A PAINTING of and Britain's oldest steeplechase racing club in action will go under the hammer in London this month with an estimated price tag of £25,000.

The image of the 1890 Tarporley Hunt Steeplechase meeting, captured on canvas by Scottish-born artist Archibald MacKinnon, will be put up for auction by Sotheby's at their London-based Olympia auction house on November 19.

The Tarporley Hunt Club was established in 1762 and is the oldest surviving hunt club in the UK.

Racing had been organised since 1776, when seven club members challenged one another for stakes of 10 guineas each and raced over four miles of hunting country on George Wilbraham's land at Crabtree Green near Delamere.

The meeting became a fashionable and popular event in the Cheshire social calendar. It also attracted villagers from a radius of over 20 miles making the races a truly colourful day.

Over many years this activity evolved into the Tarporley Hunt Steeplechase meeting which was held at several venues before settling from 1877 as a spring meeting held every April on the Arderne Estate near Ash Hill.

Stands were built behind which was a small railed parade ring with the weighing room and changing room alongside.

The right-hand circular course was characterised by a long climb up to a short run-in of 200 yards after the last fence, and was a true test for a hunter chaser.

The full 'fun of the fair' is captured in MacKinnon's painting which depicts the 1890 meeting in great detail.

The image is reminiscent as a Cheshire version of Frith's celebrated painting Derby Day (Tate Gallery, London), subtitled All Human Life is Here.

Beeston Castle and the Peckforton Hills are clearly seen on the skyline. The flags flying from tall poles mark the winning post besides which is the judge's box.

The ubiquitous racecourse gipsy can be seen with a blackboard chalked the wonderful fortune telling birds. Try your luck before you go in for speculative horse racing, love & marriage. prevent suicide, only a 1d.

The final day's racing at Tarporley was on April 26, 1939.

Despite several attempts to revive racing after the war, the racecourse company was officially wound up in 1963.

The tradition of the Tarporley Hunt Steeplechases is preserved by the annual running of a silver challenge cup for a race that bears its name at Bangor-on-Dee.

Also up for sale on November 19, is an oil painting of the racehorse Ormonde, owned by 1st Duke of Westminster.

Ormonde is widely regarded as one of the greatest horses of the 19th century. Ormonde retired unbeaten in 16 races having won stakes of £28,000. In 1886, he won the Triple Crown - the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St. Leger.

The picture depicts Ormonde cantering to post at Epsom prior to his Derby victory. In the saddle is Fred Archer, the 13 times Champion Jockey. In the paddock many of the noted racing celebrities of the day can be seen.

The oil painting, by artist W J Dickinson, is expected to fetch between £25,000 and £35,000. The Sotheby's sale of both paintings will take place at Olympia, London, on Wednesday, November 19 at 10.30am. For further details log onto www.sothebys.com