Barnaby’s impressive 3 ½-length romp in the $2-million Chairman’s Trophy feature on Saturday, February 22, 2025 left no doubt that this four-year-old American-bred bay colt is a sizeable force for future engagements.

Crossing the wire in a time of 1:31.2 (23,1 x 45.3 x 1:12.0 x 1:24.4) in the Graded Stakes/Open Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over 7 1/2 furlongs (1,500m), Barnaby’s dominance was a testament to his rapidly rising star. Ridden by Tevin Foster, Barnaby won ahead of two-time Horse of the Year
Atomica, with the improving California Crown getting third place.

Trainer Anthony Nunes was ecstatic with the performance, and his praise was effusive.

“I thought the performance was pretty good,” Nunes told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.

“He hasn’t raced since January 1, and I would love to see this horse go two turns, to be honest, so I am pleading with the racing office to give us a two-turn race. He really wants to go long,” he added.

Nunes’ enthusiasm was matched by his insight into Barnaby’s strengths and weaknesses.

“As you could see, coming away from the starting gates he was not the best out, he doesn’t get into the race too tough in the early part, but once he gets rolling, he has a nice pace. Even from the half-mile pole, if everything panned out the way it looked, he had them from there,” Nunes said.

The trainer also reflected on Barnaby’s growth since his arrival last year.

“When he came here last year for the Mouttet Mile, he only had five starts in the United States, so he was actually a fairly young horse, immature regarding the number of races he ran in. Now this is his fourth start here, and so, I mean, I think he learns every day, and we are also learning from him,” said Nunes.

Nunes credited the switch to jockey Tevin Foster for helping Barnaby relax in the mornings and conserve energy for the races.

“He is fairly strong in the mornings and so that was one of the reasons why we made a switch with the rider. Omar Walker didn’t do anything wrong, but we got Tevin to get him to relax in the mornings and not have him pace away, so I think it is a part of the progress, and I will think he will improve as he goes along as a four-year-old,” explained Nunes.

Barnaby bided his time off the pace as the six-horse field thundered down the backstretch, with Mamma Mia (Jerome Innis) setting the early fractions ahead of Atomica (Dane Dawkins), California Crown (Ismael Velasquez), and Pack Plays (Shane Ellis). But as the field approached the half-mile (800m) turn, Barnaby began to stir, his powerful gallop eating up ground as he gained on the leaders.

Atomica took over by then, attempting to break the field’s spirit with a bold bid for the lead. But Foster was waiting for his cue, and as they turned for home he asked Barnaby to unleash his full fury. In a dazzling display of speed and agility, Barnaby surged forward, weaving past his rivals with ease to confront
Atomica in a brief but intense battle for supremacy.

But Barnaby was unstoppable, shifting gears with effortless ease as he powered home to a convincing victory, leaving his rivals in his wake.

Ajax Bjorn, owner of Barnaby, was beaming with pride after his horse’s convincing win.

“I’m pleased with the progress he’s made since arriving here. We brought him to Jamaica with a long-term plan in mind, focusing on the Mouttet Mile, not just for last year, but also for this year and next year,” Bjorn said.

Bjorn reflected on the disappointing start to Barnaby’s Mouttet Mile campaign last year, when the horse was stuck in the starting gate for six minutes.

“He got stuck in the stall for six minutes before the Mouttet Mile got going last year to at least compete. We can see by his time here that he could have competed if we had a better service at the starting gates at the beginning,” he said.

With the Chairman’s Trophy serving as a stepping stone to bigger things to come, Bjorn’s sights are already set on December for the Mouttet Mile.

“That’s our ultimate goal. December is the goal, and anything before that doesn’t matter. This is just a prep race. I am happy with everything,” he ended.