Billy Barton, a thoroughbred horse, was not suited to race tracks but excelled at steeplechase races. He was sold to many owners, from a high of $32,000 to the owner of the NY Giants, finally for $2,000 to Howard Bruce of "Belmont" (mansion in Elkridge, Md., not the racecourse in NY). Billy Barton became very "ractious" and eventually was banned from race tracks - he bolted the opposite direction in a race at Pimlico. After a few years of fox hunts, he gained fame as a steeplechase winner, often mentioned in the newspapers and made the cover of
Time in 1929. One article was about the negotiations for the horse to stay in a
stateroom on the Cunard shipping line sailing to England to run in the Grand National. Gentleman jockey Albert Ober often rode him to victory.
Billy Barton (1918-1951) won the Maryland Hunt Cup and the Virginia Hunt Cup in 1926. In 1928 he was second in the English Grand National steeplechase when he was 10 years old. The horse is buried standing with full gear on the grounds of Belmont, stone on left, Jay Jay on right behind the barn. A Billy Barton statue is at Laurel Park. Much more info on his history, many owners and races below.
Howard Bruce (1879-1961) married Mary Bowdoin (1892-1977) a descendant of Caleb Dorsey who in 1738 built "Belmont" an estate in Elkridge Maryland. The Bruces moved to Belmont in 1917.
Albert Graham Ober, Jr. (1887-1937), was a
member of an old Maryland
family and a well know steeple-chase rider.”
He graduated from Gilman Country School, Princeton University, and UMd
for law, though didn’t practice.
He
worked with Robert Garrett & Sons,
in
1929 was an official of NY-Washington Air Line, then in
1933 became VP for a new mortgage company.
“
From his youth, he rode in Maryland point-to-points and in those held in other States as well.”
He married in 1922 to Katherine Fisher Ober who died in 1930; they had no children. He owned winning horses that he rode such as “Fox
Hill”
[Sun, 1937]
On May 14, 1937 he was lost overboard from “Flying Cloud” - a Gibson Island
Yacht Squadron sailing yacht - off Block Island, RI and his body was never
recovered. Among the Marylanders on
board was C. Ellis Ellicott, Jr. [Sun, 1937]
“
Gentleman Jockey Albert G. Ober, Jr., and “Billy Barton,” the horse
that won the Winchester Steeplechase in England, appeared in the New York
Times, February 5, one wreathed in garlands and the other wreathed in
smiles.
The veteran thoroughbred (“Billy
Barton”) has been often ridden in Maryland by our famous classmate.” [Princeton, 1928]
Billy Barton's many owners
He was bred in Kentucky by A. L. Ferguson, started racing in 1920 and
won three races in Lexington before competing in Havana. … Charles
A. Stoneham (1876-1936) owned the NY Giants baseball team, the NY Giants soccer
team and horses including Billy Barton who he bought from Mose Goldblatt (c1868-1941)
for $32,000. He was favored to win the
Cuban Derby and “has developed into a crack colt, and … appears to be the class
of horses which will go to the post for the big purse." [NYT, 1921] He won the race, but upon returning to New York “developed a temper and would only run when he was in the mood.” [NYT 1928] He was entered
in the 1921 Kentucky Derby, but was withdrawn.
Samuel Louis of Kansas City
bought the five year old for $4,500 and took him to Maryland. In May 1923 he won the third race, for 3 yr
olds and up, at Pimlico. But the next week at Pimlico “Billy
Barton very ractious when he got on track, and breaking the reverse way of
track, ran at top speed for four furlongs.
He was pulled up in race.” [Sun, May 3, 10] Louis “became disgusted” with the “ruffian” and sold him to
Howard Bruce for $2,000. Three years later he was in the newspapers
again for his cross country steeplechase wins.
“Billy Barton had won more than $40,000 for his owner before Howard
Bruce bought him about five years ago, [c1924] but the stewards had barred him
from the track, because of his many idiosyncrasies. He was fond in particular of kicking other
horses at the barrier and he was a terror to all who had dealings with
him. One of his shortcomings was that he
liked to chew his groom’s clothing.
In short, he was at the time considered an outlaw. … when
Billy was brought to Baltimore, a seeming change in his attitude. …
In the following two seasons Mr. Bruce hunted Billy Barton eight-five
times. Once, during a hunt, he casually
jumped a five-foot fence.
The Grand National of 1926, run at Brooklandwood, was one of Billy’s
most sensational races, besides being his first jumping race. … Billy Barton
won by twenty lengths.
A week later, Billy, with Albert Ober up, went through one of the most grueling
races in the State, the Maryland Hunt Cup.
At the nineteenth fence Billy hit the top plank. In a moment horse and rider were over, only
to get up a moment later, with reigns still tangled, and with indomitable
spirit, surged past the horses which a moment before had galloped past his
helpless form. It was his outlaw spirit
that won that race.
It was during 1926 that Billy Barton won three of America’s outstanding
point-to-point races in as many weeks.
They were the Grand National Point-to-Point Race, the Maryland Hunt Club
steeplechase, known as the most difficult jumping race in America, and the
Virginia Gold Cup Point-to-Point Race.
Albert Ober was up in every race. …”
He raced in the Grand National in 1928 and came in second, ran in the
1929 Grand National but then was injured in Dec. training for the March
1930. He returned to Maryland.
“Billy has run enough and needs a rest.
He will never run a race again.” Mr. Bruce said. [Sun, 1929]
Picture of 'Harold Bruce on Billy Barton' by Franklin Voss in 1927 at Maryland Center for History and Culture, link no longer working.
Good obit and many pictures - "The Billy Barton Story: The Steeplechaser's
Aintree [Grand National in England] Defeat was Really His Outstanding Triumph" The Sun Apr 22, 1951
Another blog post on a horse -
Ruthless, winner of first Belmont Stakes, killed by a hunter at "Oakland Manor"
HERE
Selected sources
Belmont Manor HERE
Princeton Alumni Weekly. Feb 24,
1928
The New York Times, Mar 26, 1921
The New York Times, Mar 31, 1928
The Sun May 3,
1923
The Sun May 10, 1923
The Sun May 16, 1927
The Sun Nov 8, 1927
Billy Barton, a thoroughbred horse, was not suited to race tracks but excelled at steeplechase races. He was sold to many owners, from a high of $32,000 to the owner of the NY Giants, finally for $2,000 to Howard Bruce of "Belmont" (mansion in Elkridge, Md., not the racecourse in NY). Billy Barton became very "ractious" and eventually was banned from race tracks - he bolted the opposite direction in a race at Pimlico. After a few years of fox hunts, he gained fame as a steeplechase winner, often mentioned in the newspapers and made the cover of Time in 1929. One article was about the negotiations for the horse to stay in a stateroom on the Cunard shipping line sailing to England to run in the Grand National. Gentleman jockey Albert Ober often rode him to victory. 
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