On the record-setting opening day at Santa Anita, Zedan Racing Stable’s Taiba (gunman) earned a third Class I win and solidified his chances of winning the Eclipse prize with a 4 1/4 win in GI Runhappy Malibu S. Second in Arcadia. The win was the fifth on the card for coach Bob Baffert, who scored three classified wins with Happy dream (Arrogate) wins GI La Brea S. and national grammar (tone artist) joins GII San Antonio S. Baffert is also represented by Faustin (make for curly), who was listed as a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after his first win in the card’s fourth race.
“It just shows you the clientele we have,” Baffert said of the winning double. “It’s unbelievable, they let us buy these horses and I have a great team and staff. Everyone works hard, and when you’re given these horses, you’re lucky if you know what to do with them and sometimes you don’t.
Baffert isn’t the only one having a good day in the California sunshine, as a crowd of 41,446 on the track set an all-time record for opening day totaling more than $26 million .
“I just want to thank all the fans who were present today,” Baffert said. “It’s great that you win with so many people here. Santa Anita is a Great Racing Venue.
Taiba, 2-5 Malibu favorite, track speed setting Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) over the fractions of :22,18 and :44,38. He passed the guide for a long time and turned home parallel to the long shot Straight No Chaser (Speightster), who appears to be a short-lived threat. But Taiba beat that foe with a long run and retreat, completing seven stretches at 1:21.75 and becoming the only 3-year-old in North America to have three high-level wins. best in 2022. The forbidden kingdom re-establishes second place and lift gold (mines) third.
Winning rider Mike Smith said: “That horse is like a bicycle and you have to pedal. “If you go long, you don’t have to do much, but I know that going short will be very difficult. Last time he wasn’t very successful in the Breeders’ Cup; he stumbled. I thought, ‘If I get through it, I can get ahead of the two next to me on the outside and at least take third place. Correct?’ Well, I didn’t see the horse outside, and I decided not to risk it and see what it was up to. Normally, I had to be aggressive with it at the time like I did in Philadelphia, but today that horse really helped me.”
Baffert added, “It was a tough Malibu, but when he got home he always looked empty, and he just found a new life. I don’t know where he got it from. He just had more gears and today we saw one more.”
Country Grammer co-owner Amr Zedan took his second-place win of the day as Taiba strutted his stride in Malibu.
Taiba, a $1.7 million item purchased during the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, won the GI Santa Anita Derby in just his second start, earning a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby . He’s 12th on the first Saturday of May, but has had a productive half-season, just a head off in second to Cyberknife (gunman) in the GI Haskell S. before winning the GI Pennsylvania Derby on September 24. Most recently, he finished third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“He just kept getting better and better,” Baffert said of the nearly 4-year-old. “He looks a bit heavy on the pitch but that’s him. I think he looks a lot like his father, gunman, gets better with age and he needs to go further, that’s a bit short for him. He has become a pretty horse.
Genealogical notes:
Taiba is one of six first class winners for his young son, gunman. He was the second of an Ohio mare to ever win his big bet, Needmore Flattery, who sold it to Yeguada Centurion when he was a foal for him. Uncle Mo for $195,000 at Keeneland’s November 2019 sale. 2 year old daughter Tita Mimosa (Ire) (Uncle Mo) has been working at Tampa Bay Downs. This mare also features a Waldgeist pony (GB), which sold for €81,000 at this year’s Arqana October sale.
Monday, Santa Anita
RUNHAPPY MALIBU S.-Hold$302,000, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.75, ft.
first-TAIBA, 124, c, 3, by gunman
First beat: Needmore Flattery (MSW, $732,103), by Flatter
2nd dam: Kiosk, by Left Banker
3rd Smash: Change Phones, With Phone Tricks
($140,000 Ylg ’20 FTKOCT; $1,700,000 2yo ’21 FTFMAR).
O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Bruce C Ryan (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $180,000. ‘TDN’s Rising Star‘
Lifetime Record: MGISW, 7-4-1-1, $1,956,200.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click to view
eNicks report & pedigree 5 cross or
the Free Equineline.com catalog style genealogy.
2-Forbidden Kingdom122, c, 3, American Pharoah-Just
Louise, of Five Star Day. TYPE 1ST G1 BLACK. ($300,000 Ylg .)
’20 FTKSEL). O-MyRacehorse & Spendthrift Farm Limited Liability Company;
B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $60,000.
3–lift gold120, c, 3, mines–Talent Acceptance, by
faucet. BLACK TYPE GRADE 1, BLACK TYPE G1 G1.
($47,000 RNA Ylg ’20 KEESEP). O-Dream team a race
Stable; Team Racing B-Dream (KY); T-Dallas Stewart.
$36,000.
Handicap: 4 1/4, 3/4, NK. Ratio: 0.40, 6.90, 29.30.
Also included: Nakatomi, Strava, Apprehend, Straight No Chaser, Messier, Perfect Flight.
click for Equibase.com chart or TJCIS.com PP. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
