Two-Time Graded Stakes Winner Barnes Retired to Stud

Hill 'n' Dale announced Dec. 29 that multiple graded stakes winner Barnes, a son of multiple leading sire Into Mischief, has been retired and will take up stud duty at John G. Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Farm near Paris, Ky. Barnes, who showcased his brilliance from the sales ring to Churchill Downs to Santa Anita Park to Keeneland, was named for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni purchased the colt for Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables in 2023 at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale for $3.2 million. “Barnes was a stunning yearling, a must-have," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. "He's a big, massive, beautiful horse with quality and a ton of speed. He was just coming into himself as a major grade 1 talent before straining his tendon. This truly was a major disappointment as we were expecting him to have a huge year on the racetrack." Barnes earned his maiden win at first asking at Churchill Downs in what was Baffert's first appearance there after a track ban had been lifted. The Courier Journal quoted Baffert as saying: "I knew if I was going to come here, I was going to bring a really serious 2-year-old. And I did, obviously. It’s a glorious day.” Through fractions of :21.90, :44.73, with 5 furlongs in :56.61, Barnes's final time was four ticks off the Churchill track record. In his next start, the San Vicente Stakes (G2), he coasted to an easy 5 1/2-length victory. On the board five times in seven career starts, grade 1-placed in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Barnes displayed a true tour-de-force in what would be his final start in the Perryville Stakes (G3) at Keeneland where he demolished a strong field, drawing off by 8 1/4 widening lengths. That effort would see Barnes listed as the favorite for the Malibu Stakes (G1) but he was scratched from that Dec. 28 race. "Barnes is such a big, beautiful, and handsome horse," said Sikura, president of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. "He is by perennial leading sire Into Mischief. He hails from a top Kinsman (Farm), American dirt pedigree, which includes grade 1 winners Spinning Round, Majestic Warrior, and Dream Supreme. I love seeing such strong broodmare sires in a pedigree like A.P. Indy, Seeking the Gold, and Dixieland Band. Quality and class abound throughout his parentage. Barnes was a very fast, high-class racehorse. His race in the Perryville (Stakes), winning by over 8 lengths, stands out to me as a special performance." "The minute we set eyes on him, we knew we needed to buy him," said bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. "Bob (Baffert) absolutely loved him, as did I. You will not find a better-looking horse than Barnes, anywhere. He's an extremely imposing individual with extraordinary presence who is by the most influential sire of our time. Brilliant and beautiful are the two words that best describe him." Barnes will stand for $15,000 (stands and nurses). A limited number of shares may be offered for sale.