1969 Preakness trophy found amid stolen loot
Nearly 40 years after Majestic Prince raced across the finish line to win the Preakness Stakes, the golden victory prize was stolen from a Delray Beach storage unit by a 60-year-old woman with a criminal history, police said.
The 1969 Preakness Cup, gilded horseshoes and other memorabilia from the Triple Crown thoroughbred race were among the loot Alicia Elaine Murphy swiped from dozens of storage units, said Dani Moschella, spokewoman for the Delray Beach Police Department.
Murphy cut the locks on about a dozen
storage units at Cubesmart, 14216 S. Military Trail, and took what she found, police said.
“Murphy rented a storage unit at the facility, routinely stole property and pawned it,” Moschella said.
Murphy had received a $15,000 advance on the angel-adorned trophy from a New York auction house that specialized in sports collectibles, Moschella said.
Police arrested Murphy on Wednesday after police found numerous stolen items in her Boca Raton home, Moschella said. She faces multiple burglary and grand theft charges.
Aside from the horseracing trophy and race memorabilia, Murphy also stole electronics, musical instruments and taxidermy, police said. The estimated value of the hundreds of stolen goods was between $350,000 and $400,000, police said.
Murphy’s criminal record includes convictions for forgery and theft, according to Palm Beach County court records.