Luis Barrera, 80; Trained Summing, Winner of the 1981 Belmont Stakes
Luis Barrera, 80, who trained 1981 Belmont Stakes winner Summing, died Wednesday of a heart attack in New York.
Barrera, the brother of Hall of Fame trainer Laz Barrera, was found unconscious at his Belmont Park barn, New York Racing Assn. racing secretary Mike Lakow said.
Barrera was born in Havana and moved to the United States when he was 14.
He began his career as a trainer in 1966, and saddled his first winner, Betty Bull, at Garden State Park that year.
He helped his brother condition 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed and 1976 Kentucky Derby champion and Belmont Stakes winner Bold Forbes.
“He worked hard, and he was here all the time,” said Angel Cordero Jr., Bold Forbes’ jockey.
“What Laz and he did with Bold Forbes is one of the greatest training jobs I ever saw. Bold Forbes was a sprinter, and they got him to win the Belmont Stakes.”
Summing’s win in the Belmont spoiled Pleasant Colony’s bid to win the Triple Crown.
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