Isidore Jules Bonheur (French, 1827-1901)
KINSCEM, WITH MICHAEL MADDEN UP, c. 1878
Bronze; medium brown patina with black undertones, 29 1/2" x 34"
Signed I Bonheur, stamped Peyrol Kinscem won more than 50 races between 1876 and 1879. Her most prestigious wins included the Hungarian Autumn Oaks (won three times: 1877, 1878, and 1879); the Austrian Derby, 1877; the Hungarian St. Leger, 1877; and the Goodwood Cup, 1878, which was the only English classic in which she started. The Irishman, Michael Madden, was Kinscem's regular rider. Manchester born, he moved to Hungary permanently to ride. Later his son, Otto, became a champion jockey there. Kinscem's trainer was Robert Hesp, a Yorkshireman who later moved his training yard to Hungary, where he was also a huntsman and a member of the Hungarian secret service.
Kinscem's owner was Mr. Ernest de Blascovich, who presumably commissioned Isidore Bonheur to sculpt his illustrious horse and jockey after their win in France's Grand Prix de Deauville in 1878. Kinscem's influence as a broodmare was enormous, even though she only produced two sons and three daughters. Their progeny won a total of 41 classics in Europe.