An Australian legend: Lithograph by Fred Stone

The Art Committee has selected this painting to be on display during February.

 (Loan from Pamela and Robert Peterson)

In the early ‘30’s, Australian racing authorities were very class conscious. How could they accept this ill-bred horse that was winning so many races, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup? Bookmakers refused wagers on him and handicappers tried to slow him down by assigning him incredibly high weights. In 1932 he ran in the $100,000 Mexican Agua Caliente Handicap against many of America’s best horses. Running on dirt for the first time and carrying 129 pounds, he still won easily. But he died suddenly and mysteriously after a large dose of arsenic, perhaps  on the orders of U.S. gangsters who feared that the Melbourne champion would inflict big losses on their illegal bookmakers. The horse is a national icon in Australia and New Zealand, honored on an Australian postage stamp and featured in the Australian citizenship test.

Fred Stone (1930-2018) painted the greats of horse racing history. Originals of his paintings are in the collections of the British Royal Family and the U.S. White House.