Barnes: From Racetrack Brilliance to the Breeding Shed at Hill ’n’ Dale

The $3.2-million son of Into Mischief, a high-priced yearling purchase, has been retired due to injury and is set to embark on a new chapter at stud

Barnes: High-Priced in the Ring, Proven on the Track, a Prospect for the Stud / BENOIT PHOTO

PARIS, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Barnes, one of the most physically imposing sons of Into Mischief, has been officially retired from racing and will begin his stallion career at John Sikura’s Hill ’n’ Dale at Xalapa, the farm announced Monday. The move marks a premature but impactful end to a racing career defined by brilliance, high-octane speed, and immense potential.

A standout in the sales ring, Barnes was a $3.2-million yearling purchase by Amr Zedan at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, with Donato Lanni acting as agent. Named in honor of Bob Baffert’s longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes, the colt lived up to his blue-blooded expectations from the outset.

Barnes made a splash in his debut at Churchill Downs, marking Baffert’s return to the track with a dominant victory that was just 4/5 of a second off the track record. He quickly proved his stakes-level quality by capturing the GII San Vicente Stakes with authority and later held his own against elite competition with a placing in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at Saratoga.

His most breathtaking performance came in the GIII Perryville Stakes at Keeneland, where he demolished a talented field by 8 1/4 lengths. The performance established him as the morning-line favorite for the GI Malibu Stakes; however, a tendon injury forced his retirement before that season-ending goal.

“He was a big, powerful horse with immense quality and speed,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “He was just starting to reach his ceiling when the injury occurred.” John Sikura highlighted the depth of the colt's pedigree, noting the strength of influential broodmare sires like A.P. Indy, Seeking the Gold, and Dixieland Band.

Barnes is out of the American Pharoah mare All American Dream, a sibling to stakes winner Wind Fire (Distorted Humor) and stakes-placed Bloodline (Uncle Mo). The family also includes A.P. Candy (Candy Ride), dam of GIII winner Shidabhuti (Practical Joke).

Barnes will stand his initial season for a fee of $15,000 (stands and nurses), with a limited number of shares available. From the heights of the sales ring to brilliance on the track, Barnes now embarks on a new chapter at stud, backed by the physical tools and elite genetics that invite high expectations.