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. Shadowed from the outset by Barnes, who hounded him and poked a head in front as the pair registered a :44.18 half, Taylor’s Version proved no match for the winner, but neither did anyone else. The Bob Baffert trainee and 8-5 second choice overwhelmed his rivals by mid-turn, pouring it on down the lane to win by open daylight under nothing more than a mild drive.
Bred in Kentucky by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel, Barnes has never shied from top company. He broke his maiden on debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs last November at Churchill, then reappeared in early January to take the GII San Vicente Stakes.