Paul Mellon and Mill Reef

It is evident, simply by looking at the art in his collection, that the Centre's founder Paul Mellon had a great love for horses - his famous British art collection even started with a painting of a horse, Pumpkin with a Stable Lad by George Stubbs.

Paul Mellon's love of horses began during his time at Clare College, Cambridge (after studying at Yale) where he discovered the joys of collecting prints and books on aspects of sporting life, passions which remained a lifelong interest. This then lead to the breeding and racing of horses, including the great bay colt Mill Reef, which won the Derby in 1971, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Throughout his life Paul Mellon would claim that horseracing more than art provided his most treasured moments.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of Paul Mellon's prized horse Mill Reef and in celebration of this the National Horseracing Museum have an exhibition Celebrating Mill Reef which displays some of the most important artefacts from Mill Reef's highly successful career as a racehorse and at stud. For more information click here.

For more information about the life of Paul Mellon click here.