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Barnes much the best in the San Vicente (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Unbeaten Baffert Trainee Makes the Grade in Style
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. — Highly regarded 3-year-old Barnes, who was making just his second start and first in a stakes race Saturday, lived up to the hype when rolling to a dominant victory for trainer Bob Baffert in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes going seven furlongs at Santa Anita.
With Juan Hernandez aboard, Barnes dueled on the lead with McKinzie Street (12-1) through fractions of 22.65 and 45.10 seconds for the opening half mile. Barnes spurted away from McKinzie Street midway through the second turn and continued to race strongly through the stretch to win easily by 5 ½ lengths.
“He’s really good. I love him,” said Hernandez, who was riding Barnes for the first time. “He was aggressive down the backside but he’s still learning how to run. I like him because around the quarter pole he got off the bridle and was kind of looking around a little bit. But when I corrected him, he came back to me. I was really surprised how he finished today.”
Romanesque (7-1), also trained by Baffert with Mike Smith aboard, got up for second by a half-length over Bullard (1-1). Smooth Cruisein (33-1) and McKinzie Street completed the order of finish.
Barnes went off as the slight even-money favorite. He had $307 more in the win pool than Bullard, who was the morning line favorite. Barnes, a strapping son of Into Mischief, won in a time of 1:22.15.
“I knew he would run well,” Baffert said. “I was watching Juan, he knows the horse well, and he said he was a little green. But everyone who has worked him says he has another gear. They are all a little green. The second out is the most important for all these horses.”
In his debut going 5 ½ furlongs at Churchill Downs on Nov. 27, Barnes got up to win by a head. As a yearling, he was purchased at auction for $3.2 million by owner Zedan Racing.
“I’m happy for Amr (Zedan), he had to really stretch to get this horse,” Baffert said. “When you have clientele like that, it is everything.”
Baffert noted Barnes reminded him of none other than 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who he also trained.
“Body-wise he has a lot of American Pharoah in him,” Baffert said.
Barnes is named after Baffert’s longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes.
“They surprised me and I was honored,” Barnes said of having the colt named in his honor. “I was a little nervous, but it is working out well so far. I had a little bit of a knot in my stomach, but it will only get better after this.”
Barnes paid $4.00, $2.80 and $2.10. Romanesque returned $5.20 and $2.40. Bullard, ridden by Umberto Rispoli for trainer Michael McCarthy, paid $2.10.
