1978-2020 "Magic Saddle" Owned & Signed by Angel Cordero Used to Win Eight Triple Crown Races and Over 100 Grade 1 Races with ...

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1978-2020 "Magic Saddle" Owned & Signed by Angel Cordero Used to Win Eight Triple Crown Races and Over 100 Grade 1 Races with Multiple Photo Matches! The Hall of Fame jockey provides a detailed signed letter of provenance, so we transcribe it here to allow bidders to get the story straight from the horse[rider]'s mouth:

"In 1978. I decided to have this special saddle made because when I had to add weight to my regular saddle for races where I carried more than 124 pounds, the weights rubbed against my ankles causing me problems. This new saddle weighed 11 pounds and was manufactured with special pockets to add lead weights so that it could weigh as much as 18 pounds total without rubbing against my ankles. I had no idea then that this would one day become the most famous saddle in horse racing history.

I used this saddle in winning the 1978 Stuyvesant Handicap on Seattle Slew in what was the last race of his career. I won the 1985 Kentucky Derby on Spend a Buck with this saddle. This was the saddle I used in winning the Preakness twice: On Codex in 1980 and Gate Dancer in 1984. I won the 1985 Travers with Chiefs Crown, the 1987 Arlington Million on Manila, and the Breeders' Cup with Gulch and Dancing Spree with this saddle. And this was the saddle I used aboard Open Mind when I won the 1989 Kentucky Oaks.

When I retired from racing, I became John Velazquez's agent and lent him the saddle to use in races where he needed to carry more weight. Johnny used this saddle when he won the Kentucky Derby in 2011 on Animal Kingdom and on Always Dreaming when he won the Derby in 2017. This is the saddle Johnny used when he rode Rags lo Riches to victory in the 2007 Belmont Stakes ... the first filly to win the Belmont in over a century. He also won the 2012 Belmont with this saddle aboard Union Rags, and the Kentucky Oaks aboard Ashado. Johnny won over a dozen Breeders' Cup races with this saddle including the 1998 Breeders' Cup Mile on Da Hoss that prompted legendary race caller Tom Durkin to proclaim, "This is the greatest comeback since Lazarus." Johnny used this saddle aboard Wise Dan in the 2012 Breeders' Cup which led to him being voted Horse of the Year. He won the 2005 Dubai World Cup on Roses in May, and numerous runnings of the Met Mile including those of Shackleford and Quality Road, all with this saddle.

I also became the jockey agent for Manny Franco and just like with Johnny, I lent Manny use of the saddle, too. Manny won the 2020 Belmont and 2020 Travers using this saddle while riding Tiz The Law.

In all, my magic saddle has won the Kentucky Derby three times, the Preakness twice, the Belmont three times, the Kentucky Oaks three times, the Travers four times and 15 Breeders' Cup races. In its history, I'm conservatively estimating that my saddle has won well over 100 Grade 1 races."

Validating some of the claims made by Cordero in his letter of provenance, the experts at Sports Investors Authentication assert an apparent match to the saddle used by John Velazquez when he rode on Always Dreaming and won the 2017 Kentucky Derby, and by Manny Franco when he rode on Tiz the Law and won the 2020 Belmont Stakes. The saddle exhibits strong wear and is signed by Cordero in 9/10 black sharpie with "My Magic Saddle" notation. Letter of provenance from Angel Cordero. Photo match LOA from Sports Investors Authentication. Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services.