Lenny Works!

The blog-o-sphere is all atwitter with the possibility that Lentenor may race again before the end of the year, hopefully breaking his maiden while he is still a two year old.

He worked out at his Florida base, Palm Meadows Training Center yesterday, working four furlongs in 51, a respectable breeze (not all out pace but a little more than a leisurely jog). This pattern follows his previous workout about ten days to two weeks before a race and also indicates that he came back well after his last outing at Aqueduct. The fact that it was a breeze was significant, indicating that he is still in active training.

All eyes are pointed to Tampa Bay Downs on December 26, where two maiden races are on tap: one on the turf and one on the dirt. Michael Matz has been running a fair number of horses at Tampa Bay in the last couple of days which indicates that he has stalls (and most likely staff) on site. All of which should make for an easier shipping experience for Lentenor, although by now he seems to be a seasoned traveler.

More than anything else, the fact that he worked out gives us insight into Lentenor's character, which by all indications seems to be very consistent. To date, he has shown that he is an even tempered two year old, who comes out of races well and enjoys competing. He also has no problem shipping and seems to take to various track surfaces.

My vote is for the 26th at Tampa Bay Downs. The big question is turf or dirt and I might even go so far as to suggest that Matz may enter him in both and see how the races shape up. I think this horse wants to go a distance which is why the 1 mile and 1/16 on the turf is probably the most logical choice, but Matz wants him to break his maiden which is why the 6 furlong dirt race may be an option, especially if it comes up as an easier race.

The point here is that Lentenor's connections would dearly love him to break his maiden before the year ends and begin competition as a three year old at the next level. Let's hope the Jackson's get a late Christmas present from their very promising two year old!