06 April 2017
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Arkle
The exciting sport of horse racing is celebrated with eight new stamps from Royal Mail, which feature some of the sport’s best known race horses, all of whom have run to victory in British races.
The exciting sport of horse racing is celebrated with eight new stamps from Royal Mail, which feature some of the sport’s best known race horses, all of whom have run to victory in British races.
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Britain (after football) and such is its appeal and economic influence that it has its own daily national newspaper, The Racing Post. Both flat racing and National Hunt racing are run in Britain, and the country’s racecourses, including Aintree, Newmarket and Epsom Downs, are well-known to horseracing fans around the world.
Equestrian artist Michael Heslop has drawn upon his years of skill and experience to convey the impression of racehorses running, jumping and racing, with colourfully dressed jockeys urging their horses on to victory. The London-artist devotes his artwork entirely to depictions of horses and golf, and has previously painted Frankel and Kauto Star, shown on the 1st and £1.17 stamps.
The legendary horses featured have all raced and been trained in Britain or Ireland, and all but Kauto Star were born in these two countries.
Stamp details
Issue date: 6 April 2017
Design: Together Design
Illustrations: Michael Heslop
Stamp format: Landscape
Stamp size: 41mm x 30mm
Printer: International Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA
1st: Frankel
1st: Red Rum
£1.17: Shergar
£1.17: Kauto Star
£1.40: Desert Orchid
£1.40: Brigadier Gerard
£1.57: Arkle
£1.57: Estimate
Read an in-depth article on the Racehorse Legends stamps in the May issue of Stamp & Coin Mart, available from our website.