Barton Bank (1986-2007) was one of the top

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

chasers of the mid 1990s. He won the 1993 King George VI Chase as well as two

Charlie Hall Chase The Charlie Hall Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in England which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Wetherby over a distance of about 3 miles (3 miles and 45 yar ...

s at

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

(1993 and 1995).

Background

He was trained by David Nicholson and in his major successes was ridden by

Adrian Maguire Adrian Maguire, born 29 April 1971 in Kilmessan, County Meath, Ireland, is a racehorse trainer and former jockey. Maguire began his career in Irish pony racing at the age of nine, in which he rode more than 200 winners. In 1990 he rode his first ...

or David Walsh. He was owned by Jenny Mould, whose green colours with white stars have been worn by horses such as

Bindaree Bindaree is a racehorse who was the winner of the 2002 Grand National when ridden by Jim Culloty and the 2003 Welsh Grand National when partnered by Carl Llewellyn Carl Llewellyn (born 29 July 1965) is an assistant racehorse trainer to Nige ...

and Tipping Tim. She also part-owned

Charter Party A charterparty (sometimes charter-party) is a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo, or a yacht for pleasure purposes. Charter party is a contract of carriag ...

, who ran under different colours.

Racing career

Barton Bank entered the 1993 Sun Alliance Chase as the favourite after betting support on the day. However, he broke a blood vessel and was pulled up. The winner was ante-post favourite

Young Hustler Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ro ...

. The next season, Barton Bank won a battle with

Bradbury Star Bradbury may refer to: People *Bradbury (surname) *Baron Bradbury, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, including three barons with the surname Bradbury. Places *Bradbury, County Durham, England *Bradbury, California, city of the United ...

for the King George crown. Back in third was

The Fellow The Fellow (1985–2008) was an AQPS top-class National Hunt racehorse in the early 1990s. He won the 1994 Cheltenham Gold Cup and narrowly lost the 1991 and 1992 renewals. He also won the 1991 and 1992 King George VI Chase and the 1991 Grand Ste ...

, who had won the last two renewals of the race. Fourth and fifth were

and Zeta's Lad. All five horses jumped the second last together. Barton Bank was one of the favourites for the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...

of 1994 but suffered an injury in the build-up and missed the race. He went to the 1994 King George VI Chase well supported and approached the last fence 15 lengths clear. However, he met the fence wrong and gave

no chance of staying on him (photo of Maguire falling off him) Outsider

Algan Aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) is a semiconductor material. It is any alloy of aluminium nitride and gallium nitride. The bandgap of AlxGa1−xN can be tailored from 3.4eV (xAl=0) to 6.2eV (xAl=1). AlGaN is used to manufacture light-emitting di ...

took the prize. Barton Bank's trainer David Nicholson got into trouble for hitting a photographer who was taking his picture after this had happened. Barton Bank went to run in the Pillar Chase, where he was well beaten by

Master Oats Master Oats (14 May 1986 – 21 May 2012) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist steeplechaser, he ran twenty-one time and won ten races. He campaigned mainly at distances in excess of three miles and was particularly effective o ...

. He then ran in the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...

. He was still running strongly when he hardly rose at a fence late in the course and crashed to the ground. The race was won by

. This was Barton Bank's third fall in four races. Peter Scudamore said about his King George fall, 'He just does not shorten'.The Sporting Life National Hunt Review 1994/95 He then went on to the Martell Cup Chase where he was last of six runners. The following season, Barton Bank ran in the King George VI Chase (run that year at Sandown), where he was pulled up. He went on to another attempt at the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...

John McCririck John Michael McCririck (17 April 1940 – 5 July 2019) was an English horse racing pundit, television personality and journalist. McCririck began his career at '' The Sporting Life'', where he twice won at the British Press Awards for his ca ...

stated on Channel 4's Morning Line programme that at 16/1 he was good value. Fellow pundit

Ted Walsh Ted Walsh (born 14 April 1950) is an Irish amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer who was born and raised in Co. Cork but based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Ted is also father to amateur Irish National Hunt jockey, Katie Walsh and profe ...

jokingly asked whether they were omitting the open ditches on the course as these were the sort of fences the horse had problems with. In the end, Barton Bank was fourth but never looked like winning. He then came second in the Martell Cup Chase. Barton Bank ran in the 1996 King George VI Chase. He was placed, but due to the rare fast ground at that time of year (which some considered to be dangerously frosty) only five horses turned up. One Man retained his crown. Barton Bank then came close to defeating One Man in the Pillar Chase where the latter's stamina worries came to the fore. He wasn't really considered for the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...

, although the Racing Post newspaper felt his early morning price of 66/1 was some value. This was his best effort in the race as he stayed on well to finish second behind Mr Mulligan. He then won the Martell Cup Chase at

Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. It ...

. His season ended in the

Whitbread Gold Cup Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...

, where he unseated his jockey at the water jump. In the autumn of 1997, in the

Hennessy Gold Cup /Ladbrokes Trophy The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...

he was second to Suny Bay (

Peter O'Sullevan Sir Peter O'Sullevan (3 March 1918 – 29 July 2015) was an Irish-British horse racing commentator for the BBC, and a correspondent for the Press Association, the '' Daily Express'', and '' Today''. He was the BBC's leading horse racing co ...

's last commentary). He returned for another crack at the King George VI Chase, Pillar Chase, and

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...

. However, he was well beaten in all three and was retired from racing.

References

{{reflist 1986 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 16 National Hunt racehorses