Barbaro's baby brother better on grass; go figure

Nicanor, 3-year-old brother of ill-fated Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, wired a field of second-level allowance horses today in a 9-furlong turf race at Delaware Park.

The Lael Stables colt is now 2-for-2 on the grass, and I'm left wondering what took trainer Michael Matz so long to get him on the lawn. He placed twice in three straight starts over dirt tracks, but seems clearly a more talented horse on turf, as his maiden-breaking 104 Beyer at Delaware on May 13 suggests.

Barbaro also broke maiden on grass, at first asking, then won the Laurel Futurity and Tropical Park Derby-G3 over turf courses before he was sent to the dirt on the Kentucky Derby trail. Were I in Matz's position (I wish) I think turf would've been my first choice for this Dynaformer colt, as well. (Not sure whether any of the first three starts might have been taken off the turf.)

The Blood-Horse is suggesting stakes company might be in the offing next out.