The race drew a field of twelve, with Lentenor breaking from the seventh hole, jockey Kendrick Carmouche gets the mount. I know a lot of you probably haven't heard of Mr. Carmouche, but, trust me, Lentenor is in very capable hands under the guidance of Mr. Carmouche. Currently, he is in the top thirty in earning's for 2011 and his mounts have hit the top three in almost sixty percent of his starts.
I looked at the field, and no disrespect to the connections or the horses, but, this is a huge drop in class for Lentenor. Not really a surprise since it is his first race after the long layoff, and he most likely will need this race to get his legs back. With that said, I honestly will not be surprised if he wins, not expecting it, but it is a real possibility.
Looking back at Lentenor's races since his fourth place finish in the Florida Derby (Grade I): a third place finish in a Allowance optional claiming race, a seventh place in the Kent Stakes (Grade III), and another seventh place finish in a Allowance race. I honestly believe his injury might have existed in those races after the Florida Derby and it wasn't noticed until after he ran those races. His shoulder injury seems to be healed up completely judging by his works, so, he will be running comfortably and the only issue might be his fitness level. The forecast is for temperatures in the low 90's, which doesn't help either.
Here is the field:
1. Elidefeatspeyton Jockey K. Pellot Trainer R. Lima ML: 8-1
2. Tropic Sea Jockey F. Pennington Trainer W. Entenmann ML: 12-1
3. Jambonied Jockey J. Arce Trainer J. Guerrero ML: 12-1
4. Halton Gully Jockey I. Rosendo Trainer J. Servis ML: 10-1
5. Green Bluff Jockey O. Figueroa Trainer P. Farro ML: 6-1
6. Eze Does It Jockey K. Frey Trainer R. Preciado ML: 12-1
7. LENTENOR Jockey K. Carmouche Trainer L. Delacour ML: 5-2
8. Fourleaf Street Jockey R. Bracho Trainer J. Rodriguez ML: 20-1
9. Favorite Hour Jockey S. Elliott Trainer M. Trombetta ML: 8-1
10. Brasilier Jockey E. Vaz Trainer J. Pregman, Jr. ML: 7-2
11. Clare Castle Jockey V. Molina Trainer F. Meares ML: 20-1
12. Etarag Jockey J. Hampshire, Jr. Trainer G. Sandoval ML: 20-1
Even with the long layoff, I will go with Lentenor and Kendrick to win this race and progress forward to an exciting Fall and 2012 campaign.
I will be making the trek down to PARX for this race, nothing would have prevented me from attending Lentenor's return to the track. I will post my videos and photos when I return later Sunday night! I hope to get some in the winner's circle :)
Seriously, I just hope for a safe race for Lentenor and the rest of the field. In all likelihood, Leigh's instructions to the jockey will be not to push Lentenor and just let him run his race after his long layoff.
While it is a little bittersweet seeing Lentenor with a new trainer, I also think it is a exciting time for Lentenor and Mrs. Delacour. I know all of Lentenor's former connections will be watching and cheering Lentenor on in his return!
Godspeed Lentenor...
