Barnes

The first six out of seven mares bred checked in foal to Hill 'n' Dale Farms stallion Barnes (Into Mischief), a multiple graded stakes winner and $3.2-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling. The first mare bred and checked in foal to Barnes was Private Collection (Curlin). Her second dam is GISW Madcap Escapade (Hennessy). This is also the family of GISW Mi Sueno (Pulpit). Barnes stands at Hill 'n' Dale for $15,000.

Marc Wampler has been involved with racing since 1993 and currently is the racing manager and bloodstock agent for Pocket Aces Racing as well as offering similar services to private clientele. When breeding, the first thing Wampler asks his clients is whether they are breeding a racehorse or a sales horse. He says he believes it's an important initial step in the process as the pool of potential stallions to use varies depending on the answer. "If breeding to race, the stud book offers many options and an opportunity to...

It has been a wild ride for Jes Sikura, son of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa owner and president John Sikura, since the 24-year-old graduated from the University of Kentucky in December. Just a few days after receiving his diploma, he and his father were on a plane to California. What began as a trip to celebrate opening weekend at Santa Anita proved serendipitous when the Sikuras secured multiple graded stakes winner Barnes (Into Mischief) for their stallion roster following his scratch from the GI Malibu Stakes. Since stepping into...

John Sikura, President of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, joins the TDN Writers' Room for a candid discussion on the future of California racing and potential paths toward revitalization. Sikura also shares an inside look at current life at the farm, providing updates on everything from champion Thorpedo Anna to new sire Barnes.

   Barnes (Into Mischief--All American Dream, by American Pharoah), a $3.2 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables, has been retired because of a tendon injury and will take up stud duty at John G. Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Farm, according to a farm release on Monday. Barnes will stand for a fee of $15,000 stands and nurses. A limited number of shares may be offered for sale. Barnes, a two-time graded stakes winner and Grade I...

Bob Baffert came out swinging on Santa Anita's opening day card on Sunday, with Nysos (Nyquist), Goal Oriented (Not This Time)--both TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard, and Usha (Tiz the Law), coming home winners in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr., GI Malibu and GI La Brea, respectively. According to the Hall of Famer, the trio were "doing well" on Monday morning. Baffert also indicated that Nysos and Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), runner up in the Laffit Pincay Jr., are among potential candidates for the G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh...

Goal Oriented (Not This Time) notched a Grade I feather to his 2025 cap, but also further gilded a fabulous year for his sire, as he strolled home powerfully to take the GI Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on opening day. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' burst onto the scene Apr. 6 at this venue in a maiden special that yielded next out winners, and eventual stakes horses, namely MSW Train the Trainer (Dialed In) and SP Varney (Vekoma) while Concord Bridge (Medaglia d'Oro) and Day and Age...

Who says it never rains in Southern California? Well, for any music trivia buffs in the audience, it was the little-known Albert Hammond who sang those lyrics, but those living in and around metropolitan Los Angeles will confirm that the precipitation came with a vengeance this Christmas week, flooding parts of Interstate 5 and causing power outages and even the (very) odd threat of tornadoes. Nearly two inches of rainfall was recorded at Los Angeles International Airport, breaking a 54-year-old mark, while nearly four inches fell upon Woodland Hills and...

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...