LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Signature Sports Auction #705  / 

19340

Johnny Longden Count Fleet Winner's Circle Photos

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:375.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Johnny Longden Count Fleet Winner's Circle Photos
<B>1942-43 Johnny Longden Count Fleet Winner's Circle Photographs Lot of 4.</B></I> Issued only to jockeys and owners, winner's circle images such as these are almost never set loose upon the open market, so this lot presents a very special opportunity for our valued bidding clientele. Each pictures Longden aboard the horse he claimed was the finest he ever rode, and the one that carried him to the 1943 Triple Crown. Each photo is actually two images in one--an action shot from the race in question placed above a posed image of Longden and Count Fleet in the winner's circle. The various details of the races (date, track, time, etc.) is artfully handwritten in the lower border. Certainly these were among Longden's most prized photos. All remain in splendid NRMT condition in their original (somewhat worn) frames. Each measures 14.5x19" in its full dimensions.<BR><BR><BR>The Johnny Longden Personal Collection of Horse Racing Memorabilia<BR><BR> Presented in the lots that follow are the spoils and mementos of one of the finest horse racing careers in the Sport of Kings' long and distinguished history. Narrowly missing what may well have been a fatal voyage upon the Titanic to join his father in 1912, Longden turned that fortuitous twist of fate into a life of racing brilliance, retiring in 1966 as the all time wins leader in the sport. In a tour of duty beginning in 1927, Longden established a total of 32,413 mounts and 6,032 winners. Among the world class horses he rode were Swaps and Whirlaway, but he always considered Count Fleet, which carried him to the 1943 Triple Crown, to be the finest of them all. Five times he was the top money winner in the country, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1958. After Longden's retirement, he turned his attentions to training, winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Majestic Prince in 1969. He is still the only man to win the Derby as a rider and a trainer. To this day, only Willie Shoemaker is considered to share the same elite level as a jockey as Longden. And so Heritage is very pleased to have the opportunity to offer these cherished keepsakes from Longden's professional career to the collecting community.
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