Philip Blacker (contemporary) A RACEHORSE RIDDEN IN A FINISH BY LESTER PIGGOTT signed PB, dated '82 and numbered 5 from an edition of 9, bronze with a

Philip Blacker (contemporary) A RACEHORSE RIDDEN IN A FINISH BY LESTER PIGGOTT signed PB, dated '82 and numbered 5 from an edition of 9, bronze with a rich dark patina, mounted on a polished granite plinth, height 33cm., 13in., length 59cm., 23in., width 13.5cm., 5 1/4in. Philip Blacker was born in 1949 and was a national hunt jockey who rode 340 winners before retiring to concentrate full-time on sculpture in 1982, the date of the present bronze. Blacker developed his skills under the guidance of Margot Dent, a former pupil of John Skeaping. His first one-man show was held at the Tyron Gallery in London in 1983 and proved hugely successful. Philip Blacker has been commissioned to produce the trophies for the Grand National (see lot 48) as well as life-size bronzes of notable horses including Red Rum, Best Mate, Persian Punch and Istabraaq. He also sculpted a twice life-size statue of an Arab stallion for HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.