During his racing career he stood over seventeen hands high making him an unusually large Thoroughbred: he was described as having a "narrow frame" and a long neck.
Despite her heritage, Peanuts and her descendants were not technically Thoroughbreds as she was a great-granddaughter of Calibres, a mare whose pedigree included desert-bred Arabian stallions Telmese and Kahil El Adjouz.
He showed a good deal of temperament, whipping round at the start and then fighting the attempts of Gerry Brace his inexperienced jockey to restrain him in the early stages.
[13] Recalling the race on his retirement a year later, Wyer was critical of his own riding, saying "my five-year-old daughter could have done a more accomplished job" before adding that "the walk back to the winner's enclosure on Barton was pure magic".
The race turned into a contest between Barton and the German-bred five-year-old Auetaler, with the favourite taking the advantage after the last hurdle and winning by two lengths from his rival, to whom he was conceding eight pounds.
[18] In December he started 5/2-second favourite for the Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham but sustained his first defeat in over three years as he was beaten six lengths by the Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old Geos.
Barton was moved back up in distance for the Grade I Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January and started 2/1 joint-favourite, but tired in the closing stages and finished fifth, more than fifty lengths behind the winner Lady Rebecca.
Racing on heavy ground, he tracked the leaders before taking the lead after the second last and drew away to win by fourteen lengths from Best Mate despite being eased down by Dobbin in the closing stages.
On his first appearance over larger obstacles he started odds-on favourite at Wetherby on 2 November but after taking the lead he was overtaken at the last fence and beaten by the Mary Reveley-trained seven-year-old October Mist.
He survived a serious jumping error at the sixth fence (where his main betting rival Hussard Collonges fell) before taking the lead four out and winning by thirty lengths from Errand Boy.
[21] When it was suggested that Barton's opposition over fences had been poor, Easterby responded "there's nowt good enough to take him on" and added "he's one in a million this 'oss, he gallops, he jumps, goes on any ground".
[22] At the 2002 Cheltenham Festival, Easterby opted to run Barton in the Arkle Challenge Trophy over two miles rather than the three-mile Royal & SunAlliance Chase (which was won by Hussard Collonges).
Starting the 9/2 third favourite, he never looked likely to win and weakened in the closing stages to finish seventh behind the Irish-trained Moscow Flyer, beaten more than thirty length by the winner.
At Aintree a month later, Barton started 3/1 favourite for the Grade II Mildmay Novices' Chase over three miles and one furlong and won by ten lengths from Southern Star having taken the lead three fences from the finish.
In November 2003 he showed signs of a return when he finished second by a neck to his stable companion Turgeonev when carrying top weight of 165 pounds in a handicap chase at Wetherby,[25] but he never ran again.