Willie Shoemaker Horse Racing Awards

Appraised on: June 18, 2011

Appraised in: El Paso, Texas

Appraised by: Mike Gutierrez

Category: Sports Memorabilia

Episode Info: El Paso, Hour 3 (#1612)

Originally Aired: April 9, 2012

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (3:00)

GUEST: I had a friend in California when I lived in northern Utah, and I had running horses, mostly quarter horses. When I found... had a good one, I'd send him down to California and I'd call this friend and tell him about him, and he'd go bet money. (laughs) Big-time money on him, and ends up, I sent him nine winners in a row. So when I got married, he gave me these for a wedding gift.

APPRAISER: I notice that they're awarded to Willie Shoemaker. What's the connection with Willie Shoemaker you had?

GUEST: Well, the friend... him and Willie were married to sisters.

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: And Willie got a divorce, and they knew they would probably never see each other again, so he says, "Take some trophies." So he took three, and he gave me these two, knowing that I would appreciate them.

APPRAISER: He gave you some pretty good trophies here.

GUEST: Did he?

APPRAISER: This first award right here, this 1953 award, presented by the Caliente Jockey Club of Mexico, commemorates 485 wins in 1953, as we can see here in red.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: It's a rather ornate award. You've got two enamel flags on each side, with the American flag and the Mexican flag. These are synthetic rubies.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: The interesting thing about this award in particular is the fact that it's just not any award for Willie Shoemaker. It's an award that placed him at the all-time top season winner.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: So it's a real pinnacle for his career and for the business. Now, in order to have 485 wins, he had to ride about 1,600 times that season. And the other award here, the silver platter, is to William Shoemaker for his 3,000th win from Santa Anita Park in California in 1958. Another pinnacle in his career, another great award that you're lucky to have. As you could see with this silver award, it's pretty plain, and the value of awards are really predicated on the aesthetics.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And it's pretty simple. I think that in auction, this might bring about $3,000 to $5,000.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: Now, the 1953 award, aesthetically this is quite pleasing. I haven't seen any Willie Shoemaker awards like this on the market that have been this substantial. In auction, this could bring somewhere between $7,500 to $9,000.

GUEST: Wow, he was a good friend, wasn't he?

APPRAISER: Yeah, a very good friend.