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Alfred Munnings was the most accomplished painter of horses of his generation and self-consciously fashioned himself as the heir of the great tradition of British sporting art. He frequently tackled the subject of horses and jockeys jostling before the start of a race but remarked upon how difficult it was to capture the moment: “Orange satin, cerise-and-white, blue-and-yellow, emerald green—a large field waiting, regrouping. At each start, determining to retain the picture in my mind, too often an incident, something a horse is doing, distracts, and once again my purpose is thwarted.” Despite his misgivings, this painting is a masterpiece of movement and the constrained equine energy about to be released.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016