Sir Barton
Encyclopedia
Sir Barton, was a chestnut thoroughbred
colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown
.
He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover
mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass
.
Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky
by John E. Madden and Vivian A. Gooch at Hamburg Place Farm near Lexington
. Madden raced him in his two-year-old season. He was entered in six races, winning none. Madden sold the horse in 1918 for $10,000 to Canadian
businessman J. K. L. Ross
.
and jockey
Johnny Loftus
. At three, he made his season debut as a maiden in the Kentucky Derby
. He was supposed to be the rabbit for his highly regarded stablemate, a horse named Billy Kelly. (A rabbit is a speed horse set up to wear out the rest of the field, thereby allowing another horse to win.) However, it was Sir Barton who led the field of 12 horses from start to finish, winning the race by five lengths. Just four days later, the horse was in Baltimore
and won the Preakness Stakes
, beating Eternal. Again he led all the way. He then won the Withers Stakes
in New York and shortly thereafter completed the first Triple Crown in U.S. history by easily winning the Belmont Stakes
, setting an American record for the mile and three-eighths race, the distance for the Belmont at the time. Amazingly, Sir Barton's four wins were accomplished in a space of just 32 days. He was voted the 1919 Horse of the Year
, American racing's highest honor.
. While carrying 133 pounds, Sir Barton set a world record
for 1 3/16 miles on dirt in winning the August 28, 1920 edition of the Merchants and Citizens Handicap
. However, it was his match race on October 12 that year against the great Man o' War
at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario
, Canada
that is most remembered. Sir Barton, bothered by sore hooves on Kenilworth's hard surface, was beaten by seven lengths.
, where he remained until 1933 http://www.audleyfarm.com/history.html. In December 2008, a statue was unveiled of Sir Barton in front of Audley Farm's stallion barn. The statue, by American sculptor, Jan Woods, was a gift from Erich von Baumbach, Jr., whose family has had an association with the farm for thirty years.
As a sire, Sir Barton enjoyed only moderate success and spent the better part of the rest of his life as a working horse with the U.S. Army Remount service
in Fort Robinson, Nebraska until being sold to rancher J.R. Hylton in Douglas, Wyoming
.
Sir Barton died of colic
on October 30, 1937 and was buried on a ranch in the foothills of the Laramie Mountains
. Later though, his remains were moved to Washington Park in Douglas, Wyoming
where a memorial was erected to honor America's first Triple Crown winner.
Sir Barton and Star Shoot both have a street named in their honor in Lexington, Kentucky, in the Hamburg Shopping Center. Sir Barton Way runs from Winchester Road To Man O' War Blvd; Star Shot runs out on to Sir Barton.
He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
in 1957. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he is no. 49.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
.
He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover
Hanover (thoroughbred horse)
Hanover was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse that won his first 17 race starts. He was the only American stallion to head the Leading sire in North America list for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler did so in 1965.-Background:...
mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass
Isinglass (horse)
Isinglass was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who dominated during his time in racing and won the English Triple Crown.-Racing record:...
.
Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
by John E. Madden and Vivian A. Gooch at Hamburg Place Farm near Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Madden raced him in his two-year-old season. He was entered in six races, winning none. Madden sold the horse in 1918 for $10,000 to Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman J. K. L. Ross
J. K. L. Ross
John Kenneth Leveson Ross CBE was a Canadian businessman, sportsman, Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder, and philanthropist. He is best remembered for winning the first United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1919 with his Hall of Fame colt, Sir Barton.- Early life :J.K.L...
.
Triple Crown
Ross placed Sir Barton in the hands of trainer H. Guy BedwellH. Guy Bedwell
Harvey Guy Bedwell was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner who was the first trainer to win the U.S. Triple Crown.Born in Roseburg, Oregon he was known by his middle name...
and jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Johnny Loftus
Johnny Loftus
John P. Loftus was an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Johnny Loftus was the first jockey to win the United States United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. During his career, between 1909 and 1919, he won 580 races out of the 2,449 he...
. At three, he made his season debut as a maiden in the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. He was supposed to be the rabbit for his highly regarded stablemate, a horse named Billy Kelly. (A rabbit is a speed horse set up to wear out the rest of the field, thereby allowing another horse to win.) However, it was Sir Barton who led the field of 12 horses from start to finish, winning the race by five lengths. Just four days later, the horse was in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and won the Preakness Stakes
Preakness 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...
, beating Eternal. Again he led all the way. He then won the Withers Stakes
Withers Stakes
The Withers Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds willing to compete one mile on the dirt. Held at Aqueduct Racetrack every year at the end of April , it is a Grade III event, and offers a purse of $150,000...
in New York and shortly thereafter completed the first Triple Crown in U.S. history by easily winning the 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...
, setting an American record for the mile and three-eighths race, the distance for the Belmont at the time. Amazingly, Sir Barton's four wins were accomplished in a space of just 32 days. He was voted the 1919 Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
, American racing's highest honor.
1920: four-year-old season
As a four-year-old, Sir Barton won five of the 12 races he entered during the 1920 season. In one of these races, the Saratoga Handicap, he beat the great ExterminatorExterminator (horse)
Exterminator was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby, and in 1922 won Horse of the Year honors....
. While carrying 133 pounds, Sir Barton set a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for 1 3/16 miles on dirt in winning the August 28, 1920 edition of the Merchants and Citizens Handicap
Merchants and Citizens Handicap
The Merchants and Citizens Handicap is a defunct American Thoroughbred horse race which was held annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York...
. However, it was his match race on October 12 that year against the great Man o' War
Man O' War
Man O' War, man o' war or manowar may refer to:* Man-of-war, a warship* Man of war for uses with this spelling - Places :...
at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that is most remembered. Sir Barton, bothered by sore hooves on Kenilworth's hard surface, was beaten by seven lengths.
Retirement and stud
He retired to stud that year, virtually forgotten by the public. In 1922 Ross sold Sir Barton to B. B. Jones who stood him at his Audley Farm in Berryville, VirginiaBerryville, Virginia
Berryville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, where he remained until 1933 http://www.audleyfarm.com/history.html. In December 2008, a statue was unveiled of Sir Barton in front of Audley Farm's stallion barn. The statue, by American sculptor, Jan Woods, was a gift from Erich von Baumbach, Jr., whose family has had an association with the farm for thirty years.
As a sire, Sir Barton enjoyed only moderate success and spent the better part of the rest of his life as a working horse with the U.S. Army Remount service
U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps
The United States Army Quartermaster Corps is a Sustainment branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Transportation Corps and the Ordnance Corps....
in Fort Robinson, Nebraska until being sold to rancher J.R. Hylton in Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,288 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Converse County...
.
Sir Barton died of colic
Horse colic
Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic...
on October 30, 1937 and was buried on a ranch in the foothills of the Laramie Mountains
Laramie Mountains
The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S states of Wyoming and Colorado. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the...
. Later though, his remains were moved to Washington Park in Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas, Wyoming
Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,288 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Converse County...
where a memorial was erected to honor America's first Triple Crown winner.
Honors and awards
Sir Barton was officially recognized by the governing body as the first triple crown winner in 1948Sir Barton and Star Shoot both have a street named in their honor in Lexington, Kentucky, in the Hamburg Shopping Center. Sir Barton Way runs from Winchester Road To Man O' War Blvd; Star Shot runs out on to Sir Barton.
He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
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 1957. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he is no. 49.