A sporting collection amassed by "the queen of Newmarket" is set to go under the hammer in March.
Horse racing trainer Julie Cecil died aged 80 in 2022 - leaving behind memorabilia and art works gathered over a lifetime.
Among the highlights of the collection from her estate is a menu from The English Garden on Lincoln Street, London, from 1996.
These and other items will be auctioned by Cheffins at a fine art sale on March 22 and 23.
The menu is signed by the late Queen Elizabeth II and a number of horseracing royalty including Peter Walwyn, Peter O’Sullevan and Angela Oswald, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and wife of Sir Michael Oswald, the Queen’s leading horseracing trainer.
Mrs Cecil was the daughter of nine times champion trainer Sir Noel Murless and the first wife of Sir Henry Cecil, one of the leading figures of the European racing scene.
The collection to be auctioned also includes a riding crop engraved ‘Julia Murless’ – Julie Cecil’s maiden name – and a number of Noel Murless autographed items.
A portrait of winning Newmarket filly Caergwle by sporting artist Richard Stone Reeves and dated 1968 is expected to fetch between £3k and £5k.
A large bronze figure by Bernard Winskill of Lorenzaccio - the winning horse which beat Nijinsky in the Champion Stakes in 1970, ridden by Lester Piggott - is estimated to be worth £800 to £1,200.
There are also various other sporting pictures, furniture, ceramics and collectibles.
Jonathan Law, head of the fine art division at Cheffins said they were "honoured" to be able to offer the pieces.
"Julie Cecil was one of the most active and recognisable members of the Newmarket racing scene.
"She was famous for her wicked sense of humour and her skill as a trainer in her own right.
"She had a number of excellent horses which she trained from her yard at Southgate Stables, and recorded 190 wins as a trainer, with some of her best horses including Golan Heights, Alderbrook, Gneiss and Dark Den.
"These items for auction offer an opportunity for collectors and racing enthusiasts to own a part of her legacy."
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