What in the world was an oil painting of horse racing doing in a log cabin in La Pine, Ore.? A friend texted me from a yard sale and said, “Is this anything?” My fingers flew on my phone as I recognized the striking silhouette of Saratoga with seven horses charging around the turn. “Buy it for me – please!” Now it resides above my mantle among my other pieces of horse racing art and I am thrilled every time I look at it. There is something pleasing about horses in art whether abstract or realistic.

Last year when the Breeders’ Cup was at Keeneland, I stopped every time I entered the sales pavilion. Hanging on the walls were the offerings of the 2015 Sporting Art Auction by Keeneland Association and Cross Gate Gallery. Stunning oil paintings of horses, dogs, birds, cows, portraitures and more. I studied them to see my initial reaction. I love horse art. Almost every inch of my home is covered with various interpretations of horses.  Draft horses, sleek horses, foals, art deco, European classics and new world. So I thought it would be interesting to see which of the offerings pulled me in. There was absolutely no doubt.

Every single time, I was drawn to the painting by Valeriy Gridnev titled “Charlie Wittingham and Sunday Silence.” The black stallion is hidden in the shadows of his stall. You see the glint of his halter chain and the star and smudge of white on his forehead. Standing in the light, Wittingham is reaching into the shadows in a gentle moment with all of his attention on the horse. Even in the shadows, you can see it’s a tender moment and Sunday Silence has a soft eye. It resonates with me. It reminds me of Richard Mandella loving Beholder. It’s a personal moment between a trainer and their horse in the quiet of a barn.   

This year the Fourth Annual Sporting Art Auction is scheduled for Nov. 21 at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion. There will be 175 lots of paintings and sculptures “from renowned masters as well as talented new artists.” I was thrilled to view the catalogue of offerings. There is plenty to choose from for a variety of budgets. Cross Gate Gallery was founded in 1974 and specializes in equine related art and sporting art.  The auction features a variety of moments and a kaleidoscope of colors. There are fox hunting paintings portraying stunning athletic horses with riders in red jackets and tri-colored hounds. If you enjoy animals in repose, there is a delightful pair of slumbering pigs by John Emms (1873) or his “Sleeping Hound and Terrier” where the terrier is curled up on a red jacket atop an upturned bucket.

Chelsea Dickson is the auction coordinator from Cross Gate Gallery. She is a young woman blessed with an encyclopedia mind of facts and fascinating tidbits about each piece of art. It’s so easy to spend time with her talking art and within minutes, she is showing you how a certain artist transitioned his style throughout the years by looking at his brushstrokes. She loves to tell the stories behind the art. This is evident as Cross Gate Gallery certainly shows a lot of care and history in their well curated auction catalog.

She pointed out the stories she discovered about Dan Smith’s “Diamond Jim Brady’s Horses.” I could have listened for hours. “Diamond Jim Brady, known for a gluttonous appetite and an intense love of diamonds and jewels,” entered the horse racing game and was worried about being seen as someone objectionable in horse racing so he put his horses in his friend’s name. Silent ownerships were eventually outlawed by The Jockey Club, so he auctioned off his stable and held a party where guests received either a diamond brooch or a diamond stopwatch. “The dog pictured was known to bite the diamonds off Brady’s shoes.” It was said he would wear thousands of diamonds at a time. Knowing the background of this painting makes it even more fascinating. I immediately had to take another look at the painting, especially at his diamond eating dog!

Dickson explained that sporting art is a broad category that not only includes horse racing but also fox hunting, shooting, fishing, yachting and favorite pets and farm yard subjects. There are classic European paintings that portrays horses with their legs stretched out in a full run.  It seems almost impossible as they fly horizontal to the ground.

Polish-American painter Andre Pater is represented with seven paintings which includes an Arabian horse auction and portraits of Native Americans. His painting “Summer’s Stream” is evocative of a warm summer day in the country. The sunlight filters through the trees and warms the backsides of the two short horned Herefords as they stroll upstream. Water drips from their chests and the tasseled tail of one casually dips into the stream. The shadows and sunlight swirl in the water while reflecting the nearby trees. Replications of their white faces and dark red bodies radiate in the ripples of the stream. 

One of the showpieces of this auction is Irish painter Sir William Orpen’s “Sergeant Murphy and Things” depicting the winner of the 1923 Grand National. He had a friendly rivalry with Sir Alfred Munnings who “was widely considered the best sporting artist of the 20^th century.” This was Orpen’s first horse painting. The tall chestnut gelding stands regally on the hillside with his jockey aboard while below is a group of horses mid- race on the turf. Two men clad in jodhpurs are standing aside while another man leans casually against a tree in the shade nibbling on a piece of grass. More than one third of the painting is devoted to a magnificent soft multicolored sky which is in contrast to the detailed portrayal of Sergeant Murphy. One wonders about the title containing the casual phrase “and Things.” What is the artist referring to? The sky? The men? The track? Dickson says that there probably were some insider jokes in the painting such as conjectures the man leaning on the tree is Munnings. 

Many people are familiar with the Isidore Jules Bonheur bronze sculpture featured prominently outside American Pharoah’s barn at Coolmore. One of the sculptures offered is also by Bonheur called “Horse and Jockey.”  The jockey is relaxed with his feet out of the stirrup while riding a magnificent open mouthed steed.   If one prefers modern sculpture, then Carl Dahl’s cheerful bronze of the very tall legged “Peanuts” would be a perfect piece. He says “In horses, I find beauty, power, and freedom; their legs, that seemed overly long to me as a child, rise to complete the perfect form. They remain one of life’s great joys.”

While I was at this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, I couldn’t help but think of Milton Menasco’s oil painting “Miche at the Start of the Santa Anita Handicap, 1952.” Instantly recognizable because of the magnificent San Gabriel Mountains, the painting would be a fine addition to anyone who loves Santa Anita. After film patrol reviewed the race, the grey horse from Argentina was declared the winner after Intent (a 4-year-old grandson of Man o’ War) was disqualified to second place for interference.  A fascinating piece of history!

My catalog is now slightly worn from my frequent perusals. I decided to figure out which piece of work was my favorite and it was easy because my book opened instantly to the portrait “Man O’ War” by the American artist George Ford Morris. It is a remarkable likeness of the horse known as “Big Red.” His thick head stares imperviously in front of a cerulean blue background with the hint of a tree behind him.  Adorned with a loose leather halter, the colors pop. His eyes are strong, the star on his forehead is clearly visible with his ears alertly forward. One word comes to mind. Magnificent!

The watercolors of Sandra Faye Oppegard are sure to attract the fans of Songbird, Beholder, Tepin, and California Chrome. The pièce de résistance is her watercolor of American Pharoah that was featured on the cover of the 2016 fall edition of Keeneland Magazine.  One might think that they can’t afford art, yet the irony is that millions of people have long enjoyed the artwork of California artist Oppegard which is featured on the beverage cups at Clockers’ Corner at Santa Anita Park!

If you are lucky enough to be in Lexington on Nov. 21, head to the Keeneland Sales Pavilion to enjoy the Sporting Art Auction. But even if you can’t be there, phone bids are accepted. You can explore the catalog on Cross Gate’s website at http://www.crossgategallery.com/. 

Art is important. It beautifies our life. It can be as simple as a print, as strong as a bronze or as complex as an oil painting. Horse racing art recalls history and glorifies our champions. It can also serve as a remarkable remembrance of the racing history we have personally witnessed. 

Whether you rescue an oil painting from a log cabin in Oregon or visit an art gallery in Kentucky, the act of enjoying art is an enchanting part of appreciating horses. Perhaps in the next century, art aficionados will be admiring portraits of Carla Gaines’ beloved dog Louie begging for bacon. Or Dan Hendricks’ mischievous cat Duane playing in the barn next to Om. Maybe they will bid on an oil painting of the gargantuan Harley as he ponies contenders at Keeneland. Certainly there will be paintings of Beholder and Songbird dueling to the finish line. I look at my mysterious oil painting of Saratoga and wonder how and when Carl G. Stump’s oil painting came to Oregon.  I will probably discover the answers.  Thanks to Cross Gate Gallery, important pieces of horse racing history and its provenance are being carefully preserved for the future and presented to all art lovers, not only through their auction but through their catalogs. Take the time to enjoy art. It’s a journey worth taking. It’s a purchase worth making.