Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown

Sir Barton was a champion horse bred with English and American classic winners in his pedigree. He won the Kentucky Derby and completed the Triple Crown, inspiring the ultimate chase for greatness in American horse racing. His wins cemented his reputation as one of the greatest horses of all time and diminished the reputation of the other for the next century. Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown is the first book to focus on his career and his historic impact on horse racing.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 09 May 2023
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky

Sir Barton, a champion horse bred with English and American classic winners in his pedigree, shone from birth and was dubbed the king of them all. However, his two-year-old season was winless and he suffered a near-fatal illness, casting uncertainty over the start of his three-year-old season. His surprise victory in the Kentucky Derby, America's signature race, set him on the road to history, where he would dominate the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, completing America's first Triple Crown. His wins inspired the ultimate chase for greatness in American horse racing and established an elite group that would grow to include legends like Citation, Secretariat, and American Pharoah. In 1920, popular opinion tapped Sir Barton as the best challenger for the wonder horse Man o' War, and demanded a match race to settle once and for all which horse was the greatest. This duel would cement the reputation of one horse for all time and diminish the reputation of the other for the next century - until now. Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown is the first book to focus on Sir Barton, his career, and his historic impact on horse racing. Author Jennifer S. Kelly uses extensive research and historical sources to examine this champion's life and achievements. Kelly charts how Sir Barton broke track records, scored victories over other champions, and sparked the yearly pursuit of Triple Crown glory. This book reveals the legacy of Sir Barton and his seminal contributions to Thoroughbred racing one hundred years after his pioneering achievement.

Weight: 496g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813197401