ARCADIA, Calif. – It’s crunch time for a half-dozen Kentucky Derby candidates entered in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita. “From here on out, it’s like the playoffs,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “That’s what makes the road to the Derby so interesting. Everybody’s watching, everybody’s got an opinion. It’s like watching the playoffs in baseball or football.” Baffert-trained Barnes is the top seed in the San Felipe. Two-for-two sprinting, Barnes opens at even money in the San Felipe, a 1 1/16-mile race in which he is expected to set the pace. His main rivals are stakes-placed stablemate Rodriguez and graded stakes-winning comebacker Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy. Three others are entered in the San Felipe (race 8) – Baffert-trained maiden Mellencamp and sprint-to-route longshots Smooth Cruisein and Berlin Wall. If all six start, the winner will earn 50 Derby qualifying points. The main question Saturday is: Can Barnes run two turns? “They can all go long if they get the right fractions,” Baffert said. “We’ll see what they can do, and what Barnes does going two turns. We know Rodriguez can handle it. We know Mellencamp can handle it. Barnes, we’ll see where we’re at.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more If the San Felipe unfolds as expected, Barnes will be on the lead in his first route. He crushed the Grade 2, seven-furlong San Vicente last out after pressing a 45-second half-mile. “He has a lot of speed, but he has to break well,” Baffert said. Juan Hernandez rides Barnes, a $3.2 million yearling sired by Into Mischief and owned by Amr Zedan. Barnes has been among the most high-profile members of his crop for reasons that include his purchase price and the locale of his career debut. Barnes’s debut victory Nov. 27 in a maiden race at Churchill Downs was Baffert’s first runner at that track since May 2021. But the main reason Barnes attracts attention is the simple fact he is fast. He earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure winning the San Vicente last out, the highest last-start figure in the San Felipe field. Although favorites have won the San Felipe seven of the last 10 years, it’s not a one-horse race this year. Rodriguez,the 9-5 second choice, has something Barnes lacks – experience at two turns. Rodriguez crushed a maiden mile with a 100 Beyer in his second start, followed by a runner-up finish to Citizen Bull in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis. Rodriguez has done exceptionally well since. “He’s improving, he’s getting better and better and better,” Baffert said. “I really hate to run those two together, but I just didn’t want to ship.” Flavien Prat rides Rodriguez, whose Lewis runner-up was better than it looks. He pressed the pace, dropped back and lost focus into the far turn, then re-rallied for second. The form of the Lewis was flattered when third-place Madaket Road returned to finish second last week in the Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park. Rodriguez, sired by Baffert-trained Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, is likely to press the pace from second position. Baffert’s third San Felipe starter is Mellencamp, recent runner-up in a fast maiden route won by Baeza. The main threat to Baffert’s top two is Journalism, a Curlin colt making his first start since he won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 14. The McCarthy-trained colt had a brief hiccup in January when he got sick, but has trained super in recent weeks. :: Santa Anita Clocker Reports are available every race day. Access now. “Outside of not starting since the middle of December, that would be his only real excuse,” McCarthy said. “The horse is training very well. He’s not totally cranked up, but he’s where he needs to be. The race will move him forward.” The win by Journalism in the Los Alamitos Futurity was flattered when three of the four he defeated improved their Beyer Speed Figures by at least 10 points next out. Umberto Rispoli rides Journalism, who rallies from behind. The San Felipe leads to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 5. That race is expected to include Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull and last-out maiden winner Baeza. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.