Billy Barton, Belmont, Gentleman Jockey Albert G. Ober and ... Pimlico

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 on the grounds of Belmont, and 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 history, retired 1929

“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 1030.  He returned to Maryland. 

“Billy has run enough and needs a rest.  He will never run a race again.” Mr. Bruce said. [Sun, 1929]

Grand National 1928

"In the boxes sat a few notables, not many, for the Grand National is not a smart race but just a dangerous and famous one. Sir Thomas Royden of the Cunard line was there. He had ordered the liner Scythia into dock at Liverpool so that people who wanted to see the race could sleep on board. The King of Afghanistan had spent the night as his guest and was now sitting with Queen Thuraya in the Earl of Derby's box. It was a big week for him and he didn't want to miss anything…. Howard Bruce of Maryland, owner of Billy Barton, sat in Sir Thomas Royden's box..There are 30 obstacles in the Grand National—streams, fences, dry ditches, wet ditches, walls, hurdles, ditches and fences combined. Only one horse fell at the first jump."  [Time, 1928]

Picture of 'Harold Bruce on Billy Barton' by Franklin Voss in 1927  p27 HERE

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 

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

The Sun  Mar 31, 1928
The Sun Dec 21, 1929
The Sun  Jan 2, 1930
The Sun  May 16, 1937
The Sun  Apr 22, 1951  
Time Apr 9, 1928
Time Mar 18, 1929

©2019 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD