The Triple Crown is one of the most coveted, celebrated, and arduous achievements in all of sports. It is the Holy Grail of horse racing, ensuring that any horse who is brave enough, strong enough, and fast enough to obtain the title will be forever immortalized in history, and racing lore. It is a feat that very few have pulled off, as horses who are great enough to sweep the series are rare and hard to find. Interestingly enough, the very first Triple Crown winner was a horse who had never won a race before, that is, until he came to the 1919 Kentucky Derby. That horse was, Sir Barton.
Sir Barton was born in April of 1916, in Kentucky. From an early age, the colt was plagued with thin, sore hooves, which he inherited from his sire, Star Shoot. It was an ailment that suggested that the colt might have limitations, leaving some to believe that the little, red foal wouldn't amount to much. However, Sir Barton's tough mind and even stronger spirit would prove to be more than enough to see him through any challenge.
Sir Barton grew up to be a very headstrong animal. He was described as a violent, angry colt who seemed to despise everyone and everything, except for racing. The only time Sir Barton seemed truly at peace was when he was allowed to unleash his fury on the track, running as free and wild as he pleased. Despite his passion for running, the colt struggled to make his way to the winner’s circle in the beginning of his career. However, he did manage to run second in the Futurity Stakes at the age of two, which allowed his connections to take Derby dreams into consideration. His strong performance alluded to the fact that the colt was improving, so there was no reason not to pursue glory with a horse who had an undeniable desire to run. However, dreams of roses quickly came to an unexpected halt after the Futurity Stakes, as Sir Barton fell victim to a devastating case of septicemia.
Instead of battling his rivals on the track, Sir Barton was now battling for his life. Septicemia raged throughout his entire body, knocking him out of competition, and nearly claiming his life. Right when things were starting to look hopeless, the resilient colt found the strength to fight back and defeat his illness. Over time, Sir Barton miraculously made a full recovery.
Once he was free of his illness, Sir Barton steadily regained his strength, but was left at a major disadvantage when the 1919 Kentucky Derby rolled into town. While Sir Barton's peers had the chance to grow fit from competing in prep races, Sir Barton had missed out, leaving him behind in experience and from a physical standpoint. After being ill for so long, and having no prep whatsoever for the major race, Sir Barton was still entered into the Kentucky Derby. However, his connections did not enter him with the idea of seeing him win.
Sir Barton was entered in the Kentucky Derby as nothing more than a pace-setter for his highly regarded stablemate, Billy Kelly. Oddly enough, Sir Barton wasn’t necessarily considered a speed horse, so the fact that he was expected to set the pace would be just another hurdle that the young horse would have to face. But Sir Barton was a fighter. After finding the strength and perseverance to come back from a nearly fatal illness, the young colt understood resiliency and courage better than anyone. His connections may have wanted him to pave the way for Billy Kelly, but Sir Barton had other plans.
Johnny Loftus, the rider of Sir Barton, urged his colt to the lead of the Derby, just as he was instructed to do. Sir Barton instantly responded, striding to the lead with pure gusto. He boldly showed the way around the track, making every passing furlong a winning one. With the stretch looming dramatically ahead, Sir Barton hastily lengthened his stride and kicked for home, fully prepared to go all the way.
Sir Barton came roaring into the stretch, determined to finish what he started. There was no way that this gallant colt was going to let himself come this far only to lose. With a powerful acceleration, Sir Barton began separating himself from the rest of the field. Despite their tremendous efforts, none of the other horses could gain on the runaway colt. Sir Barton was about to taste victory for the first time in his life, and he was going to do it in America’s biggest race.
In a breathtaking performance, Sir Barton cruised over the finish line, stunning the racing world by five mighty lengths. No one had expected such an unlucky animal to win, but Sir Barton proved them all wrong. Sir Barton had gone against all the odds to claim the roses, but his glory wouldn't end there.
As we all know, the hard knocking underdog went on to prove that he really wasn’t an underdog after all. Sir Barton captured the rest of the Triple Crown after taking home the roses. At the time, the term “Triple Crown” wasn’t known. In fact, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes wasn’t even considered to be the Triple Crown until 1930, when Gallant Fox duplicated the feat. Even though Sir Barton’s triumph wasn’t as celebrated then as it is today, he will forever stand as the first horse to achieve immortality in what we call, the “Sport of Kings”.
Sir Barton's sublime story of rags to riches was like something out of a movie. But it was all very real. The colt stands as proof that in this sport, anything is possible and greatness can come from anywhere, at anytime. As stunning as it was for an inauspicious colt like Sir Barton to sweep the Triple Crown, he wouldn't be the only underdog to rise to Triple Crown fame. Remarkably, a horse with an even greater handicap would come along to add his name to history. That horse was the none other than Assault, the "Club-Footed Comet".
Assault made his way into the world on March 26, 1943. The small, chestnut colt was the son of 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Bold Venture, and was out of the mare, Igual, who was in close relation to the legendary Man o’ War. Assault's royal bloodlines suggested that he would be born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but as his owners would quickly find out, the colt would not go through life without his fair deal of struggles.
With the blood of champions coursing through his veins, Assault was born to do great things. However, you wouldn’t know that by looking at him. Assault was on the small side, struggling to stand over fifteen hands tall. The delicately framed animal weighed under one thousand pounds, and didn’t resemble the champion that he was supposed to be. He was said to have an unremarkable temperament to match his plain looks, leaving much to be desired in terms of personality and physicality. Aside from his pedigree, there didn't appear to be anything special or flashy about the colt. But in the end, it would be Assault who would have the last laugh.
As if his small size and average appearance weren’t enough, Assault was also haunted by injuries and illnesses throughout his life. When he was young, Assault stepped on a surveyor’s spike, leaving his front, right hoof permanently disfigured. Thanks to the dedication of his veterinarian, Assault survived the affliction, but would forever be plagued by an unsightly limp. It was a miracle that the young colt lived through such an accident, but what’s even more amazing is the fact that Assault was able to go on to compete at the top level. Assault may have limped and stumbled around as he went, but when he took off in a gallop, you couldn’t tell that his hoof was deformed. In full flight, the horse was flawless.
Max Hirsch was hired to train Assault. Hirsch was no stranger to horses, having spent the first part of his life riding Quarter Horses at Morris Ranch, in Texas. At the age of twelve, Hirsch decided that life on the ranch was no longer for him, and decided to run away and pursue his new dream of becoming a jockey. A shipment of racehorses in his area was slated to make its way to Baltimore, Maryland, so Hirsch decided to sneak on with them. After he arrived in Maryland, Hirsch went on to achieve his dream, and found success as a jockey, winning an impressive 123 races until keeping his weight down became too much of a struggle. With his riding days coming to an end, Hirsch decided to try his luck as a trainer instead, where he would once again find success.
Hirsch took one look at the awkward-moving, scrawny horse that was Assault, and immediately had his doubts. Getting this colt to post would be going against all the odds, and getting him to the winner’s circle appeared even more impossible than that. But despite that, the veteran horseman decided to give the colt a chance. He knew that guiding such an inauspicious, misfit of an animal to success would be a far-fetched feat, but once he saw the tenacity and fearless determination that Assault displayed in his training, he knew that the horse deserved a shot. Assault's connections made the bold decision to give racing a try. And it’s a good thing they did.
Assault began racing at the age of two, and struggled to break his maiden. It wasn’t until his fourth attempt that the copper colt found his stride. At odds of 70-1, Assault broke his maiden in the Flash Stakes at Belmont Park. He won once more out of nine tries as a two-year-old before heading to South Carolina to take a break for the winter.
Over the winter, Assault began to grow into the champion that had been hiding inside of him all along. His true power was starting to come through, and when he returned to the track as a three-year-old, he came back with the burning desire to win.
Assault unleashed his newfound strength in the Experimental Handicap at Jamaica racetrack in the spring of, 1946. After dashing to victory in the six-furlong event, he set off to compete in the Wood Memorial, where he bounded home in front, once again. It was off to Kentucky for the unflappable youngster to run in a final prep race before having a dance with fate in the Kentucky Derby.
The Derby Trial Stakes served as Assault’s final prep for the Kentucky Derby. But after the clumsy colt came floundering over the wire in fourth, his connections immediately began to have second thoughts about entering him in the Kentucky Derby. It didn’t seem likely that an animal as ungraceful as Assault could handle the imposing rage of such an exalted race. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most difficult races in the world to win, so great thought and consideration had to be taken into place.
After much deliberation, Assault’s connections finally decided to take a chance on their unlikely champion, and entered him into the Kentucky Derby. After all, Assault had already beaten the odds before. Who was to say he couldn’t do it again?
Assault intrepidly marched to post with Warren Mehrtens in the irons. There was a look of fierce determination in Assault’s eyes as he lined up for the start. He was beginning to realize what he was capable of, and was ready to let it out. The colt was on a mission and he was ready to show the world exactly what he was made of. This champion was not about to let the distortion of his foot stop him. He came here to win.
The gates sprang open and Spy Song immediately sprinted to the lead in the Kentucky Derby. The crowd roared excitedly as the rest of the field gave chase in a frenzy. Assault quickly established his position toward the middle of the pack. From there he could watch and wait. He was confident that he could make up enough ground to overtake the leaders the moment the time was right.
The final bend loomed ahead, and Assault knew it was time to turns things up. With a bold and decisive kick, the unflappable colt shot forward like a rocket, honing his sights in on the leaders. His stride never faltered as he began to unwrap his tremendous stride, flying so fast that it made everyone forget he was disabled. When the field began to barrel into the stretch, Assault made a daring move on the inside. Using his delicate size to his advantage, he squeezed through an opening on the rail and shot for home. There was no stopping him once he was in the clear, and Assault began dramatically distancing himself from the rest of the competition. In a sublime performance of superiority and inspiration, Assault romped to victory by eight breathtaking lengths.
Assault, who became affectionately known as the “Club-Footed Comet”, went from zero to hero in his racing career. After defying the odds and overcoming his crippled hoof, Assault went on to add his name to the elusive list of Triple Crown champions, scoring by a determined neck in the Preakness and running away by three lengths in the Belmont. In doing so, Assault achieved what very few horses will ever accomplish. His name is currently among only twelve horses to win the Triple Crown, but he remains as the only horse to win the series with a disfigured hoof. Assault’s unbelievable story goes to show that the heart of a champion truly does come from within, and not from what can be seen on the outside.
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