Lots 13-20 relate to the career of Lord Derby’s jockey Tommy Weston and are the property of family descendants.
13
A walking stick formerly owned by the jockey Steve Donoghue,
11
carved holly with the handle expertly carved with two heads, that of Donoghue to one side and the great racehorse Brown Jack to the other, 87cm., 34in., lacking the original end ferrule; sold together with a 1967 newspaper article explaining the provenance to Donoghue, its later ownership by the racehorse trainer J S Bramley, and thence by family decent to this day (2) £400 - 500
A trio of signed letters from Lord Derby to his jockey Tommy Weston at the end of the 1927, 1929 and 1934 seasons, typescript letters marked ‘private’ topped & tailed in ink by Lord Derby, one from Knowsley, the others from Derby House, Stratford Place, London W1,, in the 1927 letter Lord Derby summarises the season by saying ‘Although this year we had many disappointments we have on the whole had a great year and I am very much indebted to you for the part to pay’, Lord Derby then informs Weston that he will be organising a bonus to be sent to him for £500 (£74,400 today using the average wage index); the 1929 Lord Derby’s letter says ‘We have not had an altogether lucky year but that was certainly not your fault and although you have ridden many brilliant races I think the best I ever saw you ride was the one in which Bosworth was just beaten for the Leger, which was a brilliant piece of riding.’ He then goes on to inform Weston that from next season he will be increasing his winning percentage from 5% to 7 1/2%; the 1934 is the most interesting as it draws to an end what had been one of the most famous associations in Turf history, and is worth repeating in full here ‘Weston, I feel I cannot let the New Year come in without writing to send you every good wish for the future and hope that you will ride many winners some of them perhaps in my colours. You have been associated with me and my racing fortunes for so many years that I do not like it to lapse without thanking you again for the service you have rendered me. I will not go again into all the circumstances under which we part company but I can assure you that my wishes for your future are very sincere and heartfelt. I am going abroad immediately but I hope on my return home to be able to send you a small memento of your success on my horses in Classic races. Yours sincerely, Derby.
13
The tone of Lord Derby’s letter seems consistent in the fact that it had been a fall out with the trainer that had caused Weston to lose his job, and not a direct problem with his patron. In 1934 Colledge Leader, now private trainer to Lord Derby, took over the training of Hyperion at Stanley House, Newmarket, for his four-year-old campaign. It is believed that Tommy Weston was very critical of his employer’s training methods for Hyperion which, judging by the colt’s dramatic loss of form, may have had some foundation. However, back in these days it was not a jockey’s place to voice such criticisms. £500 - 800
12 A racing plate worn by Tapin when winning the Lincolnshire Handicap 25th March 1925, mounted on an oak shield with painted inscription TAPIN, WINNER, LINCOLNSHIRE HANDICAP, MARCH 25th, OWNER - M.A. EKNAYAN, TRAINER - C. BARTHOLOMEW, JOCKEY - S. DONOGHUE £200 - 300
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