Barnaby passes prep test in style; Nunes eyes Jamaica Cup

THERE is nothing like a prep race that answers every question. Barnaby did just that on Saturday, September 26, 2026, turning the $1.75-million Distinctly Irish Trophy into a one-horse exhibition, crushing past rivals by 28 lengths in a performance that was as commanding as it was cruel. In a reduced five-horse field after the scratch of King Piye, the Anthony Nunes-trained chestnut broke calmly and was content to track from last while Run Julie Run (Tajay Suckoo) led the field around the clubhouse turn, pressed by Neo Star (Shane Richardson) and Don Kwesi (Jaheim Anderson).

Down the backstretch, Raddesh Roman just let him breathe — a big, effortless gallo — and never really asked him for anything. Then as the halfmile (800m) turn approached, Roman squeezed and it was over. Barnaby launched a sweeping, devastating move to surround the field in a matter of strides, hit the front full of running, opened up down the lane, and eased at the wire.

Don Kwesi stayed on for second, Neo Star third. Final time for nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820m) was 1:54.3. For Nunes the margin was surprising, given the weight and the opposition.

“Well, I mean, you know, I thought it would have been a little harder than that because of the weight,” Nunes said. “Clearly, Run Julie Run didn’t run her race today, and Don Kwesi, you know, he’s better than that as well so, clearly, we ran our race and they didn’t run theirs,” Nunes told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide. The trainer revealed the run was not the target, but the stepping stone.

“Yeah, well, we had to give him some time off because he had a small issue we had to deal with, and we dealt with it, and this was actually just a prep race for the Jamaica Cup. So, obviously, he passed it well so let’s hope he comes out good and we can continue on to where we want to go,” Nunes said. However, the bigger picture is the Mouttet Mile scheduled for December, and Nunes knows he must go to war with what he has.

“I have horses that are so far on the points list, they’re in there, but they have to improve to beat the likes of Rideallday and horses that are being imported,” he admitted. “So this year we’re going to have to stick to who we have here already, the likes of Barnaby and Nautical Star and those horses. So, you know, we will try our best with what we have here,” he further stated.