Five-year-old American-bred bay horse Barnaby defied the odds to win the Lloyd Lindbergh “Lindy” Delapenha Memorial Trophy feature race on Sunday, February 8, 2026.

Barnaby’s journey to the winner’s circle was nothing short of miraculous, considering he had to deal with a gruelling six-month layoff.

As Barnaby crossed the finish line, a wave of emotion washed over his trainer, Anthony “Baba” Nunes, who couldn’t hold back tears of joy.

“I am emotional because we almost lost him six months ago. Just to have him make it back was a win for me,” Nunes said, his voice trembling with gratitude.

Barnaby, under a masterful ride from champion jockey Raddesh “Sneaky Fox” Roman, pulled off an exciting win, edging out stablemate Neo Star by three-parts of a length in the Overnight Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over one mile (1,600m). Rainsville finished third.

Nunes’ words spoke volumes about the resilience of Barnaby.

“It wasn’t about winning or losing for Barnaby, it was that he had made it back to the races,” Nunes continued, his voice filled with pride.

“It was a long road and the team really did a good job to get him back. Neo Star is owned by another owner in my barn as well, Mr Kerr, and so if he had won it would have been great also,” Nunes added.

Barnaby trained in fifth position, as Neo Star (Javaniel Patterson) and Strike Smart (Emelio McLean) battled for the lead down the backstretch. However, Roman waited for the perfect moment to strike and
Barnaby responded by switching gears in deep stretch to snatch the win. The final time was 1:39.2 (25.0 x 49.0 x 1:14.1 x 1:26.2).

Roman praised Barnaby’s gritty performance, acknowledging the colt’s tendency to save his best for last. “To the calibre of horse he is… I knew he could win easier. But I had a rough trip, had to pull him at some point and cut back on his stride, and he took a while to develop,” Roman said.

Despite the challenges, Roman remained confident throughout the race.

“I wasn’t worried at any point during the race,” he said.

“It was a very good performance because when I straightened up and I asked him to run, he gave me everything.” Roman shared.

Trainer Anthony Nunes (left) inspects his charge Barnaby after the running of the $1.25-million Lloyd Lindbergh “Lindy” Delapenha Memorial Trophy on Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Ph0to: Karl Mclarty)

Barnaby (#2-Raddesh Roman) gets up in time to beat stablemate Neo Star (Javaniel Patterson) in the $1.25-million Lloyd Lindbergh “Lindy” Delapenha Memorial Trophy on Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)