Zedan Racing got the juvenile sales season off to a big start this week when buying the $3 million sale topping colt at the OBS March 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale, setting the record for most expensive priced horse sold at OBS.

“I mean he wasn’t a secret. He’s a pretty cool horse and everyone loved him,” Donato Lanni said after signing the ticket. “Just very lucky to get him for (owner) Amr Zedan. We always come here to look for nice horses and he was nice horse.

“(Zedan) is pretty excited, and Gun Runner is a tremendous stallion. This colt worked really well, he galloped out good, he did everything you’d want one to do. Just excited about him.”

The Gun Runner colt caught the eye during the Under Tack show when he stopped the clock in :9.3 during the third day of the breeze sale. The gray 2-year-old is the first foal out of the two-time winning Tynan. That mare is a half-sister to Gun Runner’s Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1 placed Pappacap – a three-quarter brother in blood to this colt – and to Grade 3 winner Boppy O among the three other winners out of the stakes placed Pappascat.

Each of Tynan’s first nine dams have produced at least one stakes performer, showing that this colt has plenty of potential to make a big splash on the track.  

“It’s like winning the Olympics,” said consignor Eddie Woods, who is retiring after the OBS April sale. “My God, the only way to go out is on top. That’s the only way. It’s been 31 years in April that we started selling here. We’ve done well here. We’ve made a lot of money here; we’ve lost a lot of money here. It’s just the way it is.

“The three million I couldn’t see coming. I mean, there hasn’t been a 2-year-old selling for $3 million in a long time. He’s just a special horse and that’s what it takes to get that thing done. Now I hope he’s lucky for them.”

This is the third straight OBS March sale topper Zedan Racing has purchased with our 2023 topper turning into multiple Grade 1 winner MUTH and last year’s topper NOONI winning the Sorrento Stakes (G3) and finishing second in a Grade 2.