Presented is the incredible opportunity to personally possess the most famous saddle in the history of horse racing! Yes, we offer the chance to own Angel Cordero Jr.'s famous "Magic Saddle," an innovative saddle created by Cordero's revolutionary idea, a saddle that was used by Cordero when he won the Kentucky Derby in 1985 on Spend a Buck, and used by Cordero, John Velazquez, Manny Franco and other jockeys to win eight Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby three times, the Preakness two times, the Belmont three times, plus, the Travers four times, and by the winner in 15 Breeders' Cup races.

Angel Cordero Jr. is a retired jockey and horse trainer, still active in racing as a jockey agent, born on Nov. 8, 1942, in Puerto Rico. As a jockey, he had six winners in Triple Crown races. He won the Kentucky Derby three times: 1974, riding Cannonade; 1976, aboard Bold Forbes; 1985, on Spend A Buck. Cordero also won the Preakness Stakes two times: 1974, on Codex; 1984, riding Gate Dancer. Cordero won the Belmont Stakes on one occasion: aboard Bold Forbes. Cordero also won four Breeders' Cup races. He was the first Puerto Rican jockey to win each of the Triple Crown races, although Cordero did not win the races in a single year. He is also the first Puerto Rican jockey in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was the U.S. Jockey Champion in Earnings in 1976, '82, and '83, and the U. S. Champion in wins in 1968. He won the prestigious Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1982, '83, and '85. But Cordero was far from an overnight success. He learned to ride in the tough environment of Puerto Rican racing, where fouls were frequent and rarely called. When he arrived in New York in 1962, the only mounts available for Cordero were on longshots, but he began to win with some of those longshots. He soon became immensely popular with bettors, and he began to be noticed by horse owners, who gave him better mounts. On the U.S. mainland, Cordero employed the same roughneck racing tactics that were regularly employed in Puerto Rico. Other jockeys complained that he was cutting them off and committing fouls, and as a result, Cordero was in a number of fist fights with other jockeys. While his rough riding tactics were not always popular with fellow jockeys, Cordero was a bettors' favorite, one of the most popular jockeys in history, as fans felt that even with a longshot, with Cordero aboard that they had a chance to win. The Hall of Famer finished his career with 7,054 career wins. 

What is the story behind Angel Cordero Jr.'s Magic Saddle? The saddle comes from Angel Cordero Jr., himself. Enclosed is a copy of an Angel Cordero Jr. LOA, which reads, in part, "In 1978, I decided to have this special saddle made because when I had to add weight... where I carried more than 124 pounds, the weights rubbed against my ankles[,] causing me problems. This new saddle... was manufactured with special pockets to add lead weights so that it could weigh as much as 18 pounds total.... I had no idea that this would one day become the most famous saddle in horse racing history.... I used this saddle in winning the 1978 Stuyvesant Handicap on Seattle Slew in what was the last race of his career. I won the 1985 Kentucky Derby on Spend a Buck with this saddle.... When I retired from racing, I became John Velazquez's agent and lent him the saddle.... Johnny used this saddle when he won the Kentucky Derby in 2011 on Animal Kingdom and on Always Dreaming when he won the Derby in 2017.... He also won the 2012 Belmont with this saddle upon Union Rags.... I also became the jockey agent for Manny Franco.... I lent Manny use of the saddle, too. Manny won the 2020 Belmont... using this saddle while riding Tiz The Law.... I'm conservatively estimating that my saddle won well over 100 Grade 1 races."

The offered English, leather saddle weighs nine (9) pounds. It is brown, and shows terrific wear, with the surface color often worn away to reveal more of a cream color underneath. There are also small stains and abrasions from years of use. The saddle has a length of approx. 17" from the pommel to the cantle. The base of the metal stirrups is approx. 1.5x4". Since it is a racing saddle, the horn is unpronounced. Each side of the saddle has two leather "pockets" measuring about 4.74x4.75". These are the pockets where the added weights were placed. These added weights are not included. Cordero signed and inscribed the seat of the saddle, using a fine tip black marker, scripting a clearly written: "My Magic Saddle/Angel Cordero." This vintage "Magic Saddle" makes a tremendous addition to any sports collection.

Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: 35.02 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.