Three weeks after a underwhelming showing that left his form in question, American-bred Thoroughbred colt Barnaby cemented his comeback with a dominant, record-backed win at Jamaica’s iconic Caymanas Park on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Heading into the $1.4-million Legal Light Trophy, a 1,820-meter (nine furlongs and 25 yards) Open Allowance feature race, Barnaby carried plenty of doubt with him. His only prior attempt at this exact distance back in August 2025 ended in a fourth-place finish as the heavy 4-5 favourite, and just three weeks prior, he crossed the line in third place at the record-shattering 1,700-meter Ian Levy Cup, trailing front-runners Rideallday and Supernatural Power. What many wrote off as a sign of Barnaby’s true ceiling, however, was just prep work for his headline performance.
Sent out under jockey Raddesh Roman for trainer Anthony Nunes, Barnaby turned the competitive feature race into a solo display of racing class. Breaking cleanly from the gate, he settled into a steady, comfortable pace through the first half of the race, with split timings of 25.3 seconds for the first quarter, 49.3 for the half, 1:14.1 for six furlongs, and 1:40.2 for the first mile. When Roman gave the colt just a light nudge at the 600-meter (three-furlong) marker, Barnaby accelerated away from the field effortlessly, crossing the finish line a full 7¼ lengths ahead of the competition with a final time of 1:54.2.
Speaking on behalf of Anthony Nunes’ stable in the winners’ enclosure, Nigel Burke, the trainer’s nephew, confirmed that the dominant win was no happy accident – it was the result of a carefully planned training strategy tailored to the colt’s unique needs.
“Today was a test to see if he could get back to his true form, and he showed up with outstanding class,” Burke told the Jamaica Observer’s *Supreme Racing Guide*. “He had trained really well coming into this race, we expected this performance. He logged a 49.1 breeze in maintenance training, which is just business as usual for a horse of his calibre.”
Burke explained that high-class horses like Barnaby do not need grueling dawn workouts to stay race-ready. “With horses like him, you don’t push them too hard in morning training. You just keep them happy, keep them fit, and they show up on race day,” he said.
The April 6 Ian Levy Cup, run over 8 ½ furlongs in a blistering new track record of 1:41.4, was a learning experience for the stable. While Barnaby finished third, he was never disgraced, beaten by two of the top Thoroughbreds in the country. The decision to drop back to Open Allowance company and stretch the race out to nine furlongs and 25 yards proved to be the perfect combination to unlock the colt’s potential, erasing the memory of his poor 2025 run at the distance. Where his first attempt at the trip fell flat, this second outing was nothing short of emphatic.
Sunday’s victory makes one thing clear: the Ian Levy Cup was never Barnaby’s ceiling – it was his warm-up. His form is now validated, his competitive confidence is fully restored, and his racing trajectory looks clear. “Once he stays healthy and sound, I think he will only keep improving from here,” Burke added.
In the final results, Girvano, ridden by Robert Halledeen, claimed second place, while Nunes’ second entry, Neo Star, ridden by Tajay Suckoo, rounded out the top three.