Preparing for the Doncaster Gold Cup, 1825, with Mr. Whittaker's 'Lottery', Mr. Craven's 'Longwaist', Mr. Lampton's 'Cedric', and Mr. Farquharson's 'Figaro'

The 1825 Gold Cup at Doncaster was won by Lottery (initially called Tinker), foaled in 1820 by Tramp out of Mandane. He was bred by Richard Watt at Bishop Burton in Yorkshire, and owned by Thomas Whitaker of Downthorpe Hall. Lottery could be temperamental and difficult, but was outstanding when on form. The 1825 Doncaster Gold Cup was famously hard-fought, with Lottery beating Mr Craven’s Longwaist by a neck, with Mr. Lumley's Falcon in third, followed by Figaro, Cedric and others.

Painting at the height of his powers, this was one of Herring’s most sought-after subjects. The artist painted a larger variant of the composition, dated 1825, and two other versions on the same scale as the present work, also dated 1827.