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Lazaro Sosa Barrera (May 8, 1924 – April 25, 1991) was aCuban-bornAmerican Hall of Famethoroughbredracehorse trainer.[1]
Born inHavana, "Laz" Barrera was one of nine brothers who went on to become involved inthoroughbred 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, during the 1940s Barrera moved toMexico to race horses at theHipodromo de las Americas inMexico City. There, he met California-based trainerHal King, who encouraged him to come to the United States. Barrera did and in 1971 trained his first AmericanStakes race winner. In the ensuing years, he built a solid reputation and in late 1975 was givenBold Forbes to train, who had been that year'sPuerto Rican two-year-old thoroughbred sprint champion. Racing in the U.S. in 1976 underjockeyÁngel Cordero Jr., Bold Forbes won several important races for Barrera including theWood Memorial Stakes in record time. He went on to win the most prestigious race of all, theKentucky Derby, finished third in thePreakness Stakes and, for a converted sprinter, pulled off a dramatic win in the 1½ mile-longBelmont Stakes.
Barrera's accomplishments led to an offer fromLouis & Patrice Wolfson to take over as head trainer for their Harbor View Farm inOcala,Marion County, Florida. There, he took charge ofAffirmed who, under 18-year-old jockeySteve Cauthen became one of the great horses in American racing history. Affirmed was a two-timeEclipse Award for Horse of the Year winner and wonEclipse Awards in each of the three years he raced. Barrera won 14 Grade 1 Stakes with Affirmed, the most by any stallion in history, and captured the 1978U.S. Triple Crown, the tenth trainer to sweep the races in a season. Since then, one trainer (D. Wayne Lukas) won all three of the Triple Crown races in 1995 with two horses (Thunder Gulch andTimber Country). Twenty years after this unique double,Bob Baffert won the traditional Triple Crown withAmerican Pharoah in 2015.
In a career that lasted almost 50 years, Barrera trained six champions and more than 140 American Stakes race winners. He was the leading money-winning trainer from 1977 to 1980 and became the only trainer to ever win four consecutive Eclipse Awards. In 1979, he was inducted into theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Barrera died in 1991. TheLazaro Barrera Memorial Stakes, a Grade II seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds atHollywood Park Racetrack, is named in his honor.