Barese returns a winner in Rego Park

By Tom Law

Barese didn’t take long to give Dylan Davis a favorable impression Sunday at Aqueduct.

“I liked what I saw in the paddock; big boy, big stride,” Davis said.

About 15 minutes later, Barese ran to his looks and came from off the pace to win the $100,000 Rego Park for newly turned 3-year-old New York-breds in his first start in almost eight months. The son of the late New York-based leading freshman sire Laoban won the 6 ½-furlong Rego Park by 2 3/4 lengths over Agility with Daufuskie Island third and Unique Unions fourth in the field of nine.

“He’s a big boy and coming off the layoff, I was just trying to get a nice, comfortable break and that’s what he got,” Davis said. “They ran away from him, which I thought would happen, but he was handling the kickback well.”

“Nearing the five-eighths pole, he started getting a little aggressive with me and I thought it was better to not keep him behind those horses. I gave him a nice, clear spot in the four-path and just let him do his thing into the turn. Turning for home, he had plenty left and his big stride was able to keep going and going. He might want to handle more distance, but he handled this great.”

Owned by Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher and trained by Mike Maker, Barese hadn’t been out since winning a 5-furlong state-bred maiden May 21 at Belmont Park. He raced in midpack that day and won by a half-length over fellow Rego Park entrant Bali’s Shade as the even-money favorite.

Sent off the 9-2 second choice behind 3-5 choice G Munning, Barese raced sixth early while Unique Unions led uncontested through the opening quarter-mile in :22.64. Daufuskie Island, Bali’s Shade and G Munning chased to that point and Unique Unions continued on the lead into and around the far turn.

Unique Unions still led through the half in :46.91, cut the corner in front and still by a length led with a furlong to run. Agility, Daufuskie Island and Barese cut into the lead in midstretch and the latter fared the best while widest, taking the lead at the sixteenth pole and drawing off to win in 1:19.13 over the good and harrowed main track.

Bred by Becky Thomas’ Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lewis Lakin’s Lakland Farm, foaled at Sequel Thoroughbreds in Hudson and the third foal out of the unraced Successful Appeal mare Right Prevails, Barese was purchased by Maker for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale of 2-year-olds in training. Selling as Hip 6 and the second horse through the ring, the colt had breezed a furlong in :10.3 during presale workouts.

Barese prepped for his winning debut after the sale with Maker’s string at Churchill Downs’ off-site training center Trackside Louisville. He stayed in New York after his win, breezed once at Belmont in early June and once in early July at Saratoga Race Course before going to the sidelines. Barese returned to the work tab in early November, breezing five times at Trackside before returning to New York and breezing three times over Belmont’s training track in preparation for the Rego Park.

Right Prevails, a full sister to Grade 3 winner and 2005 Kentucky Derby runner-up Closing Argument, had produced one winner from two starters at the time of the Gulfstream sale. Her first winner, Barese’s 4-year-old full sister Breakfastatbonnies, improved to 3-1-1 in five starts with a 7 3/4-length victory in a 6-furlong allowance-optional Dec. 11 at Aqueduct. An $80,000 purchase by OWL Stable at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training, Breakfastatbonnies has earned $152,140. Thomas’ Sequel Bloodstock sold Barese and Breakfastatbonnies.

Right Prevails is also the dam of a filly by The Lieutenant and a New York-bred yearling colt by Mission Impazible, both bred in New York and co-bred by Sequel and Lakland.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/01/09/barese-returns-a-winner-in-rego-park/

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