Sir Charles Garden Assheton-Smith (1951-1914) was born Charles Garden Duff, son of Robert Gordon Duff, a Justice of the Peace. On the death of Charles’ brother George William Duff Assheton-Smith, he inherited the Vaynol Estates and assumed his new name by Royal licence. Sir Charles was a landowner and keen follower of the National Hunt. He won the Grand National in 1893 with ‘Cloister’ and again in 1912 and 1913. He is also known as an amateur caricaturist and he had some of his work published by Vanity Fair under the name ‘Cloister’. The initials CGD appear on the water butt in this watercolour, the figure illustrated stands in front of a stable door admiring a horse nearby. It is quite likely that this is a self portrait. ‘Death of Sir Charles Assheton-Smith, obituary in the ‘North Wales Chronicle’, 25 September 1914.