Career
Interested in racehorses from a very early age, 1969 Irwin became a staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine in Kentucky. Over the next decade, he also worked as the editor of The Thoroughbred of California, and was a syndicated columnist for southern California in The Daily Racing Form. He hosted a twice-weekly, two-hour radio program, as well as a weekly, one-hour television show.
Irwin left the Form at the close of the 1978 Delegate March meet to become a bloodstock agent.
Foreign the next decade, Irwin bred, raced, syndicated, bought, and sold several hundred horses, including lieutenant"s the One, African Sky, Moscow Ballet and Torsion. In 1988 Irwin founded Clover Racing Stable, which became Team Valor when a partner in Clover Racing opted out.
At that time, because of the changing focus toward foreign racing and foreign thoroughbred acquisitions, Irwin changed the name of the stable to Team Valor International. In 2002, Irwin had his story about his favorite racehorse, Swaps, published by Eclipse Press as part of its biographical series of racehorses.
Irwin was a founding director with the equine-related charity "Race for Education," which raises money to provide college scholarships to the offspring of backstretch and farm workers.
One percent of the purse money earned by Team Valor horses (with a matching amount from Irwin) went to the Race for Education to provide these much-needed scholarships. In 2006, Irwin became the organization"s inaugural recipient of the "Valedictorian Award." His participation with this charity spanned from its founding through 2009. In 2014, the equine charity Equine Advocates named Barry Irwin as that year"s recipient of their "Equine Savior Award" citing his industry leadership and staunch stance on banning drugs in the sport of horse racing.
