Barber Road, a familiar face on the Triple Crown trail this year, is gearing up for a return to action in Arkansas at Oaklawn Park.
The sixth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and seventh-place runner in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Barber Road is pointed toward the $200,000 Tinsel Stakes Dec. 17 in his first start since the Triple Crown, according to trainer John Ortiz. The 1 1/8-mile Tinsel, for 3-year-olds and up, is over the same track and trip in which the 3-year-old Race Day colt ran second in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in the spring. He also hit the board in three other races at Oaklawn in early 2022.
"He's sitting on so many close calls at Oaklawn," said Ortiz, who trains the 3-year-old gray for former Walmart executive William Simon's WSS Racing. "We've got to get him a win over the track that he did so well over. We know he loves the track, so we're just excited to go ahead and get started with him. All his training is on schedule. We're basically working backwards from the 17th."
Ortiz said Barber Road's major local objective is the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles April 22. The Tinsel would serve as a bridge to major local Oaklawn Handicap preps like the $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 18 and the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles March 18.
With a record of 2-4-1 in 10 starts and earnings of $685,720, Barber Road is also eligible for allowance competition.
After running sixth in the Kentucky Derby and competing in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, Barber Road was sent to WinStar Farm in Kentucky for a lengthy vacation, Ortiz said. Barber Road flourished physically during his break, Ortiz said, gaining approximately 200 pounds and filling out a frame that his trainer characterized as immature.
"He has made a very big physical change from the summer, which is what I wanted to see. Excited to see how else he can improve," Ortiz said.
Barber Road resumed training around Labor Day at The Thoroughbred Center in Central Kentucky, and returned to the work tab Oct. 9. He recorded four more published workouts at The Thoroughbred Center before shipping to Oaklawn earlier this month. In his first local breeze this season at Oaklawn, Barber Road worked a half-mile in :49 1/5 Nov. 23.
"Everything's actually 100% on time for Oaklawn, which was our main goal and intention from the beginning, once we pulled the plug on him this summer," Ortiz said. "After the Belmont, my intention was to give him the rest of the year off and bring him back and campaign him extremely hard through Oaklawn and keep him going. Obviously, our main goal would be eventually to, hopefully, one day make it to the Breeders' Cup."
Nominations to the Tinsel close Dec. 2. Millionaire multiple grade 2 winner Lone Rock captured the inaugural running of the Tinsel last year for 2020 Oaklawn training champion Robertino Diodoro.
Ortiz was Oaklawn's co-fourth-leading trainer in 2021-22 with 27 victories. He has 36 stalls this season at Oaklawn.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
