This 1986 Kentucky Derby program is signed by a multitude of connections in that year’s renewal of the Run for the Roses. Among the signatures are seven Hall of Fame jockeys, and most notably the extremely rare autograph of deceased Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham, who conditioned the winner -- Ferdinand.

With Ferdinand, Whittingham became the oldest trainer to enter upon the hallowed ground of the Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle at Churchill Downs but he would return three years later with Sunday Silence. During his 49 years as a head trainer, Whittingham recorded 2,534 wins and $109.2 million in purses.

While Whittingham was a Derby-winning rookie in 1986, his jockey Bill Shoemaker was not. That year’s race was Shoemaker’s fourth and final win in the first jewel of the Triple Crown  adding to his prior victories aboard Swaps, Tomy Lee and Lucky Debonair.  In total, his career spanned a half a century, and he was one of racing’s most successful jockeys, banking a phenomenal 8,833 wins when he retired.

The 1986 Kentucky Derby also featured a who’s who roster of the era’s most legendary racing figures. Included in the field of riders whose signatures are represented are Braulio Baeza, Pat Day, Eddie Delahoussaye, Eddie Maple, Laffit Pincay Jr., Randy Romero, Gary Stevens, Jacinto Vasquez, and Jorge Velasquez. The program also contains the personalized autograph of Mel Stute, trainer of wagering favorite Snow Chief, and is displayed within a linen-matted gold-leaf frame measuring 15” x 12”.

Ferdinand’s career earnings would later total more than $3.7 million, and in 1987, he was named Horse of the Year after winning the Breeders' Cup Classic. But after a stallion career in Japan, his shocking death in a slaughterhouse shed light on the tragedy that many retired race horses all too often endure.

With the passing of Whittingham and the significance of Ferdinand, the Jockey-Signed Kentucky Derby Program and its abundance of verified signatures can never be replicated.

Size: 15x12"