The Cheltenham Gold Cup, won by the Jenny Pitman trained Burrough Hill Lad, will be sold in Newmarket on 19 July at Bonhams Racing Sale. The cup is estimated to sell for £4,000- £6,000.
One of the racing world's most colourful and charismatic trainers, Jenny Pitman OBE, rewrote racing history when she became the first woman to train a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Burrough Hill Lad in 1984, just one year after another of her horses, Corbiere, won the Grand National.
Burrough Hill Lad's usual jockey, John Francome now one of television's best-known racing pundits, had decided on this occasion in 1984, to ride Brown Chamberlin at Cheltenham instead, but as if to prove a point Burrough Hill Lad rode home to victory with jockey Phil Tuck, beating Francome into second place. Although John Francome lost out during Cheltenham in 1984 he resumed his partnership with Burrough Hill Lad to win the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in the same year, and the sale will include a cased bottle of vintage Hennessy cognac 'Paradis' (£50-100) awarded to Burrough Hill Lad 's, owner Mr Riley.
Burrough Hill Lad was a favourite horse of his fearless and outspoken trainer, Jenny Pitman, and she described the thoroughbred as ' ..there between Arkle and Desert Orchard - I mean right between them.' Though Burrough Hill Lad was beset with injury from early on, Jenny Pitman's belief in him and the legendary patience she showed to her racehorses won through in the end. Burrough Hill Lad won half of his 42 races, although ill-timed injury prevented him from winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup for a second time. After a number of years in retirement Burrough Hill Lad died in 2004 at the age of 28.
Both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the bottle of vintage cognac form part of a collection of items being sold by Burrough Hill Lad's owner Mr Riley. Bonhams' Racing sale will also include the Welsh National Trophy awarded to Burrough Hill Lad in 1983 (estimated at £400-600), a set of Burrough Hill Lad racing silks (£800-1200) and a brown leather saddle worn by the horse in the early 1980s (£300-500).
For further press information please contact Julian Roup on 0207 468 8259 or email julian.roup@bonhams.com or press@bonhams.com
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com. (January 2008)