Laz Barrera
Encyclopedia
Lazaro Sosa Barrera was a Cuba
n-born American Hall of Fame
thoroughbred
racehorse trainer
.
Born in Havana
, "Laz" Barrera was one of nine brothers who went on to become involved in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States
. While in his teens, he began working at a racetrack in his native Cuba and within a few years was one of the country's most respected young trainers.
Seeking increased opportunities in a larger market, in the 1940s Barrera moved to Mexico
to race horses at the Hipodromo de las Americas
in Mexico City
. There, he met California-based trainer Hal King
, who encouraged him to come to the United States. Barrera did, and in 1971 trained his first American Stakes race winner. In the ensuing years he built a solid reputation and in late 1975 was given Bold Forbes
to train who had been that year's Puerto Rican
two-year-old thoroughbred sprint champion. Racing in the U.S. in 1976 under jockey
Angel Cordero, Jr., Bold Forbes won several important races for Barrera including the Wood Memorial Stakes
in record time. He went on to win the most prestigious race of all, the Kentucky Derby
, finished third in the Preakness Stakes
and, for a converted sprinter, pulled off a dramatic win in the 1½ mile long Belmont Stakes
.
Barrera's accomplishments led to an offer from Louis & Patrice Wolfson
to take over as head trainer for their Harbor View Farm in Ocala
, Marion County
, Florida
. There, Barrera took charge of a horse named Affirmed
who, under 18-year-old jockey Steve Cauthen
, would become one of the great horses in American racing history. Affirmed was a two-time Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
winner and won Eclipse Award
s in each of the three years he raced. Laz Barrera won fourteen Grade 1 Stakes races with Affirmed, the most by any stallion in history, and earned racing immortality by capturing the 1978 U.S. Triple Crown
, the last horse to do so. Since then, one trainer (D. Wayne Lukas
) has won all three of the Triple Crown races, in 1995 when he trained two horses (Thunder Gulch
and Timber Country
) for his sweep. But since the 1995 Triple Crown races were not won with the same horse, he is not recognized as a Triple Crown winner.
In a career that lasted almost fifty years, Laz Barrera trained six champions and more than 140 American Stakes race winners. He was the leading money-winning trainer from 1977 to 1980 and in the process became the only trainer to ever win four consecutive Eclipse Awards. In 1979, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
.
Laz Barrera died in 1991; the Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes
a Grade II seven furlong race for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park Racetrack is named in his honor.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-born American Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
.
Born in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, "Laz" Barrera was one of nine brothers who went on to become involved in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While in his teens, he began working at a racetrack in his native Cuba and within a few years was one of the country's most respected young trainers.
Seeking increased opportunities in a larger market, in the 1940s Barrera moved to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to race horses at the Hipodromo de las Americas
Hipódromo de las Américas
Hipódromo de las Américas is a thoroughbred and quarter-horse race track in Mexico City, Mexico that had its inaugural meeting on March 6, 1943. It is located approximately four and one-half miles from the downtown district, on Lomas de Sotelo, Mexico City...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. There, he met California-based trainer Hal King
Hal King
Harold King , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played catcher from -. He played for the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Cincinnati Reds....
, who encouraged him to come to the United States. Barrera did, and in 1971 trained his first American Stakes race winner. In the ensuing years he built a solid reputation and in late 1975 was given Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes
Bold Forbes was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.-Beginnings:...
to train who had been that year's Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
two-year-old thoroughbred sprint champion. Racing in the U.S. in 1976 under jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Angel Cordero, Jr., Bold Forbes won several important races for Barrera including the Wood Memorial Stakes
Wood Memorial Stakes
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
in record time. He went on to win the most prestigious race of all, the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, finished third in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and, for a converted sprinter, pulled off a dramatic win in the 1½ mile long Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
Barrera's accomplishments led to an offer from Louis & Patrice Wolfson
Louis Wolfson
Louis Elwood Wolfson was a Wall Street financier and one of the first modern corporate raiders, labeled by Time Magazine as such in a 1956 article...
to take over as head trainer for their Harbor View Farm in Ocala
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. There, Barrera took charge of a horse named Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
who, under 18-year-old jockey Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen is a retired American jockey.Cauthen, the son of a trainer and a farrier, grew up in Walton, Kentucky around horses, which made race-riding a logical career choice. He rode his first race on May 12, 1976 at Churchill Downs; he finished last, riding King of Swat...
, would become one of the great horses in American racing history. Affirmed was a two-time Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
winner and won Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
s in each of the three years he raced. Laz Barrera won fourteen Grade 1 Stakes races with Affirmed, the most by any stallion in history, and earned racing immortality by capturing the 1978 U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
, the last horse to do so. Since then, one trainer (D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
) has won all three of the Triple Crown races, in 1995 when he trained two horses (Thunder Gulch
Thunder Gulch
Thunder Gulch is a Champion American thoroughbred racehorse who left the starting gate at 25-1 odds in 1995 and went on to win the Kentucky Derby in 2:01.2 from post 16. He was ridden by jockey Gary Stevens. D...
and Timber Country
Timber Country
Timber Country is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first horse to ever win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile then go on to win one of the U.S. Triple Crown races for three-year-olds....
) for his sweep. But since the 1995 Triple Crown races were not won with the same horse, he is not recognized as a Triple Crown winner.
In a career that lasted almost fifty years, Laz Barrera trained six champions and more than 140 American Stakes race winners. He was the leading money-winning trainer from 1977 to 1980 and in the process became the only trainer to ever win four consecutive Eclipse Awards. In 1979, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
.
Laz Barrera died in 1991; the Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes
Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes
The Lazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of May at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California...
a Grade II seven furlong race for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park Racetrack is named in his honor.