Alfred Wheeler (1851-1932)

Alfred Wheeler (1851-1932)
'Diamond Jubilee' with Jockey up, probably Herbert Jones
Signed, dated and inscribed DIAMOND JUBILEE/ A. WHEELER/ 1900 (lower left)
Oil on canvas
51 x 61cm; 20 x 24in

Provenance:
By family descent to the present owner

Golden Jubilee (1897-1923), by St Simon out of Perdita, was foaled in 1897 - the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee - and bred by Edward, Prince of Wales. St Simon was undefeated and sired ten Classic winners. Perdita, also owned by the Prince, produced the 1896 Derby winner Persimmon and the Jockey Club winner Florizel II. Diamond Jubilee raced sixteen times and won six, including the Triple Crown (1900) and the valuable Eclipse Stakes in the same year. The jockey on each occasion was Herbert Jones (1880-1951). Noted for being a hot-tempered and sometimes violent horse, Diamond Jubilee escaped from a stud in Argentina and ran amok through the town of Morón just months before his death.