The saddle used by Willie Carson when completing the 1980 Derby and Oaks double aboard Henbit and Bireme, the 5lb. saddle set with a silver plaque hal
£1,000 - £1,500
The saddle used by Willie Carson when completing the 1980 Derby and Oaks double aboard Henbit and Bireme, the 5lb. saddle set with a silver plaque hallmarked London, 1979/80, inscribed SADDLE USED BY W. CARSON AT EPSOM MEETING 1980 WHEN HE WON THE DERBY AND THE OAKS; sold with a letter of provenance from the seller confirming that it had been bought by her brother-in-law at a charity auction for the Injured Jockeys Fund (2) Willie Carson was Champion Jockey on five occasions, won 17 British Classic races, surpassed 100 winners in a season 23 times and recorded a career total of 3,828 wins, making him statistically the fourth most successful jockey in British racing. Carson had a long association with the trainer Major Dick Hern and latterly as retained rider for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. In 1980 Willie Carson and Dick Hern achieved the rare Epsom double of winning the Derby and the Oaks with Henbit and Bireme.