Barnes stretches to two turns in San Felipe

Bet down as the shortest-priced individual in Pools 2-4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, Barnes will make his first two-turn start in Saturday’s $300,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita. The unbeaten colt tops a field of six in the 1 1/16-mile race, which serves as a 105-point qualifier (50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five) in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge series.

Barnes is one of three runners trained by six-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert. By Into Mischief, the $3.2 million yearling purchase broke his maiden over 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs in late November. He came back to win the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita by 5 1/2 lengths on Jan. 4, and Barnes retains the services of Juan Hernandez.

Baffert will also send out Rodriguez, a non-threatening second to champion two-year-old male Citizen Bull in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) on Feb. 1. A smashing seven-length maiden scorer two back, the Authentic colt is eligible to improve in his second stakes attempt and Flavien Prat picks up the mount. Mellencamp, runner-up most recently in a maiden special weight, completes the Baffert trio.

Journalism is a major contender in his three-year-old return. A convincing maiden winner when trying two turns two starts back, the Michael McCarthy-trained Curlin colt exits a 3 1/2-length score in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in mid-December, registering a field-best 99 Brisnet Speed rating. Umberto Rispoli has the assignment.

Smooth Cruisein, fourth in the San Vicente, and maiden Berlin Wall complete the field.