BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - He fills his big brother's old space, Stall 4 in Barn 7 at the Palm Meadows training center. But Nicanor, an unraced 3-year-old, obviously has a long way to go to fill his big brother's shoes.

Nicanor is by Dynaformer out of the Carson City mare La Ville Rouge, making him a full brother to the legendary Barbaro. His connections are the same: Roy and Gretchen Jackson will race the colt in their Lael Stable silks, and Michael Matz trains him.

Nicanor has been in training since April, save a spell in late summer and early fall when Matz said the colt "was just growing too much." During his time on the track at Fair Hill in Maryland and at Palm Meadows, Nicanor has shown glimpses of promise, and it won't be long until the colt makes his career debut in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park.

"It'll be the end of the month, maybe early February," said Matz.

Nicanor is grand-looking, standing nearly 17 hands, which has been a primary reason that Matz has taken his time with him. Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner whose legacy was sealed by the eight-month fight for his life following his breakdown in the Preakness, was more precocious, owning a 3-for-3 record at this stage of his career, including wins in the Laurel Futurity and Tropical Park Derby.

Nicanor, said Matz, "is a really nice colt, I think. Can he do some of the things his brother did? Obviously that would be asking a lot. But yeah, I'm very, very happy to have him in the barn."

Nicanor will be the third foal to race from La Ville Rouge. Holy Ground, a 7-year-old by Saint Ballado, was a minor stakes winner before retiring late in his 3-year-old season after nine starts. Barbaro, euthanized nearly two years ago, would have been 6 this year. A 5-year-old horse from the mare - Man in Havana, by Quiet American - has never raced.

Nicanor shows a steady workout pattern since early December, with his latest Palm Meadows workout coming Sunday, a five-furlong dirt move in 1:01.35, handily. Matz said he is undecided about whether to start off the colt on dirt or turf. As was the case with Barbaro, his pedigree suggests he might fare better on grass, but Barbaro, by winning the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby, clearly demonstrated that he could excel on either surface.

Nicanor "has just now started coming into himself the last month or so," said Matz. "He's started acting like he really wants to do it. He's become more aggressive, more competitive. He's actually doing quite well, so naturally we're looking forward to getting him to the races one day soon."

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