George Barbee
Encyclopedia
George Barbee was an English-born jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 1996. Published reports indicate Barbee lived to 89 or 93, and is buried near Belmont Park
.
Barbee began his racing career as an apprentice to Tom Jennings, Sr., for whom he exercised the 1865 English Triple Crown winner Gladiateur
.
Barbee came to this country in 1872 specifically to ride for John Chamberlain. He began his stateside career riding at Monmouth Park.
aboard Survivor
who won the by 10 lengths, a record until Smarty Jones
11½ length victory in 2004. He later won two other Preakness Stakes aboard Shirley (1876) and Jacobus (1883).
His record three Preakness victories was not surpassed until Eddie Arcaro
won his fourth in 1951.
In addition to the Preakness victories, Barbee won the 1874 Belmont Stakes
aboard Saxon
, and the 1874 and 1875 Travers Stakes
aboard Attila and D'Artagnan, respectively.
Tom Ochiltree
was one of Barbee's most important mounts. He took the colt to victory in the Saratoga, Monmouth, Centennial, Westchester and Baltimore Cups. Other significant horses ridden by Barbee include: Springbok
, Duke of Magenta
, Eole, and Uncas.
shut down on October 24, 1877 for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico Race Course
in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. The event was a 2½-mile match race
run by a trio of champions: Ten Broeck
, Tom Ochiltree and Parole
. Ten Broeck, the Kentucky champion, was owned by F. B. Harper. Tom Ochiltree, the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes, was owned by George L. Lorillard
, an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Parole, a gelding, was owned by Pierre Lorillard IV
, George's brother.
Parole, with William Barrett up, prevailed with a late run, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree, which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons.
An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event.
The event is depicted in a four ton stone bas relief—copied from a Currier & Ives print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman—hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico. It is 30 feet long and 10 feet high and is gilded in 24-karat gold leaf.
George Barbee was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1996, chosen by the Hall of Fame's Historical Review Committee.
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 1996. Published reports indicate Barbee lived to 89 or 93, and is buried near Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
.
Barbee began his racing career as an apprentice to Tom Jennings, Sr., for whom he exercised the 1865 English Triple Crown winner Gladiateur
Gladiateur
Gladiateur was a French Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the English Triple Crown in 1865. Gladiateur is called a legend by France Galop and "One of the best horses ever to grace the turf in any century" by the National Sporting Library of Middleburg, Virginia...
.
Barbee came to this country in 1872 specifically to ride for John Chamberlain. He began his stateside career riding at Monmouth Park.
Racing career
In 1873 Barbee won the inaugural Preakness StakesPreakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
aboard Survivor
Survivor (horse)
Survivor was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky in 1870 and is best known as the winner of the first running of the Preakness Stakes in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Survivor's record winning margin of 10 lengths lasted for 132 years until Smarty...
who won the by 10 lengths, a record until Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He finished second in the Belmont Stakes that took place on June 5th, 2004....
11½ length victory in 2004. He later won two other Preakness Stakes aboard Shirley (1876) and Jacobus (1883).
His record three Preakness victories was not surpassed until Eddie Arcaro
Eddie Arcaro
George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...
won his fourth in 1951.
In addition to the Preakness victories, Barbee won the 1874 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
aboard Saxon
Saxon (horse)
Saxon was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1874 Belmont Stakes, the eighth running of that stakes race.Saxon was a brown stallion sired by Beadsman, and was bred in England, by Joseph Hawley. He was imported into the United States by Pierre Lorillard, along with his dam...
, and the 1874 and 1875 Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
aboard Attila and D'Artagnan, respectively.
Tom Ochiltree
Tom Ochiltree
Tom Ochiltree , was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, one of the last by the great foundation stallion, blind Lexington, still standing at what by then was A. J. Alexander's Woodburn Stud in Kentucky. Tom Ochiltree was an enormous colt, eventually reaching 16 hands 2½ inches high with a girth of...
was one of Barbee's most important mounts. He took the colt to victory in the Saratoga, Monmouth, Centennial, Westchester and Baltimore Cups. Other significant horses ridden by Barbee include: Springbok
Springbok (horse)
Springbok was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the seventh Belmont Stakes in 1873. Foaled in 1870, he was sired by the imported stallion Australian, his dam was a daughter of Lexington. During his racing career he started 25 races, winning 17 of them...
, Duke of Magenta
Duke of Magenta
----Duke of Magenta was one of the most successful racehorses in the United States in the 19th century.Foaled in 1875 at the Woodburn Stud near Lexington, Kentucky, he was owned by New York City tobacco tycoon, George L. Lorillard and trained by Hall of Famer R. Wyndham Walden. "Duke of Magenta"...
, Eole, and Uncas.
"The Great Race"
Barbee rode in "The Great Race". The United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
shut down on October 24, 1877 for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. The event was a 2½-mile match race
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
run by a trio of champions: Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck was an American U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse whose 1878 match race win in Louisville against the great California mare, Mollie McCarty was immortalized in the Kentucky folk song commonly called Molly and Tenbrooks.Bred by John Harper at his farm near Midway,...
, Tom Ochiltree and Parole
Parole (horse)
Parole was a Thoroughbred race horse bred by Pierre Lorillard, a scion of the tobacco family. Lorillard and his brother George were both horsemen and competed throughout their careers...
. Ten Broeck, the Kentucky champion, was owned by F. B. Harper. Tom Ochiltree, the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes, was owned by George L. Lorillard
George L. Lorillard
George Lyndes Lorillard was an American tobacco manufacturer and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner.-Biography:He was born in Westchester, New York, the son of Pierre Lorillard III and Catherine Griswold. In 1760, his great-grandfather founded P. Lorillard and Company in New York City to...
, an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Parole, a gelding, was owned by Pierre Lorillard IV
Pierre Lorillard IV
Pierre Lorillard IV was an American tobacco manufacturer and thoroughbred race horse owner.-Biography:...
, George's brother.
Parole, with William Barrett up, prevailed with a late run, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree, which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons.
An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event.
The event is depicted in a four ton stone bas relief—copied from a Currier & Ives print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman—hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico. It is 30 feet long and 10 feet high and is gilded in 24-karat gold leaf.
George Barbee was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1996, chosen by the Hall of Fame's Historical Review Committee.
Riding career at a glance
- Years Active: 1872–1884, in this country
- Number of Mounts: Approximately 490
- Number of Winners: 136
- Winning Percentage: 27
- Stakes Victories: 65