Set of racing silks & personal archive relating to Mr John Ismay, White Star Line (Titanic) family.

A set of racing silks and a personal archive relating to Mr John Ismay of the White Star Line (Titanic) Family and owner of the champion racehorse Santa Claus,
the racing silks with a green cap bearing a label for L J Watkins, 77/78 Dame Street, Dublin, the black jacket with a gold six-pointed star, and green hooped sleeves; sold together with a leather trunk containing an extensive personal archive mostly relating to Mr John Ismay's extensive business interests, but also his racing and bloodstock activities as well as personal items including his spectacles, (a qty.).

Santa Claus was the outstanding racehorse of 1964 winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom and Irish Derby's. The colt had advertised his ability as a two-year-old when winning Ireland's prestigious 2-y-o race the National Stakes by 8 lengths. He was trained at the Curragh Stables of Mick Rogers, having been bought by John Ismay with the advice of Mrs Darby Rogers, Mick's mother.

For the avoidance of doubt, this particular set of Mr Ismay's silks is not the one worn during the English and Irish Derby wins as photos show the jacket had a five-pointed star.

Santa Claus's victory in the 1964 Derby was the second time that a racehorse owned by the Ismay family had crossed the finishing line first in the Blue Riband of the Turf; the previous time had been in 1913 when the Titanic survivor Charles Bower Ismay's racehorse Craganour won the race. This was one of the famous renewals and became known as the Suffragette Derby, after the Votes for Women campaigner Emily Davison dashed out to her death in front of the King's horse Anmer at Tattneham Corner. In a second twist of high drama Mr Ismay's horse was disqualified by the Epsom Stewards citing inteference with the second-placed horse Aboyeur. This controversial decision is widely regarded to have been a reaction to society criticism of Ismay who had boarded one of the insufficient number of Titanic lifeboats. Mud seemingly had stuck to Ismay Family, Charles being the younger brother of J. Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line.