Lot: 113

England, 20th century
Important equestrian trophy 'The 1934 Belmont Stakes Winners Silver Salver'

Silver, chased and cast. A round tray with a profiled rim on four feet. The centerpiece features five round oak leaf cartouches in low relief, depicting historical depictions of famous racehorses and the inscription 'The Belmont 1934'. The reverse features an engraved list of race winners from 1867 to 1934. Hallmarks: BZ London for 1932, MM Lionel Alfred Crichton (London from 1895, later also New York). Also marked 'Crichton Ltd Made in England' and 'London Hand Made'. Diameter 41 cm. Weight 1860 g.
Provenance: Estate of the industrialist and Olympic dressage champion Gabriela Grillo.

>> Literature

Hammer Price: 4,000 €

K-16A - AUCTION Part 1
14. November 2025 at 2:00 PM CET

Literature:

The Belmont Stakes is a horse race held annually in New York since 1867. It is the final race of the United States Triple Crown. Only three-year-old thoroughbreds are eligible to compete. The Group I race has been run at Belmont Park Racetrack in Nassau County, Long Island, over a distance of 1 1/2 miles (2414m) since 1926. The Belmont Stakes is named after the German-American banker and politician August Belmont. His son, August Belmont Jr., financed the construction of the racetrack. The Belmont Park race is also known as the 'Track of Champions' because almost every major American champion in the history of horse racing has raced at this track. Belmont Park, with its scenic, wide, generous, and gently winding course, is also considered one of the fairest racetracks in America. Despite the long distance, the race does not tend to favor horses ridden with tactical speed. Over time, only relatively few winners from a late position were able to catch the early leaders. The Belmont Stakes is still one of the top events in horse racing in America. In 2004 alone, 21.9 million viewers watched the race on television. In 1934, jockey Wayne Wright won the main race on Peace Chance, a horse owned by Joseph Early Widener (1817–1943). Widener was a key figure in racing at Belmont Park. He also built the Hialeah Park racetrack in Miami and owned Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He was also a major art collector and a supporter of the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In 1912, Widener lost his brother George Dunton and his nephew Harry Elkins when they sank on the Titanic on April 14. Joseph's mother subsequently donated the Harris Elkins Widener Library at Harvard University in 1915 in memory of her grandson. The Crichton Brothers silversmiths' business was founded in London in 1890 by Lionel Alfred Crichton and operated at 29 Church Street, Kensington, until its closure in 1954. It specialized in the manufacture of high-quality silverware and the trade in antique silver. The company later also had branches in New York and Chicago. (J. Culme: Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, Jewellers & Allied Traders. London, 1987.)