Gimcrack On Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-lad, and a Jockey

Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath with a Trainer, a Stable-lad, and a Jockey from 1765 by George Stubbs is one of his most celebrated racing paintings, depicting the legendary grey racehorse who became a symbol of Georgian racing culture. Gimcrack won twenty-seven of his thirty-five starts, was never beaten in France, and was celebrated in poems, songs, and theatrical productions. This composition—one of two Stubbs made of Gimcrack—depicts the entire racing establishment around the horse: trainer, stable-lad, and jockey providing the human infrastructure that supported the equine star. The Newmarket setting, with its characteristic flat landscape and racing buildings, roots the image in a specific sporting geography. The work is held at the Jockey Club and has been seen as a defining document of the Georgian racing world.

The famous grey racehorse is rendered with characteristic anatomical exactitude, the supporting figures providing social context for the equine star.