 |
Secretariat Maiden Horseshoe
This is an incredible opportunity to obtain a "race worn" item of the legendary Secretariat from an unquestionable source. You have the opportunity to bid on one of the shoes worn by Secretariat in both his first race on July 4th, 1972, as well as his maiden win on July 15th, 1972 - Secretariat wore the same shoes in both races. The shoe is beautifully mounted on a blue metal overlay resting on a hardwood plaque measuring 8" X 10".
The plaque was made by Jim Gaffney, who was Secretariat's regular exercise rider from April, 1972 through May, 1973.Mr. Gaffney was intimately involved with the day-to-day activities of Secretariat for over 13 months and his experiences with Secretariat are chronicled and verified in William Nack's book, "Secretariat, The Making of A Champion", published in 1975 (chapter 10, beginning page 73), as well as Raymond Woolfe's book, "SECRETARIAT", published in 1974.
Mr. Gaffney held Secretariat whenever he was shod and that is how he began acquiring the shoes of the great champion. The shoe was obtained on July 18th, 1972, three days after Secretariat's maiden victory, when Secretariat was re-shod for his third career start. The shoe has been kept in protected storage in the possession of either Mr. Gaffney or Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery until being consigned to the mastronet auction. The plaque is hand-signed by both Mr. Gaffney and Mrs. Chenery. As an added bonus, Secretariat's Hall of Fame Triple Crown winning jockey, Ron Turcotte, who would ride the horse following the maiden races has signed the shoe as well. The high bidder will receive a signed letter of authenticity from Mr. Gaffney stating that the shoe is indeed genuine and obtained directly from Secretariat's farrier, George Collins. In addition, only the winning bidder will receive the shoe's encoded serial numbers and their hidden location to further ensure continued authenticity.
The letter of authenticity is printed on heavy photographic paper and includes an actual photo of the plaque to further enhance the providence of this extraordinary item. The high bidder will also receive a 5 x 7 color note card which pictures Jim on Secretariat and opens to include color photos of both, as well as a beautiful 5 x 7 color photo of Jim and Secretariat, both of which have been signed by Jim.
To bid or learn more about the auction and the shoe, visit mastronet.com and witness a piece of racing history as it makes more.
"The first time I got on Secretariat in mid April of 1972, I felt a power in him I had
never felt in another horse and had a feeling he was headed for greatness...."
Jim Gaffney
