The 2025 renewal of the historic $300,000 Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, set for December 28 at Santa Anita Park, features a competitive field of 10 horses, including five trained by Bob Baffert. Notable entrants include Barnes, a highly regarded Into Mischief colt coming off a dominant win in the Perryville Stakes and boasting strong performances at seven furlongs, and Midland Money, who returns with blinkers added and has shown consistent late-closing speed and strong recent form. Cornucopian, another Baffert trainee, will make his Santa Anita debut after an eight-month layoff, with promising workouts and a new jockey partnership with Flavien Prat.

Barnes is the morning-line favorite due to his proven ability at the Malibu distance and recent sharp training, while Midland Money offers intrigue with tactical versatility and strong late pace figures. Cornucopian, despite limited starts and a layoff, is well-positioned to contend given Baffert’s success with horses returning from breaks and strategic equipment changes. Other contenders include Modus Bestia, Spenard, Madaket Road, Speedy Wilson, Berlin Wall, Smooth Cruisein, and Goal Oriented, all bringing solid credentials to this prestigious year-end sprint.