1966 "Amberoid" Horse Racing Silver Trophies
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GUEST:
These are a couple of horse racing trophies. My grandfather raced horses. He was an owner from about 1950 to the end of the '70s, and he had a good horse in 1966 called Amberoid, and so this is the Wood Memorial trophy, which is one of the prep races for the Triple Crown. And this is the trophy that he won for that. In 1966, he decided to enter Amberoid in the Triple Crown, and I forgot how he did in the Kentucky Derby. I, I don't think he did too well. Placed third in the Preakness, and then he won the Belmont Stakes, and this is the small copy that they're, uh, allow the owners to keep.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
One of three, I believe, that he had a few extra made, and, I, this is the one I inherited. This was the highlight of his horse racing career, to win, uh, one of the great signature races in the United States.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. As you said, the Wood Memorial is a prep race for the Triple Crown series.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And he won that race. Then on to the Kentucky Derby. Kentucky Derby, comes in seventh. Preakness, comes in third. What I love about his story, though, is that he was a Triple Crown spoiler.
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
So he goes off at five-to-one in the Belmont against Kauai King, after Kauai King was lined up and ready to, the favorite to win the Triple Crown. So in addition to winning the Belmont, seven lifetime wins, and almost half a million dollars in winnings...
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
...uh, he played Triple Crown spoiler that day.
GUEST:
He was introduced to this jockey, uh, that wanted to become a trainer, named Lucien Laurin. They got along well and they had some winners in the '50s, and culminating in, in the highlight of, I think, Lucien's career at this point as a trainer...
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
...with Amberoid in 1966. And then I think Lucien Laurin retired not too long after that.
APPRAISER:
He actually became a Hall of Fame trainer because of his work with Secretariat. Bill Boland, who rode the horse...
GUEST:
Huh.
APPRAISER:
...he was a Hall of Fame inductee.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, yeah.
GUEST:
Oh, I didn't know that.
APPRAISER:
So yeah, there was a lot of success around that team. So you have the craftsmanship on the trophy here in front of me, which is sterling. It's marked on the bottom, made by Ensko out of New York City, high-end silver company, and this solid sterling trophy has the, the cup inscription on the back, and then what's nice is, it has the inscription to your grandfather, with "Amberoid" inscribed on the front. Of course, the original one's much larger.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And it's the ones they can commission for the jockey and for the trainer and owners that are the smaller version. Fantastic tray here. What's nice is that they did the horse motif on the front, and then on the back, they actually have the award plaque. And that one also is hallmark sterling. It's a massive and heavy piece. You have the trifecta here.
GUEST:
(chuckles) Really?
APPRAISER:
You got historical importance, fantastic craftsmanship, and scarcity.
GUEST:
Hm.
APPRAISER:
So, I would put the insurance value on the tray at $6,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And the great trophy here, I'd put the value on that at $14,000.
GUEST:
No. Really?
APPRAISER:
Absolutely.
GUEST:
I had no idea. I, I didn't... I thought it wasn't, because it wasn't the, you know, the ones, the original one, that it wouldn't be worth...
APPRAISER:
It's still one of only three.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
It's phenomenal.
GUEST:
(laughs) That's good news. Glad I made the drive. (laughs)
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