single g.
Named for the white marking on his forehead, Single G. was foaled in 1910, sired by Anderson Wilkes out of Little Gyp. He was bred by W. B. Barefoot, Cambridge City, Indiana and L. D. Commons, Converse, Indiana. In 1912 Single G. was sent to the sales and purchased at auction for $275 by H. S. Beard. After Beard's death, Barefoot became his sole owner. From the ages of three until sixteen, "the wonder horse" started in 434 heats and won 262, earning $121,125. He won 98 races, setting an all-time record. On September 26, 1923, Single G. established a world record for four heats over a half-mile track when he won a match race at Bangor, Maine over Margaret Dillon 1:58 1/4 and Sir Roch 1:59 3/4. His fastest mile was 1:58 1/2 at the age of thirteen. Single G. was retired at seventeen and sired 81 performers with Standard records. Later on he was known as "the horse that time forgot because he raced so good for so long." He died in 1940.
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1995 book, The Immortals
Corrections / Clarifications published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1999 book, The 1999 Immortals
Author Marie Hill was told by Carl Barefoot, nephew of William Barefoot, "the day Single G. went through the sale at Cambridge City my Uncle Will, who owned a poultry business in Cambridge City and Muncie, Indiana, had to be away on company business. He asked his friend H. S. Beard to bid on Single G. and that money was no object - he wanted the colt."
Single G. won 99 races. In 1922, a race at Dade Park, Evansville, Indiana was postponed for almost a week because of heavy rains. Eventually the race was held and Single G. won from Hal Mahone and John Henry. The race wasn't entered into the record books for 1922 and is often referred to as "the lost race."
In addition to pacing a 1:58 1/2 mile at age 13, Single G. also paced a 2:00 mile at age 15. No horse has duplicated that at such an advanced age.
Single G. was also the first horse to beat two minutes twice in one day and he was the leading moneywinning Standardbred ($121,125) for over twenty years after his retirement in 1926.
- Marie Hill