ADAM'S Country House Collections Day II - 14th October 2025

60 The family tradition suggests that the group of gentlemen positioned prominently in the foreground of the composition includes Sir Edward O’Brien, 2nd Baronet, who is believed to have been the orig- inal owner of the painting. In certain versions of Wootton’s composition, the figure adorned with the insignia of the Order of the Garter has been identified as the Prince of Wales. However, an alternative interpretation proposes that this figure represents Philip, Duke of Wharton (1698–1731), the principal proprietor at Newmarket during this period. Supporting this identification is the fact that Wharton’s horse occupies the leading position in the race, its jockey distinguished by silks of pink with silver filigree. To the right, a corpulent figure wearing a red scarf around his neck may be identified as Tre- gonwell Frampton (d. 1727), the long-serving Keeper of the King’s Running Horses. Sir Edward O’Brien, a Member of Parliament and prominent racehorse breeder, was among the most significant bloodstock owners in 18th century Ireland. Much of his time was spent at Castlemartin, his mother’s mansion in County Kildare, situated in close proximity to the Curragh, Ireland’s principal racing ground. O’Brien’s passion for equestrian sport was matched only by his extravagance. A regular attendee at Newmarket, he also maintained residences in George Street, Hanover Square, London, as well as in Dublin. The setting of the painting, Newmarket, was by the early 18th century firmly established as the pre-eminent centre of British horse racing. Its distinctive landscape is recognisable in the depiction: the ditch runs horizontally across the distance, while to the far right stand St Mary’s Church, the wind- mill, and Warren Hill. The race itself takes place on the Round Course, beginning to the right of the stables visible in the background. Riders are shown turning at the white post in the foreground before completing a circuit of nearly four miles and finishing to the left of the stables, upon which spectators have climbed to gain a vantage point. The central ground is animated by onlookers, mounted and in carriages, hurrying to follow the progress of the race. The composition derives from John Wootton, the foremost equestrian painter of the period, who based himself at Newmarket to take advantage of both the abundance of subject matter and the patronage of the racing elite. Wootton executed several variants of this subject; the closest comparison to the present work is a version sold at Christie’s, New York, 3 December 1998, lot 5 (see S. Mitchell, The Dictionary of British Equestrian Artists , p. 400, ill. pl. 31). Dromoland Castle, the ancestral seat of the O’Brien family—direct descendants of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland—was closely associated with Sir Edward O’Brien, whose devotion to racing left a last- ing mark on the estate. Local tradition attributes to him the construction of the Dromoland Turret, designed to afford panoramic views of his racehorses training and competing on the lands below. His admiration for Newmarket in Suffolk is said to have inspired the renaming of the nearby village, formerly simply “Newmarket,” as Newmarket-on-Fergus. Folklore also preserves the dramatic account that in 1730 O’Brien wagered his entire estate on the outcome of a race involving his horse Seán Buí. Victorious, Seán Buí secured the preservation of the family fortunes. In gratitude, O’Brien is reputed to have erected the Temple of Mercury as a monument to the horse, which is also believed locally to mark its burial site. Sir Edward O’Brien entered the Irish House of Commons in 1727, where he served until his death in 1765. His career, both political and sporting, epitomises the interconnection of landownership, poli- tics, and equestrian culture in 18th century Anglo-Irish society.