Every horseplayer has that one runner they just can’t quite give up on. You know the type — the one who flashes all the right signs early, shows the kind of raw talent that makes you think you’ve spotted something others haven’t, and then keeps finding ways not to put it all together… yet. For me, going into Saturday’s Perryville Stakes at Keeneland, that horse is Barnes.

I’ve liked this colt from the start. From his debut, you could see he had that something — the way he moved, the way he carried himself, the energy under the surface. But he’s also been a little green, a little raw, and a little too much in his own head to be the finished product just yet. He’s got the tools, the frame, and the stride of a serious runner — what he doesn’t have yet is the complete focus to match it.

In his last two starts, Barnes wound up farther back than anyone expected. Some of that was circumstance, some of it his own doing. But what caught my eye wasn’t the first half of those races — it was the last quarter. Both times, especially most recently, he leveled off late and was finishing as good as anything on the track. In his last race, he simply had way too much to do. The pace didn’t collapse, the front end never came back to him, but Barnes kept grinding and actually looked like he was hitting another gear when the wire came up.

That kind of run tells me he’s still coming around. He’s figuring things out, starting to put the mental part together with the physical talent. Sometimes with these pricey, well-bred colts, it’s just about timing — when it clicks, it really clicks. And I’m willing to bet that Saturday might be the day it does.

I’m giving Barnes one more chance to fire that big race I believe he has in him. The talent is there, the signs are there, and hopefully Keeneland’s stretch is long enough to let him show it. If he gets the right setup and a clean run, don’t be surprised if he finally shows us the horse I thought he was the first time I laid eyes on him.