Barnes

With so many horses congesting the dressing rooms before the Breeders' Cup, the stage felt undeniably empty last weekend. Few, even so, will have been too intrigued by a French-bred Grade III winner over 12 furlongs of grass. After all, Venencia (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}) was bred from a mare meanwhile sold for just €17,000. Yet there won't be another page quite like this one, full of quirks and quality, in the Keeneland November Sale. Two things leap out straightaway. One is that damsire and grandsire are by full brothers. That...

Zedan Racing's Barnes (c, 3, Into Mischief--All American Dream, by American Pharoah), a $3.2-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, has always been heavy on promise, but perhaps lighter than hoped on actual visits to the winner's circle. That changed Saturday in Keeneland's GIII Perryville Stakes when the bay sophomore left no doubt as to his prowess with a 8 1/4-length tour de force over the Lexington oval. With just five to post in the Perryville, it was recent Churchill allowance winner Taylor's Version (Into Mischief) who set the :21.69 first quarter pace....

St Elias Stable's Captain Cook (Practical Joke), a heartbreaking second at 20-1 in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. at Saratoga Aug. 23, will be favored to register a first career graded success in Saturday's GIII Perryville S. at Keeneland. Winner of the Withers S. in February, the 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' was making his first start for Todd Pletcher in the Allen Jerkens. The field of six for the Perryville also includes GII San Vicente S. winner and Allen Jerkens third Barnes (Into Mischief) and GIII...

Morgane Kervarrec knows she's not exactly known for being the most outgoing person on the backside. But for her, the job has never been about small talk or making appearances. It's about the work, the horses, and the quiet rhythm of morning training at Santa Anita. "People will say sometimes that maybe I'm not really social," Kervarrec admitted. "It's not that I'm tired of being social. I'm just tired of fake connections with people that you don't get with animals. That's why I picked this job. You deal less with...

For a mere 50 cents if you had the gumption to exclude heavy favorite Barnes (Into Mischief) from your Trifecta tickets in the GII Gallant Bob Stakes at Park on Saturday and called cold longshots 23-1 Mad House (Vekoma), 83-1 Gateskeeper (Instagrand) and 56-1 Fire Pit (Cairo Prince), then your play would have netted $3,889.50. Kaboom! Mad House came into his first graded opportunity here after three straight visits to the winner's circle at Canterbury in Minnesota. The broke his maiden at fifth asking by an eye-catching 11 1/2 lengths...

The cars scooting along on the nearby Pennsylvania Turnpike may have little from a speed standpoint on Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby in Northeast Philly, as the pace looks to be very much on and that could help those with stalking or closing ability in the final age-restricted Grade I of the season around two turns. But make no mistake: speed has been king--by and large--in the $1-million contest over the past dozen years or so. The Bob Baffert-trained Bayern (Offlee Wild)--next-out winner of a much-discussed GI Breeders' Cup Classic--future champion...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When the horse who became known as Barnes (Into Mischief) came into the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a couple years ago, there was hype. That happens when the price tag he brought at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale read $3.2 million. And to make things even more interesting, the horse was named for Jimmy Barnes, Baffert's long-time assistant. "Oh, that pressure is gone," Baffert said with a laugh by phone from his summer base at Del Mar. Big things were expected...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is sending a strong contingent to Saratoga Race Course for Travers Day next Saturday. But he won't have a runner in the marquee event, the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Baffert said Wednesday that he is keeping 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time) in California. He had originally been planning on shipping the lightly raced colt East but nixed that idea after Goal Oriented worked at Del Mar on Friday. He went seven furlongs in a 1:23.80 (1/2). "He...

A Flightline half-sister (hip 34) to GSW Barnes (Into Mischief) brought $1,100,000 from West Point Thoroughbreds as the first offering by the Horse of the Year to come through the ring Monday at Saratoga from the Indian Creek consignment. First dam All American Dream is a half to English MGSP Wind Fire (Distorted Humor).   Hip 34 f. FLIGHTLINE o/o All American Dream sells for $1,100,000 at The Saratoga Sale! Congrats to the connections: B: @westpointtbred, L.E.B., agt C: @IndianCreekKy, agt Br: Jeff Brown & Don Rachel#FasigSaratoga @LanesEndFarms pic.twitter.com/vsa1jXZimX —...

The first yearling by champion Flightline to sell in the U.S. will go through the sales ring early during Monday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and the filly, bred by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel and consigned by Indian Creek, is from a family that has already enjoyed a heady day at the Humphrey S. Finney pavilion. Out of All American Dream (American Pharoah), hip 34 is a half-sister to graded-stakes winning Barnes (Into Mischief), who sold for $3.2 million at the 2023 Saratoga sale. Hip 34 will...

GI Kentucky Derby third-place runner Baeza (McKinzie) returned to the work tab Friday at Santa Anita with an easy four-furlong drill in :53.60 (43/43) for trainer John Shirreffs. He was joined on the tab by fellow 3-year-old Barnes (Into Mischief) who also worked four furlongs (:48.00 {6/43}) for the first time since finishing last of five in the GI Santa Anita Derby April 5 for trainer Bob Baffert. After choosing to skip Saturday's GI Preakness Stakes, Baeza is slated to start next in the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga June...

Journalism (c, 3, Curlin--Mopotism, by Uncle Mo) lived up to his billing and then some. In possibly the most anticipated Derby prep of this year, Journalism proved he was the real deal Saturday in the GI Santa Anita Derby and will go to Louisville as the GI Kentucky Derby favorite. The Santa Anita Derby rewarded points on a scale of 75-37.5-18.75 on the Road to the Derby (reduced due to a smaller field), giving Journalism 122.50 points total and a guaranteed spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. In...