This important racing artifact is the genuine saddle worn by Ferdinand as he claimed victory in the 1986 Kentucky Derby with jockey Bill Shoemaker aboard. Ferdinand went on to win the 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic and take the Eclipse Horse of the Year award in that same year. The burnished leather saddle displays the remnants of racing-induced wear and is double signed by Shoemaker, one of racing's most accomplished and legendary riders. His signatures have both PSA and JSA letters of authenticity, and the piece also includes a letter of authenticity from the Shoemaker Foundation with the original envelope addressed to Rufus Patin, a well-known horse owner. Following his stallion career in Japan, Ferdinand was slaughtered shedding light on the tragedy that many retired race horses all too often endure. His shocking death lead to the establishment of the Ferdinand Fee, a donation program to care for retired race horses, and Friends of Ferdinand, a non-profit group formed in 2005 with the goal of transitioning retired racehorses into second careers.