Guy Reed: Treasures of renowned former racehorse owner from Yorkshire up for auction
A host of treasures once belonging to a renowned Yorkshire racehorse owner and breeder are going under the hammer in York tomorrow.
Farmer’s son Guy Reed became a hugely successful businessman before developing an interest in horse racing.
He was initially an owner, but after buying the Copgrove Hall estate near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire in 1969, he developed a leading stud farm.
He died in 2013 aged 91 and now a spectacular array of memories of his racecourse triumphs including prized trophies are being sold this week at auction.
The sale also includes a number of equine works of art as well as fine furniture and other items which once adorned the rooms at his Georgian grade II-listed home.
Mr Reed was born at Sand Hutton, near Thirsk, joining the RAF aged just 15 prior to the outbreak of war.
He made his first fortune in agriculture including leading firm Buxted Chickens. He sold out and went on to make another fortune in food distribution including co-founding the Boroughbridge-based business Reed Boardall.
But the entrepreneur’s later interests in horseracing will be the main focus for bidders at the sale in York carried out on behalf of the trustees of his will.
Some 25 horse racing trophies will be auctioned including a tall silver tankard made by the Crown jewellers Garrard won by Mr Reed’s horse Dakota at Ayr in 1975. The horse triumphed at the Ebor Handicap at York the same year.
The Lincoln Handicap trophy that his horse Pablo won in 2003 at Doncaster will also be on sale alongside a silver salver won by the famous Copgrove Hall-bred La Cucaracha, also at Doncaster, in 2005.
Tom Howard, of auctioneers Duggleby Stephenson, said: “The auction includes dozens of humbler trophies – silver plate, glassware, ceramics and the like, which were won by Copgrove-trained horses over the years.”
He said 85 paintings from Copgrove Hall also included several of racing interest.
The most valuable is expected to be a portrait of the Victorian champion Adventurer painted by Harry Hall in 1882, who was the foremost racehorse portraitist of his time, which has a pre-sale estimate of £1,500-£2,500.
The sprinter La Cucaracha is also featured on the lawn in front of Copgrove Hall painted by Scottish artist Jacqueline Stanhope, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest living equine artists.
Fine furniture will also feature in the sale including Edwardian period Adam revival pieces and 19th century French, Dutch and Italian items, and the most prized woodwork is likely to be an adzed oak bench made around a century ago by ‘mouseman’ Robert Thompson, of Kilburn.
The contents are available to view at Duggleby Stephenson’s saleroom on Friday (Oct 18) from 9am, the auction starts at 11am.