Description
An exceptional and rare Special Commission Dunhill Sporting Horse Racing Half-Giant Table Lighter in Gold Plate, the top with raisable arm stamped Dunhill and Reg. No 737418 on the reverse, above the lucite body carved with the thrilling victory Commissioned by the owner of Nicholas Nickleby winner the Royal Hunt Cup, Ascot in 1955. The base stamped DUNHILL LIGHTER ‘Made in England’
England 1955
Length 4in 10cm
The Royal Hunt Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The event was established in 1843, and it was originally contested on a right-handed course over 7 furlongs and 166 yards. The inaugural running was won by Knight of the Whistle, with a triple dead-heat for second between Bourra Tomacha, Epaulette and Garry Owen.
The race’s distance was shortened to 7 furlongs and 155 yards in 1930, and it was extended to its present length in 1956. It is now run on a straight course, and it usually features a large field.
The Royal Hunt Cup is currently held on the second day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting. It is one of three perpetual trophies at the meeting, along with the Gold Cup and the Queen’s Vase, which can be kept permanently by the winning owners.