Barn Tour: Barkley updates on 6 promising horses

In 2022, he topped $1 million mark with a record of 169: 18-15-17 and earnings of $1,037,651.

“We started claiming and kind of grew a little bit every year,” Barkley told Horse Racing Nation on Tuesday. “The past couple of years, we've been hovering between 30 and 35” horses in training.

Based at the Churchill Training Center in Louisville, Ky., in the summers, Barkley spent last winter split between Oaklawn and Fair Grounds, and he’s doing the same this winter. The third-generation trainer has two wins from 10 starts in the current Oaklawn meet and two wins from nine starts at Fairgrounds.

“I'm pretty happy with the way the winter’s gone so far.,” he said.

Barkley discussed some of his top horses for the latest in HRN’s Barn Tour series, including the remarkable Spooky Channel and a filly who will embark on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) trail.

Spooky Channel. The 8-year-old gelded son of English Channel, who is Barkley’s only graded-stakes winner, came off a 14-month layoff and won the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes at Oaklawn on Dec. 26. Before his layoff, he won the Remington Green and Sycamore (G3) in September and October 2021. “It’s amazing to come back off of that layoff at any level, much less come back and win a stake,” Barkley said. “I think it's probably the longest three race win streak out there, 16 months, I think.” Spooky Channel developed a soft tissue problem, “and we kind of threw everything at it, gave him every opportunity to come back and be 100 percent. And he did and proved it was worth it with a big win. And he loves his job. And I think he'd be lost in doing something else. He likes to compete. And I think everybody was surprised to see him in front at the five-eights pole the other day, including myself.” Next up is the John B. Connally (G3) at Sam Houston. “Hopefully we can kind of build off of that.”

Quick Munny. A 5-year-old daughter of Munnings, she was eighth in Oaklawn’s Dec. 26 Poinsettia Stakes in her first start since an allowance win in August. She’s entered in an optional-claiming allowance race on Saturday. “She's always been very fast. She's kind of a frustrating horse because if she doesn't get the lead she doesn't really finish up. But I'm looking forward to this race over here. I think she could do very well, it's a small field. She's owned by a bunch of people that really enjoy racing. And they've been a pleasure to have in the past several years, to have her in the barn and let her develop. And hopefully her 5-year-old year is going to be her best year.”

Aboukir Bay. The 4-year-old Lord Nelson filly, coming off two straight wins, is entered in Saturday’s Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds. After starting her career with six sprints, without a win, “everyone” talked him in to trying her at a longer distance. So she tried a mile last May at Churchill Downs, “and she got beat like 30 lengths, ran the worse race of her career. Well, I knew better. But but she's really turned the corner. We gave her a little break after that race at Churchill.” Since then, two starts, two wins. “I'm looking forward to seeing what she does on Saturday here in the stake. It'll be one of the tougher fields she's run against. But I think she takes a step forward from 3 to 4, which she has every right to do. And we know she runs well fresh. I think she'll handle it just fine. And there's plenty of space for her to run out. So looking forward to her winter, and I think she could just be one that we try to pick off these stakes down here and move forward and see what the summer gives us.”

Setna the Wise. The 4-year-old son of Cairo Prince broke his maiden in his first start last year and then went 0-for-7, with his best finish a second in a Saratoga optional-claiming allowance race. “He’s another one we just gave a little break to at the end of the year. The Saratoga race, I think it kind of took a lot out of him between shipping there and shipping back, and the last two efforts in Kentucky were disappointing. But he definitely has it in him. And he's since been gelded and we'll bring him back at Fair Grounds in an allowance race here probably in February. And I think he should get right back into form.”

Forest Chimes. This 3-year-old Tonalist filly could be headed for the Kentucky Oaks trail after winning her New Year’s Eve debut by 7 1/2 lengths at Fair Grounds. “She's going to run here in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) in about three or four weeks. Really excited about her. She ran a big race down here, and hopefully we can continue to move forward. But anytime you have a horse that you get to put on the Oaks trail or the Derby trail, it's exciting. Hopefully she steps forward again, and we'll continue to crack on it. She's kind of answered every question along the way.”

Texas Ted. The 3-year-old gelding by Texas Red debuted at Oaklawn Friday and finished fourth in a six-furlong race, though Barkley thought he might want to go long. “I was really proud of the way he ran the other day. I mean, he’s one you’ve kind of got to stay after and he finished up strong and ran a big race. So I'm looking forward to seeing him in his next race.”