Each week the Minnesota Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Agency recognizes a person that exemplifies the Minnesota horse racing industry. This week’s honoree is Jake Barton.
Jake, a native of Utah, has long been familiar with the world of horse racing. His journey began in the early 1980s, riding horses at the bush tracks of his home state. When asked about his path into jockeying, Jake jokes that his small stature kept him off the football field, so he turned to racehorses instead.
In 1982, Jake launched his professional jockey career at San Juan Downs, known today as Sun Ray Park, in Farmington, New Mexico. Over the following 37 years, his vocation took him to racetracks across California, Canada, Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, and several other locations. During this time, Jake rode for many accomplished trainers and accumulated a variety of experiences that shaped his legacy in the sport. He won 2,754 thoroughbred races.
Among the many victories in his long career, two stand out as particularly memorable. In 1995, Jake captured a Grade 3 win aboard Honor the Hero in the Phoenix Gold Cup for trainer Doug Oliver. In 2002, he claimed victory in the Col. R. S. McLaughlin Handicap at Woodbine, also a Grade 3, riding Early Wisdom. Both achievements remain high points in his professional career.
When Jake decided to retire from competitive riding in 2018, he didn’t step away from the sport entirely. He transitioned to working on the gate crew and began serving as a valet. Committed as ever, he continues to gallop horses in the mornings, maintaining his connection to the racetrack and its community.
Jake will be recognized in a winner’s circle ceremony following Wednesday’s first race.
Thank you to the Minnesota HBPA and to sponsors Bravis Craft Mexican Kitchen located in canterbury Commons and Luro Boots in Bloomington.
