Jennifer Kelly became a thoroughbred lover at a very young age. While the love for the sport started with books and movies, it blossomed into attending live racing events. She wrote the biography of triple crown winner Sir Barton. She may have plans to write about other famous thoroughbreds. Here is Jennifer Kelly, in her own words, with Riders Up!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your decision to write this book in particular.
I grew up in Alabama, which is not exactly a hotbed of horse racing. In fifth grade my teacher, Ms. Scott, read The Black Stallion to my class and I fell in love with those books. I then watched the movie and even caught racing on television one day. I was smitten. Over the years, I continued to follow the sport, even going to live racing a couple of times when we still had it at the Birmingham Race Course. Racing has been gone from this state for about two decades, but my passion for the sport has carried on through its absence.
I have always wanted to find my place in horse racing, but living in Alabama made that a challenge. I never thought I would be anything more than a fan until I started looking for more books on Triple Crown winners in 2013. I already had a couple, and, with the 100th anniversary on the horizon, I wanted to read more. I searched high and low for one on Sir Barton, but was surprised to find that no one had written an entire book on him. I decided to use the experience I had gained from both my education and my time teaching writing to research Sir Barton’s life and career and put it to paper.
What made Sir Barton stand out? What drew you to cover his story over that of so many great past racehorses?
My background is that of an academic. I have studied both literature and history, understanding the value of stories and the ease with which misconceptions can be introduced into our knowledge of a person or an event. I knew *of* Sir Barton because I am a horse racing fan and I have always loved the Triple Crown. I thought I knew his story, but I always suspected that the story we knew had more to it than a chapter in a book.
As I started to research his career and the path he took to make history, I saw that our perceptions of who he was had been affected by the distance between his time and our own. I saw how his proximity to Man o’ War resulted in the unintentional diminishment of his accomplishments and abilities. Giving Sir Barton an opportunity to shine became the primary motivation behind this project. He deserved a chance to have his story told and I knew that the circumstances behind this first part of the evolution of the Triple Crown merited preservation.
Tell us a little bit about Sir Barton’s amazing debut as a three-year-old in the 44th running of the Kentucky Derby?
Contrary to what most of us have been told, he was not sent to Louisville as the rabbit for his stablemate Billy Kelly. In the Daily Racing Form and elsewhere, Sir Barton’s name had been brought up as a horse who could surprise people in the months leading up to the Derby. He put in a couple of workouts that drew attention prior to shipping to Churchill Downs. As they counted down to the 45th Kentucky Derby, Sir Barton, not Billy Kelly, was the name on everyone’s lips. The sports editor of the Louisville Courier Journal picked Sir Barton to win the Kentucky Derby, over 1918’s juvenile co-champions Billy Kelly and Eternal. Imagine how satisfying it was to see Sir Barton win by five lengths!
Sir Barton ran against two legends, Exterminator and Man o’ War. Do you think he would beat today’s superhorses such as American Pharoah, Justify, or Arrogate?
Honestly, for his time, Sir Barton was a fast horse, setting an American record for a mile and three-eighths in the Belmont Stakes. Then he set a record for a mile and a quarter in the Saratoga Handicap in 1920, 2:01 4/5, a time that is comparable to most Kentucky Derbies run in the modern era. Tracks have gotten progressively faster over time and the trend in breeding has been toward faster horses. It would be a challenge, but I think Sir Barton definitely could hold his own against those three.
Is there another great racehorse you would love to write about?
I have a list! I’m working on our second and third Triple Crown winners now. Both Gallant Fox and Omaha were bred and owned by William Woodward so my next project is to explore the stories of the Foxes of Belair. After that, I have a long list of horses I would love to work on. We shall see what the future brings.
You can keep up with Jennifer Kelly and her love of racing by following her Facebook page. You can also follow Kelly’s blog, The Sir Barton Project. She writes about current racing topics and relates them to Sir Barton.
