Magnificent bronze of one of Wagga’s greatest athletes on display

8 September 2017

A generous loan by Arthur ‘Scobie’ Breasley’s family will see an impressive bronze sculpture of the legendary jockey on display in his hometown at the Museum of the Riverina.

The bronze is of Scobie winning the English Derby, which he did twice – in 1964 on Santa Claus and in 1966 on Charlottown, and was crafted by renowned English sculptor Bernard Winskill.

The Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga, Councillor Greg Conkey OAM, will today officially acknowledge the loan from Scobie’s grandson Jason Swift.

“It’s a great honour to have such a superb bronze depicting one of Australia’s greatest jockeys and who is also arguably the greatest athlete to hail from Wagga Wagga,” Cr Conkey said.

“Scobie may have travelled Australia and the world during his successful career but we are very proud of his roots as a Wagga boy that attended school in Gurwood Street before working in local stables from the age of 12.”

Jason Swift said he wanted to loan the sculpture to the Museum of the Riverina as a way of giving back to the people of Wagga Wagga.

“He often talked about Wagga and regularly returned to visit so we know it held a special place in his heart,” he said.

“It really is a special piece, we didn’t actually know it existed until my paternal grandfather Jack Swift came across it at Sotheby’s in London and purchased it, and it’s now of my most treasured possessions.

“But I’m about to start renovations at my house so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put the bronze on display.”

The bronze sculpture will be on display at the Museum of the Riverina’s Botanic Gardens site for the next 12 months.

During his career, Scobie Breasley rode 3,251 winners including more than 1,000 in Australia and 2,161 in Britain. He won the prestigious Caulfield Cup on five occasions.