Lentenor Racing Tomorrow, Tuesday August 23rd !!!

Lentenor will be making his second start back after his break, racing at his home track, Delaware Park tomorrow, tuesday August 23rd.  This will be Lentenor's third race at Delaware Park.  In his two previous races at Delaware Park, he finished 3rd in a allowance optional claiming race back on August 24, 2010, and, he finished 7th back on September 25, 2010, in the Kent Stakes (Grade III).  Looking back, I don't think either one of these races are a reflection of Lentenor's talent since I believe he was dealing with his shoulder injury that went un-detected, and was later found, that is just my opinion.


He is entered in a $40,000 allowance optional claiming race (no tag on Lentenor!), with a purse of $38,000.  The race will be run on the turf at a distance of a mile, with the rails set at 25 feet.  Kendrick Carmouche will retain the mount on Lentenor after guiding him to the winner's circle on July 31st at PARX racetrack.  I am excited and a little surprised that Mr. Carmouche will get the mount, pleasantly surprised I should say.  I think Kendrick rode Lentenor smartly in his last race, he knew he was on the best horse that day, and just waited patiently until he could make his move, guiding Lentenor like he was a high performance race car through the traffic and hitting the finish line at just the right time, in first!


With the quick turn around and the step up in competition for Lentenor and Kendrick, plus the potential of a big field, this will be a good test for Lentenor and what races he is pointed towards down the road.  You have a potential field of 14 for the race, with one being a main track only entry and four being "also eligible" entries.  Lentenor will be breaking from the one hole, I think this will be a good place for Lentenor considering the size of the field.  If Kendrick can get a clean break, look for Lentenor to be third or fourth going into the first turn on the rail.  Lentenor will not have the luxury he had in the last race, where he was near the back most of the race before making his winning move.  This field is a better class of horses, he will have to be stalking near the front to have any chance of winning.  Another huge favorite of mine is also entered in the race.  The five year old colt Roddickton will be breaking from gate position three.  This will be Roddickton's first start with his new connections, after being sold in a private sale after his last race on July 23rd at Saratoga.  In that race, Roddickton failed to fire and finished a disappointing sixth, after winning three straight races.  Roddickton was trained by Mr. Matz his whole career, and it will be very interesting to see how he does first time out with his new connections.  I will be very happy if we have a Lentenor/Roddickton exacta!!  In fact, that is my prediction, Lentenor will win the race, Roddickton second, and Gaither Draw finishing out the top three.  Lentenor is the class of the race and will be your post time favorite.




I will be making the trek down to Delaware Park once again, photos of Lentenor in the winner's circle to follow....



Good luck to all, and a safe race for all!!!



The field:


Post position---Horse---Weight---Jockey---Last three starts---Trainer

1.   Lentenor, 124 pounds, Kendrick Carmouche,  1st-7th-7th, Leigh Delacour

2.   They Call Me Giant, 118 pounds, J. Valdivia,  6th-2nd-4th,  Breen

3.   Roddickton, 124 pounds,  Sheldon Russell, 6th-1st-1st,  Neil Morris

4.   Silver Eagle,118 pounds,  E. Perez, 7th-4th-4th,  Ashikian

5.   Mr. Irons, 118 pounds,  F. Boyce, 3rd-1st-10th,  Abbott

6.   Gaither Draw, 119 pounds,  A. Castellano, 5th-1st-1st,  Hobby

7.   Istishaary(L), 118 pounds,  C. Hill, 6th-1st-1st,   McLaughlin

8.   Just a Coincidence, 121 pounds,  R. Vazquez,  2nd-1st-7th,  Moquett (Main track entry only)

9.   Inauguration(L), 118 pounds, J. Pimentel, 6th-4th-4th,  Sheppard

10.  Uncle Brent(L), 116 pounds,  J. Rocco, 2nd-7th-9th,  Whiting

11.  Que Paso, 121 pounds,  R. Vazquez, 7th-2nd-6th,  Frost (also eligible entry)

12.  Crimson Comic, 118 pounds,  L. Garcia, 7th-3rd-4th,  Shuman (also eligible entry)

13.  Blazen, 124 pounds,  J. Rose, 4th-1st-3rd,  Pecoraro (also eligible entry)

14.  Open Outcry, 118 pounds,  J. Pimentel, 8th-3rd-1st,  Coletti (also eligible entry)

Godspeed Lentenor...

Photos from Lentenor's last race:
















Photo of Roddickton getting some rest, taken at Fair Hill back on November 7, 2009 (Thanks Elaine!!!):

Lentenor Makes a Victorious Return!

After nearly ten months since his last race, being transeferred to a new trainer, racing at a track he had never been at,  racing in temperatures over ninety degrees, Lentenor overcame all of this and ran a great race and made his second trip to the winner's circle in nine starts!  When Lentenor is healthy, the sky is the limit in what he can accomplish on the track, IMHO.


I will add more tonight, but, I just wanted to post my photos and video first.


It really was a wonderful, exciting day!  It was great meeting up with everyone at PARX!


Happy for all involved in this victory for Lentenor!


To everyone in the Michael Matz barn, Leigh Delacour's barn, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, jockey Kendrick Carmouche, and of course, Lentenor, all of you should celebrate in Lentenor's victory!






First, here is a link to the replay on Bloodhorse:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/videos/race-replays/USA/PRX/2011/7/31/8/parx-racing-race-8



Second, here is a link to my friend Elaine's photos.  With her amazing eye and powerful camera, she truly captures the brilliant Lentenor!  Thank you Elaine :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekdeutsch/sets/72157627326837242/with/5996213464/




Video of Lentenor in the Paddock at PARX Racetrack, July 31, 2011










Photos of Lentenor before and after his victory!


































































Godspeed Lentenor...

Lentenor Makes His Return Sunday, July 31st at PARX Racetrack.

After over ten months since his last start, four year old Lentenor will be making his first start for his new trainer, Leigh Delacour.  Lentenor will be racing at PARX Racetrack in Bensalem, Pennsylvania in a $47,000 Allowance race on the turf at a distance of one mile and seventy yards, post time is 3:22 eastern time.

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...

Nicanor and Lentenor Join New Trainer

Nicanor and Lentenor have been transfered to a new trainer, her name is Leigh Delacour, who is based at Fair Hill in Maryland.

So much happens out of the public eye, and, this could benefit all involved (I hope).

The news about Nicanor having a new trainer was actually public knowledge a couple of weeks ago when the nominations for the $250,000 Monmouth Stakes (Grade III) came out, Leigh Delacour was listed as Nicanor's trainer.

Brief bio about Leigh Delacour from her website (http://www.delacourstable.com/):

Leigh Delacour (formerly Leigh Offutt) grew up in Maryland horse country, and had an early career in Fox Hunting and Pony racing, which lead to Amateur racing, an education from the University of Virginia and eventually the stable of  Graham Motion.  She began as a rider in Motions operation and rose to a traveling assistant, a career that spanned more than 10 years. While with Motion, Leigh had the opportunity to see many top tracks and make the acquaintance of Arnaud Delacour.

Arnaud Delacour a native of Normandy, France began  his horse education on the farm, his child hood home, with layups and mares.  He pursued a career in racing by riding in England and returning to France as assistant for Royer Alain De Royer Dupre  in Chantilly.  Arnaud wanted to see more of the world and came to America in 1999 as a rider for Christope Clement for a year, still interested in what her could learn, Arnaud  traveled to Argentina to work in racing for a year before returning as assistant for Clement in America. A position he enjoyed for 7 years and met his future wife.

Arnaud and Leigh Delacour were married and began training together in 2007.  Delacour Stable was created.  Delacour Stable campaigns runners out of their base of Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland in the summer. Traveling to tracks across the east coast. Including, but not limited to, Delaware Park, Laurel Park, Philadelphia Park, Presquille Downs, Pen National, Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Woodbine, Saratoga, Colonial Downs, Charles Town, and Mountaineer.  In the winter the team is based at Tampa Bay Downs in sunny Florida.

Leigh Delacour's record this year:

99 Starts, 14 Wins, 12 Seconds, 16 Thirds, Earning's of $284,050.

Career record:

619 Starts, 120 Wins, 82 Seconds, 108 Thirds, Earning's of $2,475,469.


More info on Leigh (from Tampa Bay Downs website):

http://www.tampabaydowns.com/Racing/NewsandMedia/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseId=391



What can I say?  I wish nothing but the best for all parties involved.  Just extremely sad for everyone that worked with both brothers over the years, they are family to them and this must have broke their hearts.


The Jacksons know what they are doing and if they think this is best for Nicanor and Lentenor, then I trust them completely.  This had to be the hardest decision for them to make, but not a decision that they made overnight.  We need to respect their decision and remember, THEY know what happens behind the scenes and they would not have made this call if they didn't think it would be in the best interest for both brothers.


Take good care of the Brothers Leigh...




Leigh Delacour




Photos I took of Nicanor prior to his race at Belmont Park on May 12, 2011:
























This great photo was taken by Elaine Deutsch (thanks Elaine!)








Some photos I have taken of Lentenor the past couple of years:























Godspeed Nicanor and Lentenor...