The Sport of Kings and a Sporting King come together at BUDDS racing auction on November 12 & 13 in Newmarket's racing museum in partnership with Weatherbys. Under the spotlight at this BUDDS auction is memorabilia linked to King Edward VII, legendary horses, jockeys and a royal mistress, Lillie Langtry.
Queen Victoria, mother to Edward VII, was not amused by the sport of horse racing or her son's involvement in it. She did go racing when she was younger, but lost all interest after the death of Albert in 1861. Also, she refused to go to the Epsom Derby after 1840 because she was not served bread and butter with her meal. But King Edward VII more than made up for his mother's lack of enthusiasm for the sport of kings.
At this BUDDS auction there are two lots with royal provenance - two jewellery pins gifted to the jockey John ('Jack') Watts, one from his king and one by his king's mistress Lillie Langtry, known as the 'Jersey Lily', for whom he had ridden winners. The pin from Lillie Langtry was accompanied by a charming note of thanks to Jack and is part of this lot. John Watts (1861-1902) was a British flat-race jockey whose career lasted from 1880 until 1900 he rode the winners of 19 Classics. He was noted for his quiet and unspectacular style and undemonstrative personality. On his retirement from riding he became a trainer but died two years later as a result of his brutal wasting for weight loss.
LOT 17. Gold, diamond & enamel stick pin gifted to Royal Jockey John Watts by the Prince of Wales later King Edward VII circa 1896, by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company, Regent Street, London, designed as a galloping racehorse with jockey up, in original fitted case which contains a family note reading GIVEN TO FATHER BY EDWARD VI Estimate £1,500 -£2,500.
Lot 16. Pair of gold, diamond & enamel cuff links gifted to the Royal Jockey John Watts by Lillie Langtry when first winning a race on her horse Milford, by Henry Lewis, Jeweller & Goldsmith to Queen Victoria, New Bond Street, London. Estimate £1,500 -£2,500.
The enamelling resembling Lillie Langtry's racing colours [registered under the pseudonym Mr Jersey] of turquoise and fawn, the diamond settings resembling the letter W [John Watts], the cover of the fawn coloured suede inscribed in gilt facsimile hand writing J. WATTS FROM LILLIE LANGTRY; sold with a signed manuscript letter in ink from Lillie Langtry that accompanied the gift of the cuff links, on 21 Pont Street, S.W., headed paper reading: Dear Mr Watts, I hope you will accept these links as a souvenir of the first time you steered Milford to victory - I hope you will ride him many times & that it will always be thus. With kindness, yours truly, Lillie Langtry.
Lots 10 to 34 Memorabilia relating to the Royal Jockey John Watts (1861-1902) and the jockey Kempton Cannon (1879-1951). The connection between the two jockeys being that Watts's widow married Cannon. Provenance: by family descent. Estimate ££2,000 - £3,000.
While on the subject of royalty there are three steeplechasers in the modern era who bear a certain royal majesty all of their own - Arkle, Red Rum and Desert Orchid. There are items in this sale associated with each of these legendary jumpers.
A saddle cloth from Troy and shoes from Arkle and Red Rum. Each of these legends performed royalty on the steeplechase courses of England and Ireland. So, for those of us who carry a flame of memory in our hearts for these equine legends this sale provides an opportunity to secure a memento. Horseshoes that cut the turf and flew the hedges and a saddle cloth worn during the 200th Epsom victory and the first across the finish line on so many occasions. If science carried something of magic about it these items would be impregnated with the soundtrack of their race days and the roar of the crowds who delighted in shouting their hero home.
Solid Silver horse head sculpture of ~Red Rum £20,000 - £25,000
Hallmarked BAC, London, 1979, weight approx. 12.7kg. of solid silver, sculpted by Maureen Coatman (British, 1919-2005), a half-life size portrait head, 42 by 38cm., produced as a limited edition of 25 in bronze or silver, this example numbered 6/25, the silver version being very scarce and the first one seen by the auctioneer, only bronze examples having appeared previously on the auction market, the underside signed by the sculptor M M Coatman, dated 1977 and titled RED RUM, originally licensed by Red Rum Limited, screw mounted on a black marble plinth, 20 by 10cm., the front titled RED RUM, the reverse set with a plaque inscribed, RED RUM, GRAND NATIONAL, 1973 WON - BRIAN FLETCHER, 1974 WON - BRIAN FLETCHER, 1975 SECOND - BRIAN FLETCHER, 1976 SECOND - TOMMY STACK, 1977 WON - TOMMY STACK, OWNED BY NOEL LE MARE, TRAINED BY DON McCAIN; offered with original sales flyer; and a related letter from Red Rum Limited
Arkle shoe from the Irish Grand National 1964. £1,500 to £2,500
Set on a white-painted metal-lined hollow wooden stand inscribed ARKLE, the wooden rim inscribed IRISH GRAND NATIONAL, 1964, sold with a signed letter of authenticity from Arkle's groom Johnny Lumley
Racing plate worn by Arkle when winning the Gallagher Gold Cup at Sandown Park in 1965, the plate later silvered and set on a slice of fossilised wood and overlaid with a hallmarked (marks indistinct) silver model of a thoroughbred's head. the exterior of the plate inscribed ARKLE 1965 GOLD CUP WON BY 20L TOOK 17 SEC OFF COURSE REC WITH TOP WEIGHT OF 12-7, 16.5 by 16cm. Estimate £1,500, £2,000
Of all the races won by the legendary Irish steeplechaser Arkle, the 1965 Gallagher Gold Cup at Sandown Park is often cited by commentators to have been his greatest ever performance. Carrying top-weight of 12st. 7lb. and conceding 16lb. to his great rival and 1973 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Mill House, Arkle won the race and broke the 3 miles course record by 17 seconds. Arkle's time has never been surpassed in the proceeding 51 years.
The plate was discovered and purchased by a sports memorabilia collector at Covent Garden Antiques Market in central London. It was previously sold at Graham Budd Auctions 7th November 2016 lot 25.
And from Ireland is this saddle cloth from Nijinsky the Irish Triple Crown winner in 1970, another legend of the turf with a royal pedigree of his own.
Historic item of horse racing memorabilia: The number cloth from Nijinsky's Triple Crown 1970 St Leger victory, estimate £5,000 - £7,000. Signed by Lester Piggott in fine marker and inscribed NIJINSKY, LEGER 1970, the white cloth with black No.8
Nijinsky remains the last colt to win the English Triple Crown. the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger. The horse who has come closest to achieving this feat was the Aidan O'Brien-trained Camelot in 2012. Having won the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby Camelot was unable to beat Encke in the St Leger, going down by 3/4l.
Provenance: Lots 54 to 56.
Cyril Greenland whose business based at Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk, supplied the number cloths for northern racecourses, 1960s-1990s. He was known as the 'Backroom Boy of the Turf.' Thence by family descent.
Lot 51, The No.24 number cloth worn by Troy when winning the 200th Derby at Epsom 6th June 1979, the white cloth with black number 24 and stitched patch bearing colour printed Derby 200 emblem
And then of course there was the king of jockeys in our recent past, Lester Piggott who was in a class all of his own, a legend in his own lifetime. This sale offers a number of his items including one of the last pairs of boots he raced in.
Lot 242 Signed pair of black & tan leather, both signed by the legendary jockey and both named inside to Lester Piggott jockey boots estimate £1,000 - £1,5000
And finally, the 1994 Grand National winning silks worn by Richard Dunwoody aboard Freddie Starr's Miinnehoma.
by Allerton of London, red with yellow star and sleeves, yellow cap with red star, both the jacket and the cap signed by jockey Richard Dunwoody.
