Belmont Park: A Century of Champions
Original paintings by Richard Stone Reeves
with text by Edward L. Bowen

Pub Date: May 2005. Belmont Park, the revered Long Island, New York, racetrack, has played host to some of Thoroughbred racing’s greatest champions, from Man o’ War and Citation to modern-day heroes Secretariat and Cigar. Internationally acclaimed equine artist Richard Stone Reeves salutes Belmont’s first century with portraits, most of them showcased here for the first time, of 70 racehorses who thrilled crowds, set records, and became legends at the fabled New York track. His personal recollections of many of his subjects complement the biographies written by Turf historian Edward L. Bowen.

Also available as a leather-bound limited edition.

About the Artist:
Richard Stone Reeves was born in New York City and reared in Garden City, Long Island, not far from Belmont Park where, as a boy, he acquired his love for horses and Thoroughbred racing. His father Matthew Sully Reeves, who came from Charleston, South Carolina, was a direct descendant of the celebrated American portrait painter, Thomas Sully, whose subjects included President Andrew Jackson and Queen Victoria of England. His mother Edna Simonson was a native of Long Island whose family owned and bred many well-known Standardbred racehorses.

After graduation from Syracuse University with a Fine Arts degree in 1941, Reeves enlisted in the U.S. Navy and received a commission as an ensign in 1942. He spent 1944 and ’45 in China, where he painted subjects such as local peasants and temples in between combat missions.

At the end of World War II, he began his career as a painter of horses and quickly received national recognition when his painting of Armed, Horse of the Year in 1947, appeared in LIFE magazine. This led to many assignments in the Thoroughbred field, and Reeves since has been commissioned to portray more international classic winners and champions than any artist in history. Among his earlier books prized by collectors are Legends, Decade of Champions, and Royal Blood. Reeves passed away at the age of 85 on Oct. 7, 2005.

Read a Q&A with Richard Stone Reeves from May 2005.

Praise for Richard Stone Reeves:

“Richard Stone Reeves will undoubtedly be remembered as the greatest horse portraitist of all time.”
-- Greg Ladd, Cross Gate Gallery, Lexington, Ky.

****

“Reeves is a master at capturing the likeness of his equine subjects.”
-- Racing Post

Hardcover
12 x 11
192 pages
70 color reproductions
6 pencil sketches
Product #B11-1094
List Price: $60.00
ISBN: 1-58150-122-6

Also available:

Signed/Numbered Limited Edition
Leather bound w/slip case
Product #B11-1095
List Price: $350.00
ISBN: 1-58150-124-2