LEXINGTON, Ky. - Nearly one year after 's death, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner's two full brothers, 2-year-old Nicanor and an unnamed yearling, are doing well. But it's too soon to say whether either will be able to fill his brother's shoes.
Nicanor is in training with the Stephens Thoroughbreds operation of John and Jill Stephens in Morriston, Fla., the same place Barbaro received his early training. The colt has progressed to 1o1/4-mile gallops, according to John Stephens, and could have his first breeze about mid-February. When he's ready, Stephens will ship him on to trainer .
"He's physically a very attractive colt," Stephens said. "Conformationally, he's pretty correct, and substance-wise, he has some scope. He doesn't have the length of leg Barbaro had at this point. Barbaro was gawkier at this stage, and Nicanor is a more attractive horse at this point.
"But none of that means anything until they can outrun something in the afternoon," he added.
Gretchen Jackson, who will head to Florida to see Nicanor again in about a week, also takes a cautious view.
"There's such heavy expectation put on him," she said. "You try not to, and you just hope he does something."
Barbaro's youngest sibling, a 2007 Dynaformer colt, is still gamboling around a pasture with about a dozen other yearlings at Farm in Lexington. He is powerfully built but, like Nicanor and Barbaro, is of good size for his age.
"You can certainly see some Carson City coming out in him, because he has that muscling and stature," said Mill Ridge manager Bayne Welker. Their dam, La Ville Rouge, is by Carson City. "But his markings are more similar to Barbaro's than Nicanor's, because he has that star and a snip."
And the youngest brother appears to have some of the family charisma, Welker said.
"He is a spirited young horse who always feels good," he said. "He kind of has that aura around him."
For now, both bay colts are living out of the limelight, and that's good, say the horsemen overseeing their development.
"The Jacksons have been in this long enough to know there's no pressure," Stephens said. "We're all keeping it low-key, and Nicanor is getting to be a horse just like any other horse."
La Ville Rouge is not in foal this year, but plans call for her to be bred back to Dynaformer in February.
"I hope for the Barbaro fan base and for the Jacksons' sake that, somewhere down the line, La Ville Rouge catches lightning in a bottle a second time," Welker said.
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