Irsay Buys Saddle Used in Secretariat's Triple Crown

Jim Irsay, owner of the NFL Indianapolis Colts and renowned collector of pop culture and American history memorabilia, has acquired the saddle used on Secretariat when he won the American Triple Crown 50 years ago in 1973. Irsay bought the saddle from Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, now 81, who rode Secretariat through the Triple Crown series and was aboard for all but three of the champion's lifetime starts. "This special saddle represents a most magical time in my racing career and its personal significance to me and my family goes beyond words," said Turcotte from his home in New Brunswick, Canada. "I have had the privilege of keeping it safe and secure for nearly 50 years, and now it's time to let others enjoy the treasures in my collection as well. I am grateful to The Jim Irsay Collection for recognizing the saddle's historical importance and making it and the Secretariat story available to current and future generations." The saddle will be on display for the first time March 4 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center during a free, one-night-only performance of The Jim Irsay Band and exhibition of The Jim Irsay Collection. The event is free and open to the public but tickets are required. To reserve a ticket, go to jimirsaycollection.com. Irsay's passion for rock music led him to assemble instruments and items owned and used by some of the greatest artists in music history, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Prince, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Sir Elton John, Johnny Cash, Jerry Garcia, Les Paul, Bo Diddley, David Gilmour, Jim Morrison, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and John Coltrane. Also, Irsay's love for American history and pop culture led him to grow his collection with items such as: An 1823 William J. Stone printing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the first exact "facsimiles" of the final signed document; Artifacts and signed documents from numerous U.S. Presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Kennedy; Handwritten documents and artifacts from women's suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony; The original manuscript for Alcoholics Anonymous' Big Book, the organization's founding document; Renowned American author Jack Kerouac's original 119-foot On the Road scroll; Original handwritten script and notes for the movie Rocky by Sylvester Stallone; A Jackie Robinson game-used bat from 1953 (the founding year of the Colts); and Muhammad Ali's championship belt from his victory over George Foreman in the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" and his boxing shoes from the 1975 "Thrilla' in Manilla" vs. Joe Frazier. "It's been put together very meticulously," Irsay told Bloomberg.com last year of his collection that includes around 80 items and is valued at an estimated $100 million. "There's a reason why it's heavy in Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy memorabilia, it's heavy in the Beatles, particularly John Lennon. It's like, if you're buying stocks, you buy McDonald's, Coca-Cola, the big ones. And I'm buying the difference-makers, the biggest of the bigs." An active philanthropist, Irsay regularly loans items to museums, non-profits and other organizations for display and research. Irsay also has hosted free exhibitions of the collection in Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., Austin, Tex., Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, and San Francisco. More dates are planned for 2023 and beyond.