Zedan Racing’s BARNES impressed yet again to stay undefeated in two starts with a victory in the San Vicente S. (G2) at Santa Anita.

Making his stakes debut after an impressive start to his career just over a month ago at Churchill Downs, he returned to California for this tilt. The Bob Baffert trainee was happy to battle with McKinzie Street throughout much of the early stages through fractions of :22.65 and :45.10 before that one started to fade.

Late in the turn, BARNES was all alone but Juan Hernandez wasn’t going to leave it to chance. The jockey urged him all the way to the line for a 5 ½ length victory to continue living up to his hype.

“He’s really good. I love him,” said Hernandez. “He was aggressive down the backside but he’s still learning how to run. I like him because around the quarter pole he got off the bridle and was kind of looking around a little bit. But when I corrected him, he came back to me. I was really surprised how he finished today.”

A $3.2 million purchase by Zedan Racing as a yearling, Baffert has been high on BARNES since the start. The trainer was also willing to compared him to Baffert’s Triple Crown winner and BARNES’s damsire American Pharoah, saying he looks a lot like the stallion.

“This horse looked like that as a yearling, he looks like American Pharoah body wise he has a lot of American Pharoah in him and it worked out. I knew he would run well, I was watching Juan, he knows the horse well and he said he was a little green. But everyone who has worked him says he has another gear in him,” said Baffert.”

BARNES is named after longtime Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes, who is excited about the colt’s future from here.

“They surprised me and I was honored,” Barnes said. “I was a little nervous, but it is working out well so far. I had a little bit of a knot in my stomach, but it will only get better after this.”