Secretariat had Bill Nack. Seabiscuit had Laura Hillenbrand. Now Sir Barton has Jennifer S. Kelly to recount his long-fabled exploits and bring them to light for a new generation of horse racing fans.
One hundred years ago, in 1919, Sir Barton inauspiciously made history by sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The feat was impressive, but only with the passing of time would history recognize Sir Barton as the first winner of U.S. racing’s coveted Triple Crown.
The saga of Sir Barton is painstakingly retold in Kelly’s Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown, published by The University Press of Kentucky. Earlier this year, I was given a copy of the book to review. As an avid racing historian and a member of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame voting panel, I have read and enjoyed many books and articles about the tender-footed Sir Barton, and I assumed I was well-versed in his story.
But Kelly’s volume was a revelation, a thoroughly-researched volume that brings Sir Barton to life like never before. As the title implies, this is more than just the story of Sir Barton, an unheralded maiden who scored his first career victory in the Kentucky Derby. This is also the story of the Triple Crown itself, detailing how the series came to be, and how Sir Barton’s improbable triumphs helped cement the three races as targets for the best 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in North America.
Just as mesmerizing are the stories of Sir Barton’s human connections. Fabled names like J. K. L. Ross and H. Guy Bedwell, so often footnotes in dusty record books, become vivid personalities through their involvement with Sir Barton. Acclaimed jockeys Johnny Loftus and Earl Sande take turns in the spotlight, while the oft-overlooked story of Cal Shilling finds new life in Kelly’s in-depth exploration of Sir Barton’s team.
Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown is an enjoyable read for any history buff with an interest in horses and racing, but this volume might be most appreciated by hard-core racing fans who will relish its rich details, its exploration of the Triple Crown’s formation, and its in-depth recounting of Sir Barton’s widely-publicized match race with the immortal Man o’ War.
The stage is set with a foreword by prolific turf writer Steve Haskin, an inductee in the National Museum of Racing’s Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, and Kelly delivers with an impressive piece of racing literature. No stone is left unturned in this 276-page book, which includes an extensive index, an appendix with the result charts for all of Sir Barton’s races, and 40 pages of footnotes outlining the sources cited throughout the book.
In short, if you love racing history, you can’t go wrong with Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown. At long last, the story of racing’s first Triple Crown champion has been explored to its fullest extent by a passionate author with a penchant for detail and a good story. Now that’s a winning combination.
