The US-bred five-year-old bay horse, Barnaby, executed a complete tactical reversal in the three-year-old and up Grade 1 Distinctly Irish Trophy, run over nine furlongs and 25 yards on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Having established a reputation across 15 prior career starts as a dedicated late closer, the Anthony Nunes-trained colt initially assumed his familiar position. Ridden by jockey Raddesh Roman, Barnaby dropped to the rear of the reduced five-horse field early, conserving distance along the inside rail while the front-runners set the pace through the opening bend.
As the field navigated the backstretch of the two-turn contest, the raceday commentator made it clear … “Run Julie Run on the lead followed by Neo Star, Don Kwesi, Miss Grove…and Barnaby at the back.”
The race's defining tactical shift occurred leaving the four-furlong pole. Departing from his standard late-closing trajectory, Barnaby launched a sustained mid-race move along the backstretch. He circled the entire field within a furlong, sweeping past all four opponents to assert total command before hitting the quarter-pole and turning into the homestretch with a decisive advantage.
Rather than exhausting his energy, Barnaby continued to extend his margin through the final two furlongs. Even under tender hand-riding from Roman down the straight, he pulled clear of the chasing group to draw off by a margin of 28 lengths. He covered the distance in 1:54.3, recording fractional splits of 25.0 for the quarter-mile, 49.0 for the half-mile, 1:13.4 for six furlongs, and 1:40.0 for the mile.
Don Kwesi, under Jaheim Anderson, finished second, followed by Neo Star (Shane Richardson) in third, Miss Grove (Romane Gordon) in fourth, and early leader Run Julie Run (Tajay Suckoo) trailing home last of the five runners. King Piye was a late non-starter.
The victory elevated Barnaby’s record to seven wins from 16 lifetime starts, including three wins from eight appearances in 2026, and pushed his total career earnings past $4 million.
