NICANOR HANGS TOUGH IN FRIDAY FEATURE

**Please see the attached photo of Nicanor, credit NYRA, Adam Coglianese**

 

Friday, September 24, 2010

 

 

NICANOR HANGS TOUGH IN FRIDAY FEATURE

 

By Jon Forbes

 

ELMONT, N.Y. – Nicanor, a full-brother to the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, dictated the pace and dug in late to win Friday’s featured race at Belmont Park, a $52,000 optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.

 

Eager to make the lead, Nicanor set opening fractions of 24.97, 49.57, and 1:13.47 before No Inflation and Lemon Cream Pie lined up to his outside at the quarter pole. Ramon Dominguez set Nicanor down for the drive, and the colt opened up on those two rivals and held off a fast-closing Skipadate to prevail by a neck.

 

“There really wasn’t much pace on paper,” said Dominguez. “The No. 3 horse [No Inflation] looked like he had some tactical speed, but I was able to get in front and get away with slow fractions. He worked hard; when they came to him in the stretch, he fought back. He’s a pretty intense horse, that’s the best way to describe him.”

 

Nicanor, who returned $15.40 for a $2 win wager, covered the distance in 1:42.70.

 

“I was obviously pleased,” said winning trainer Michael Matz. “Ramon did a wonderful job riding him. He’s difficult to handle – he’s a bit headstrong – but Ramon got him to settle a little bit, and he finished up strong.”

 

Matz will determine Nicanor’s next start at a later date.

 

“We’ll have to see how he comes out of it,” said Matz.

 

Nicanor entered today’s race off three successive efforts at Delaware Park: a victory in an optional claimer on June 16, a third in an-off-the-turf renewal of the Sussex, and a sixth in the Eight Thirty on August 25.

 

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson of Lael Stable, Nicanor has posted of a record of 4-2-1 from 11 starts and has earned $127,990. In seven starts on the turf, the 4-year-old by Dynaformer out of La Ville Rouge has posted a record of 4-0-0.

 

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