A bronze marquette of Lester Piggott. The name of Lester Piggott is legendary in the world of flat horse racing. With his distinctive style of riding high in the saddle due to being so unusually tall for a flat jockey, he managed to ride 30 classic winners during his career including 8 Derby victories. To celebrate his achievements a life size bronze of him was commissioned from William Newton by David & Christopher St George for whom Lester rode a number of classic winners. Three have now been located at Epsom, Ascot & Newmarket with Her majesty The Queen unveiling them. To celebrate Lester’s 30  classic wins, a limited serious of 30 smaller marquettes have been produced by William Newton. This illustrated bronze is signed and numbered 11. To date over 25 of the edition have been sold and so only a few remain.

In 1977, following a year at Art School William Newton went to work for a racehorse trainer in Wiltshire.  He had ridden from an early age and the idea of becoming a jockey really appealed.  As luck would have it, he rode a winner on his first ride.  Two years later following a spell in Ireland William took out a professional license. Over the following years he rode a handful of winners each season and in 1987 he retired and begun his career as a sculpture.  This was the year that jockey Steve Knight won the Grand National on Maori Venture and he introduced William Newton to the horses owner Jim Joel who commissioned William to make a bronze study of his National winner.  Two months later Steve Cauthen won the Derby on Reference Point and subsequently commissioned a bronze of himself on Reference Point cantering to the start of the race. These two high profile commissions together with other work that first year set the seal on William Newton’s future and he has been a full time sculptor ever since. With his iconic Lester sculpture now gracing England’s leading race courses demand for his work is ever increasing.