A new work of art commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's last winner at Royal Ascot will be unveiled on Monday, June 16. The painting is by Nichola Eddery, artist in residence at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, and goes on display at the Osborne Studio Gallery in London on the eve of Royal Ascot 2025.
Titled 'The Sport of Kings and Queens', the painting depicts jockey James Doyle in the royal silks that he wore to victory on Tactical in 2020, the late Queen's 24th and final winner at the Royal meeting. The exhibit lasts until Saturday, July 5.
Eddery, a daughter of former champion jockey Pat Eddery, said, “James Doyle very kindly came and posed for me on the equicizer at the National Horse Racing Museum wearing the royal colours. I was able to loan a number cloth from Ascot Racecourse and the number 14 was carried by Tactical when winning the Windsor Castle Stakes. It also symbolises the current King's birthday, the 14th of November.
“The painting is a homage to Royal Ascot as a whole and I wanted to include the history by using one of the early depictions of Ascot Racecourse, so I chose a famous piece by 19th century artist James Pollard called 'Ascot Heath Races' as the backdrop.”
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