Piece of a horseshoe worn by Secretariat in 1973, matted and framed together with a cut signature of Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat in each of his three Triple Crown victories that year. The small, metallic relic, measuring one-inch in length and approximately a quarter inch in thickness, came from a left-hind shoe worn by Secretariat while training in New York prior to his first race of the season in the Bay Shore Stakes. The shoe from which this piece was taken originates from the personal collection of Jim Gaffney, who was Secretariat’s exercise rider. Gaffney presented the horseshow as a gift to a friend in 2000, and a COPY of the original one-page handwritten letter from Gaffney, detailing the shoe’s history, accompanies the framed display. Gaffney relates how Secretariat was shipped from his winter residence at Hialeah (Florida) to New York in March to train [for the Bay Shore Stakes on March 17th]. He also states that he began saving Secretariat’s horseshoes one year earlier, in April 1972, when he first started riding him. He concludes his letter by writing, “I galloped him [Secretariat] on the morning of March 13, 1973. I held him while the blacksmith George Collins shod him and have had this shoe in my safe deposit box since.”  Obviously, the original recipient of the shoe decided to portion out pieces of it so that other collectors could enjoy a significant souvenir worn by what many consider the greatest racehorse of all time. Later that year, Secretariat won the Triple Crown in dominating fashion, setting track records at each event that still stand. Secretariat retired following the 1973 season with a lifetime record of 16-3-1 and earnings of $1,316,808 (over $8 million in today’s economy). The horseshoe piece is affixed to a decorative mount featuring a photo of Turcotte and Secretariat, as well as a brief synopsis of Secretariat’s racing career. Turcotte’s blue-ink signature (grading (6/10) has been scripted on an unlined sheet of white paper (4" x 2”), which is mounted at the base. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 15" x 17.5”.