Duke of Magenta, Barnes and Byrnes elected to Racing Hall
of Fame
Three of Thoroughbred racing’s brightest stars from
the final quarter of the 19th century — the famed racehorse Duke of Magenta,
champion jockey Shelby “Pike” Barnes and celebrated trainer Matthew Byrnes
— have been selected for the sport’s highest honor with their election to the
National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Duke of Magenta, Barnes and Byrnes were elected to the Hall of Fame through
the Museum’s Historic Review process. They will be enshrined along with
contemporary inductees trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and Thoroughbreds Open Mind,
Safely Kept and Sky Beauty on August 12 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion at
10:30 a.m. (EDT). The ceremony is open to the public and is free of charge. It will
also be broadcast on HRTV.
One of the greatest sons of the legendary sire Lexington, Duke of Magenta was
foaled in 1875 at the famed Woodburn Stud near Lexington, Kentucky. Owned by George L.
Lorillard and trained by Robert Wyndham Walden, Duke of Magenta was a light bay
standing 16 hands. He broke his maiden in the Flash S. at Saratoga in July
of 1877 and won four of seven starts as a two-year-old while finishing second in
the other three. Foreshadowing the greatness to come, Duke of Magenta closed out
his 1877 season with three consecutive wins.
In 1878, Duke of Magenta enjoyed one of the most prolific three-year-old
campaigns in the history of the American turf, winning 11 of 12 starts
including such marquee events as the Preakness, Withers, Belmont, Travers,
Kenner and Jerome. His only loss on the year occurred when he finished third in
the Jersey Derby when it was reported he spiked a fever. Three weeks after his
defeat in the Jersey Derby, Duke of Magenta appeared at Saratoga for the
Travers. The favorite in the race was Spartan, the winner of the Jersey Derby,
but Duke of Magenta was back in top form and won convincingly. The Travers
marked the beginning of an eight-race win streak for the colt.
Duke of Magenta was sold at the conclusion of his three-year-old season by
Lorillard to his brother, Pierre Lorillard, who sent him to race in England.
Those plans, however, never came to fruition. Duke of Magenta became ill on the
voyage and was sent home. He never raced again.
Duke of Magenta finished his career with a record of 15-3-1 from 19 starts
and earnings of $45,412. Since he accomplished the feat in 1878, only Hall of
Famers Man o’ War and Native Dancer have won the Preakness, Withers, Belmont
and Travers.
Competing in the era when African-American jockeys ruled the sport of
Thoroughbred racing during the late 19th century, Shelby “Pike” Barnes was
widely recognized by turf experts to be among the elite in his profession.
Born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, in 1871, Barnes became a star as a teenager. In
1888, Barnes led all North American riders with 206 wins, becoming the first
jockey to top 200 wins in a year. His 1888 campaign is even more remarkable
considering his closest pursuer, George Covington, rode just 95 winners. Adding
further context to Barnes’ exceptional year were the comparative win totals of
future Hall of Fame jockeys Jimmy McLaughlin (72), Edward “Snapper” Garrison
(71) and Isaac Murphy (37). Barnes also had the highest win percentage that
year, booting home the winner on 32.9 percent of his mounts.
Barnes secured his status as an elite rider with his star-making performance
in the inaugural Futurity in 1888. Staged by the Coney Island Jockey Club at
Sheepshead Bay, the Futurity was the richest sporting event to date in America,
paying an unheard-of $40,900 to the winner. Aboard the favorite Proctor Knott,
Barnes battled future Hall of Famer Salvator and jockey Tony Hamilton in the
six-furlong sprint for two-year-olds. Barnes and Proctor Knott dug in during the
stretch and secured a half-length victory in one of the most notable races of
the 19th century.
Barnes repeated as North America’s leading jockey in 1889 with 170 wins (25.8
percent) from 661 mounts. That year, Barnes won the Travers S. aboard Long
Dance and the Champagne S. with June Day.
In 1890, Barnes piloted Burlington to victories in the Belmont S. and the
Brooklyn Derby. That summer, he also captured the Alabama S. with champion Sinaloa II. He added another major score in 1891 when he rode the standout Tenny
to victory in the Brooklyn Derby.
Barnes rode for several of the top owners of his day, including James Ben Ali
Haggin, Marcus Daly and Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Other major victories for
Barnes included the First Special (1891), Flash S. (1888), Great Western
S. (1888), Hyde Park S. (1888), Latonia Derby (1888), Latonia Oaks
(1889), Kenner S. (1889), Second Special (1890), Sheridan S. (1890), St.
Leger S. (1888), and the United States Hotel S. (1890).
Barnes began to fade from the scene after 1891 and died at age 37 in
Columbus, Ohio, in 1908. In a letter to the National Museum of Racing, Hall of
Fame trainer Fred Burlew ranked Barnes as one of the top five African-American
jockeys in the history of the sport.
Byrnes began his association with Thoroughbred racing as an exercise rider
before becoming an accomplished jockey. However, it was his skill as a
conditioner of racehorses that garnered Byrnes lasting acclaim.
After his days as a rider ended because he had trouble making weight, Byrnes
began training under the tutelage of future Hall of Famer Jacob Pincus. Byrnes
was then hired by famed sportsman Pierre Lorillard to become the head trainer
for the Master of Rancocas stable. Byrnes quickly made a name for himself as a
trainer when he took over the conditioning of future Hall of Famer Parole in
1881. As an eight-year-old in 1881, Parole won 12 of 24 starts for Byrnes and
followed that with 15 wins and 18 other in-the-money finishes among 42 starts in
1882 and 1883.
In 1885, Byrnes won the Suburban H. with Pontiac. Byrnes also captured the
Suburban in 1890 with future Hall of Famer Salvator and in 1892 with Montana. In
1887, Lorillard stepped away from the sport and Byrnes began his association
with James Ben Ali Haggin’s powerful stable. Byrnes guided Haggin’s mighty
Salvator to a spectacular career mark of 16-1-1 from 19 starts. While under the
care of Byrnes, Salvator set American speed records for one mile and 1 1/4 miles as
a four-year-old in 1890.
At the same time he was training Salvator, Byrnes also enjoyed tremendous
success with the great mare Firenze, another future Hall of Famer. From 1886
through 1891, Firenze won 47 races for Byrnes and was in the money 77 times in
82 starts. Firenze regularly defeated males, including wins over Hall of Famer
Hanover at three distances, and two wins over Hall of Famer Kingston, the
Thoroughbred who won the most races in the history of the sport.
When Haggin got out of the Thoroughbred business in 1891, Byrnes went to work
for Marcus Daly. For Daly, Byrnes trained a number of quality horses, including
Tammany, Montana, Senator Grady and Scottish Chieftain, the 1897 Belmont S. winner. Daly died in 1900 and Byrnes called it a career as a trainer. Byrnes
then bought a farm opposite Monmouth Park in New Jersey. A few years later,
Byrnes sold the farm and moved to California to work as a bloodstock advisor. In
his later years, Byrnes returned to New Jersey and often attended the races at
Saratoga. He died in Asbury Park, New Jersey, in 1933 at the age of 80.