'Stuff' of legend
Roy's horse on the block
Last Updated: 4:19 AM, July 6, 2010
Happy trails to . . . the highest bidder.
Roy Rogers' trusty steed, Trigger, which the late cowboy had preserved and mounted, will ride off into someone's living room when it's sold at auction later this month.
One of the most famous horses in history, the golden palomino is expected to fetch an estimated $200,000 on July 14 at Christie's.
Trigger is being sold along with the similarly preserved remains of Rogers' German shepherd, Bullet; the colt Buttermilk, which belonged to Rogers' late wife, Dale Evans; and even Trigger Jr.
"It really appeals to the baby boomers," said Christie's spokeswoman Kate Brambilla.
The sale of the collection from the now-closed Roy Rogers Museum is expected to generate roughly $1.4 million, with all proceeds going to the family.
Born in 1934 on a ranch owned by Bing Crosby, Trigger entertained movie and television audiences for three decades.
When Rogers was in search of a new horse, Trigger was brought to him along with a handful of other steeds. But after riding the palomino just 100 yards, Rogers never looked at another. He bought him for the then-astronomical sum of $2,500.
"He would turn on a dime and he'd give you nine cents change," Rogers later quipped.
The name Trigger was chosen by Rogers' sidekick, Smiley Burnette, who was struck by the horse's quick reaction time.
Trigger was a showbiz natural -- Rogers once noted that he "seemed to know when people were watching him and that he recognized applause and just ate it up like a ham."
His more than 100 tricks included counting, doing the hula, untying ropes, shooting a gun, knocking on doors and walking on his hind quarters.
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