on the Turf, with the high-handed bishop getting the worst of it. Poor Rev. King, however, did resign his livings in May 1875 and died three weeks later.
Harry Hall was probably the most prolific racehorse portraitist of his day and his paintings represent a strikingly modern contribution to this genre, when compared with many of his contemporaries. Between 1838 and 1844, Hall lived in London, working in Tattersall's and contributing to Tattersall's British Racehorses and The Sporting Review. For a short period he became chief artist for The Field, and also contributed sporting pictures to The Illustrated London News.
Hall then moved to Newmarket and concentrated almost exclusively on painting portraits of racehorse, providing a pictorial documentation of the most notable horses on the English turf during the nineteenth century.
Agility, a bay filly foaled in 1867, was a full sister to Apology, the filly who won the 1,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger in 1874. She was bred and owned by the Rev. John William King (1793-1875) of Ashby Hall, Ashby de la Launde, Lincolnshire. Agility won twenty-one races and dead-heated in the Doncaster Stakes, winning 6,000 in prize money. Among her wins were the Tyro Stakes and Seaton Delaval Stakes at Newcastle, the Nottingham Biennial Stakes (twice), the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, the Zetland Biennial Stakes at Stockton, the Warwick Cup, the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, the Free Handicap at New market, the Stockton 4-Y-O Claret Stakes, the York Cup and Queen's Plates at Shrewsbury, Chester, Manchester, Newcastle, Carlisle and Lichfield.
The Rev. John King was one of the last of a dying breed, the foxhunting and racehorse-owning vicar. The fourth son of Col. Neville King (1752-1833), he had never expected to inherit Ashby Hall and had entered the Church, holding the livings of Ashby de la Launde and Bassingham. In 1841, on the death of his third brother, he inherited the house and his father's stud, which had previously produced Bessy Bedlam, winner of the Beverley Cup, and Fulford, winner of the Doncaster Cup.
Parson King was a popular figure among his tenants, vicar of St Hybald's, Ashby for fifty-three years, and a lifelong rider with the Burton Hunt. Racing was his passion and he built up the stud which had languished since his father's day. His trainers were the Osbourne family of Ashgill, Middleham. King raced in the name of 'Mr Launde'. His first major success came in 1856 when his part-owned filly Manganese won the 1,000 Guineas. Apart from Agility and Apology, King owned the appropriately-named Holy Friar, which won every event for two-year-olds except the Middle Park Plate and was made favourite for the 1875 Derby.
Unfortunately 'Mr Laundes's' racing successes came to the attention of Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln, a dour man of whom it was said that he lived 'more in the 9th century than the 19th' (Gerald Pendred, 'Tiff about the Turf', Country Life, 27th April 1989, p.151). Wordsworth rebuked King for his racing activities and told him either to resign his livings or give up the sport. He is said to have received, in return, a card with a single word: 'Apology'. Apology then promptly won the St Leger and Wordsworth went into battle, writing a letter to The Times accusing the octogenarian King of bringing scandal on the Church. Correspondence raged about the appropriateness of vicars on the Turf, with the high-handed bishop getting the worst of it. Poor Rev. King, however, did resign his livings in May 1875 and died three weeks later.
Harry Hall was probably the most prolific racehorse portraitist of his day and his paintings represent a strikingly modern contribution to this genre, when compared with many of his contemporaries. Between 1838 and 1844, Hall lived in London, working in Tattersall's and contributing to Tattersall's British Racehorses and The Sporting Review. For a short period he became chief artist for The Field, and also contributed sporting pictures to The Illustrated London News.
Hall then moved to Newmarket and concentrated almost exclusively on painting portraits of racehorse, providing a pictorial documentation of the most notable horses on the English turf during the nineteenth century.