| BIOGRAPHY |
Far away from the commotion on the east coast, Patty Barton won her first race on May 23, 1969. No sweeping turns, no turf course, she was coming out of the gate in a 400yd quarter horse race at Pikes Peak Meadows. Actually they called it Pikes Peak Turf Club, at the time, but whatever, if it weren't for the obvious name who would even know what a Pikes Peak whatever even was?
From there she migrated east to another hotbed of racing Waterford Park, known for two legends Dale Baird and Patty Barton. Besides Waterford Park her career was spent mainly in the Ohio, Kentucky area.
You look back to 1969 and I'll say in my mind the four most significant players in the female jockey movement. In no significant order, Diane Crump the first lady to ride a race, Penny Ann Early, the first woman to try to ride, Kathy Kusner, the first to get a license and Barbara Jo Rubin the first to win a race. Take Rubin, Early and Kusner total their career starts and you get 543 with 46 wins and add in the most prolific, Crump and you end up with 2,225 starts with 274 wins.
Now you think about that lady, popping out of the starting gate at Pikes Peak whatever with almost 10,000 career starts, actually 9,322 with 1,085 trips to the winners circle. I know who gets my vote for the queen of the class of 69.
Barton was a multiple stakes winner over the years and paid her lady dues by riding in the Paint 'n Powder series at Bowie, the Powder Puff Derby at Caliente and even took part in the Jockette Silver Cup Pace a harness exhibition race at the Meadowlands.
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| Waterford Park December 8, 1970 |