V86® (jackpot): Was retired – now Barack face returns for Lutfi Kolgjini
He had actually hung up his racing shoes. But now he is back anyway. Star trotter Barack Face makes a somewhat sensational return to the entries on Wednesday – now trained by Lutfi Kolgjini. "I decided we would try to get him going again and see what the hell would happen, simply," says "Ludde" ahead of the comeback.
Runner-up in the Derby and winner of the European Derby as a four-year-old.
But the past seasons were plagued by setbacks and after being scratched ahead of a planned comeback last fall, the Kolgjini stable announced that 8 Barack Face (V86-3) would end his racing career to instead focus fully on breeding.
But then rumors started circulating that the six-time millionaire might not have been retired for good after all.
When V86 is decided on Wednesday, he is also back – and is listed under "amateur trainer" Lutfi Kolgjini.
"You could see out in the paddock that he was starting to recover, so to speak. It turned out he had a bacterial infection in his lungs that required a long course of antibiotics to clear. But when he had been doing well for a couple of months, I decided we would try to get him going again and see what the hell would happen, simply… Everything seems fine with him again and he is handling his work at home as he should," says "Ludde".
You never know with a horse like that
The last, or rather most recent, start for Barack Face was almost exactly a year ago when he finished unplaced in the Copenhagen Cup.
Wednesday’s comeback in the Aprilsprintern at Jägersro will primarily be a test of where the horse stands at the moment.
"He has trained very well and we are pleased with him now, but at the same time we are not putting any demands on him. The main thing is that he delivers a good performance and shows that he wants to come back. We also got a bad draw, post eight over 1,640 meters is normally very tough even if you never know with a horse of this caliber. He could very well win, but he could also be excellent and still only finish fourth."
What is the fastest he has been in training?
"The fastest he has gone is 1:15 over 1,600 meters at home on the straight. So he has not been to Jägersro for any fast work at all, I have not wanted to expose him to any unnecessary stress."
What goals have you set for Barack Face?
"None at all. Nothing more than hopefully delivering a very good performance on Wednesday, then we will evaluate how he feels after that and set the bar going forward," says Lutfi, adding about the highly interesting appearance on V86®:
"I think he will deliver a very nice performance, I am quite sure of that, but how far that will take him is probably still written in the stars."
Salahdin a guaranteed winner – if he behaves
Lutfi Kolgjini handed over the main responsibility for the training operation in Vomb in 2018 to his son Adrian and after not holding a license at all in 2024, he made a comeback himself last year with the title "amateur trainer".
Nowadays around twenty horses are on "Ludde’s" list – and things seem to be going very well.
Last Friday his Milady Josselyn won an elimination for the Drottning Silvias Pokal in impressive style, to many people’s surprise.
Not to the trainer.
"It is a shame you cannot bet… I almost knew she would deliver a top-class performance. She trotted 1:14 over the full distance the start before and needed that start since she had not raced since February and before that not for five months. So I was not surprised, she's a top mare."
Things are going quite well then?
"Yes, it is fun to train horses now and fun to have horses of this quality. But we will see when fall comes, then maybe I will quit… But now it is spring and we are looking forward."
The fact is that Kolgjini senior actually has another strong contender for this week’s V86.
After a troubled start to his career, the well-bred 4 Salahdin (V86-5) now seems to have found his stride and comes into Wednesday’s start with two straight wins.
"He's a guaranteed winner if he does not mess things up. I do not think he has a superior rival in this class. But he gets a bit tense when he comes to the track. That is also why I am racing him fairly frequently now, so he learns and gets used to it. At home the horse is perfect and has probably never put a foot wrong, but it is when he gets to the track that he becomes a bit tricky to drive. But he will learn that over time."
So just single him?
"Yes, just single him… and hope and pray," laughs Lutfi Kolgjini.