Here Comes Francis should stay unbeaten in Carry Back
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Trainer Victor Barboza Jr. hedged his bets entering three horses in the $75,000 Carry Back Stakes on Friday at Gulfstream Park, but bettors will likely agree that he only needs one.
Here Comes Francis, an undefeated 3-year-old colt, will make his stakes debut off a two-month layoff and seems more than ready to tackle the seven-furlong dirt sprint. He has never trailed in two career starts and will break from the rail as the likely favorite in the field of seven 3-year-olds.
“The inside position isn’t always good, but in the horse’s last two races, he always started very fast,” Barboza said.
Purchased for $250,000 by Arcadia Michigan Stable at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale, the colt did not race as a juvenile but has quickly made up for lost time as a 3-year-old. In his debut at Gulfstream in March, he earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure while finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of next-out maiden winner Pursuitneversleeps.
In April, he shipped to Tampa Bay Downs for his first test against winners and found a softer field, easily kicking away to win a $53,000 allowance by 5 1/4 lengths. He has not raced since, but Barboza praised his colt for several sharp workouts during the break.
“The horse is in very good condition now and the distance is perfect for the horse,” Barboza said. “I’m very confident. He has very high class.”
Here Comes Francis has never been challenged on the front end, and though several Carry Back rivals have flashed early speed in the past, they may have issues keeping up. Emisael Jaramillo will be the third jockey to ride the colt in three starts.
While Luis Saez and Samuel Marin both moved north, Barboza expects this new riding arrangement to stick. The trainer said that his first-call jockey has grown familiar with the colt in training and is prepared for his front-running style.
One of the colt’s stablemates, Grand Joker, will not start in the Carry Back and will run in a claiming race on Saturday instead. Mati Gol, Barboza’s other entrant, is one of three switching from turf to dirt after finishing third in the $75,000 Roar last time out.
Forged Steel, a colt trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., has made his last three starts in stakes company on the grass, coming up short in the last two by less than a length. His last start on dirt was the last of his juvenile season, when he finished sixth in the Grade 3 Street Sense at Churchill Downs in October.
Big Paradise, a Florida-bred colt making his 3-year-old debut in open company for David Fawkes, could be the biggest threat to Here Comes Francis after more than seven months off. In his last start in November, he vied for the early lead and pulled away to beat statebreds in the $65,000 Juvenile Sprint by 2 1/4 lengths.
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