So the BIG news among Fans of Barbaro is the racing debut of Lentenor, Barbaro's youngest brother. Lenny, as he is affectionately know, is scheduled to make his first start on Saturday--Halloween and World Series Game 3, at Keeneland in the fifth race.
The race is 7 furlongs and is on the artificial surface. There are currently a dozen horses in the field--though some may scratch--and Lenny has drawn post position #2. Only one horse in the race has run before so Lenny is in like company. It is for all intents and purposes, a field of first time starters.
I wouldn't even try to handicap the race. There are too many unknowns, not the least of which is the artificial surface. Lenny has trained on a Tapeta track at Fair Hill so he has some experience but nothing prepares you for the real event like experience. In this field, anything can happen.
Rumor has it that Lenny has been ready to run for a while but his connections had a hard time finding a race to suit him. I have a feeling the Jacksons would have liked him to run a little closer to home--it is always easier NOT to ship a horse--but Delaware Park closed last weekend and there was nothing on the books at Laurel.
The thinking here may be that since he is on his way to Florida, he may as well stop in Kentucky for a few weeks. Depending on how he does, Lenny may stay in Kentucky--moving to Churchill Downs where a race may open up, or he just may go to Florida to Matz's operation at Palm Meadows.
One thing is for sure--the race is televised on TVG, the cable racing channel available via Direct TV, and I am sure a video will be up on You Tube before the day is over. It's a long anticipated event and here's hoping that Lenny has a safe and productive trip! It's hard to believe there are two Barbaro brothers of racing age. . .
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment