Born in Newport, Isle of Wight on February 13, 1954, Paul Barton became apprenticed to David ‘Gandy’ Gandolfo at Down Stables in Wantage, Oxfordshire – where he would spend the whole of his 15-year riding career – and rode his first winner, Inigo Jones, at the now-defunct Folkestone on December 21, 1972.
Arguably the highest-profile victory of his career came in 1979, when he won the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Peter Scot, trained by Gandolfo, although he did win the Anthony Mildmay, Peter Cazalet Memorial Chase at Sandown Park two years later. In 1982, the partnership tackled the Grand National proper, but made it no further than Becher’s Brook on the first circuit.
In 1983, Barton replaced the injured John Francome on the 1982 winner, and favourite, Grittar, trained by Frank Gilman, but could only finish a remote fifth behind the history-making Corbiere, trained by Jenny Pitman. Indeed, Grittar aside, he completed the National Course just once more in eight rides, finishing ninth on Rathlek, also trained by Gandolfo, in 1981.
That year, Barton did win the Topham Chase, over the Grand National fences, on Mr. Malsbridge and the Mackeson Gold Cup (now the Paddy Power Gold Cup) at Cheltenham on Henry Kissinger, both of whom were trained by Gandolfo. Later in his career, he also won the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festval on Reldis, trained by Gandolfo, in 1982, the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster on Get Out Of Me Way, trained by Graham Thorner, in 1983 and the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Pearlyman, trained by John Edwards, in 1986.
Barton enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 1977/78, when he rode 42 winners. At the time of his retirement, at the relatively early age off 33, in 1987, he had a total of 353 winners to his name.
