Sir Barton: The First Triple Crown Winner

Sir Barton is recognized retrospectively as the first American Triple Crown winner. His 1919 sweep came before the three-race title entered common use. Sir Barton won what is known today as the Triple Crown in 1919. At the time of his victory that title had not yet been introduced. Although he is often overlooked today in discussions of horse racing, Sir Barton deserves a distinct place in American racing history as the first horse to win all three races now known as the Triple Crown.

Sir Barton’s Modest Beginnings

The strapping red colt arrived on April 26, 1916 in Kentucky. John E. Madden bred the colt with Vivian Gooch; later success should not be used to infer their private expectations. There were champions in his bloodline including a juvenile standout and the English Triple Crown winner, Isinglass. Madden decided to buy out his breeding partner’s share in the colt and own him outright. Madden wanted to race Sir Barton under his own colors.

At the age of two, Sir Barton took to the race track in four events. The early results fell short of the colt’s later achievement. With each race things just seemed to get worse. Madden sold the colt after those initial defeats. He found a buyer in J.K.L. Ross, a prominent horseman from Canada. The first order of business for Ross was to send Sir Barton off to trainer H. Guy Bedwell.

Bedwell raced Sir Barton twice more at the age of two. In his last race of the year, the 1918 Belmont Futurity, the colt improved dramatically. He finished second in a field of competitive horses. But bad luck would almost end the horse’s life. When he was kicked by another horse the resultant gash on his hind leg led to blood poisoning. Trainer Bedwell had to stay with the horse day and night to get him well, and there would be no more racing for 1918.

Sir Barton Achieves Greatness

Few horses have ever entered the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby as a maiden, but that is exactly what Sir Barton did. He had no wins to his credit when competing in the race. Few gave him a chance to win. Even his trainer had doubts. He had entered Sir Barton in the race to serve as a pacesetter, or rabbit, for a stablemate. Bedwell believed that Sir Barton could tire out the other horses in the race so that Billy Kelly would win. Billy Kelly was a gelding and one of the top rated horses that year.

The Derby result differed from the expected stable outcome. He jumped out to the lead and never gave it up, leading the other horses the entire way. More impressive was his margin of victory. The closest any other horse could get to him was five lengths.

Just four days later the Preakness Stakes was contested in Baltimore. Sir Barton once again flashed his early speed and held on to win by four lengths. In late May he made the trip to New York and won the Withers Stakes before striking gold once again in the Belmont Stakes. It wouldn’t be called the Triple Crown for many years to come, but Sir Barton had become the first horse to win racing’s three most important events.

The feat is even more amazing when you consider that Sir Barton accomplished all of this in a mere 32 days. Horsemen today would not even think of putting their horse through such a grueling schedule. The Museum recognizes him as 1919 Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old male. That retrospective championship recognition should not be described as an Eclipse Award ceremony in 1919.

Sir Barton After the Triple Crown

Sir Barton won five of twelve starts in 1920. The Museum records four consecutive stakes wins, including two track records, before his October match with Man o’ War. Losing that match does not erase the earlier successes. There were some attempts made to race the horse at the age of five but he simply could not be worked into racing shape.

Sir Barton retired to stud at the age of five and stood for many years at Audley Farm in Virginia. Unfortunately, there was little to celebrate in the breeding shed. The Museum credits him with six stakes winners, including 1928 Kentucky Oaks winner Easter Stockings.

The mystery of Sir Barton’s three-year-old season will always be confusing to fans of horse racing. It is almost as if the horse was destined to shine just long enough to create a legacy. That legacy has now turned into one of the toughest contests in all of sports. Twelve horses have duplicated Sir Barton’s feat since 1919. The gaps were uneven, including 37 years between Affirmed and American Pharoah.

Check the Historical Record

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame record lists 31 starts, 13 wins, six seconds and five thirds across Sir Barton’s career. His 1919 season supplied eight wins from 13 starts, including the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. The museum also notes that the Derby was his first career victory. Those details make the sweep more striking than a generic claim about greatness.

The Triple Crown label was applied later, so distinguish what observers called the campaign in 1919 from how racing history classifies it today. For a current Triple Crown season, consult the official entries, conditions and venue for each leg rather than assuming Sir Barton’s schedule or distances still describe the modern series.

Separate the match from the season

The Man o’ War match is one famous result, while the annual record includes every start. Comparing both prevents a memorable defeat from rewriting an entire campaign. Likewise, his maiden status entering the Derby describes the record before that race; it should not be projected onto the successful season that followed.