Rare and classic paintings of Irish racehorses

Given the importance of all matters equestrian in Irish life, there is likely to be strong interest in a pair of portraits of racehorses at Whyte's art auction in Dublin on May 27th. Colonel Westenra's 'Freney ' with Jockey and Attendants on The Curragh, Co Kildare and Roller , A Bay Hunter with Hounds 'Jolty Boy' and 'Jackey Boy' in a Stable are described as "two of the finest examples of early 19th-century Irish equestrian art". The artist, William Brocas, was an important 19th-century Irish portrait and landscape painter. The estimate for the pair is €30,000-€40,000.

One of the paintings depicts Freney , owned by Col Henry Westenra of Camla Vale, Co Monaghan, at the Westenra family's Curragh stud, Brownstown, Co Kildare. The Curragh Camp can be seen to the left of the composition, and to the right is Brownstown House. A young attendant is packing blankets with a belt bearing the Westenra initial picked out in red.

Freney had a very successful racing career with numerous victories in Ireland and England. The horse was named after the notorious 18th-century Co Kilkenny highwayman, Capt Freney, a sort of Irish Dick Turpin who somehow escaped the gallows.

The second painting depicts Roller, the sire of Freney, and according to auctioneer Ian Whyte, it was due to "an extraordinary incident of serendipity that a previous collector managed, after 150 years, to put father and son together on the same wall".He said: "Considering the depth of Irish involvement in horse breeding and training, surprisingly few Irish horse-painters and their works are extant".

The paintings will go on view at the RDS in Dublin next Saturday, May 25th.