Debuting early in his 3-year-old year, Taiba won impressively, and was dubbed a “TDN Rising Star” for the effort. In only his second start, he showed his grit and his class, powering home to an impressive victory in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), earning a spot in the 2022 Kentucky Derby starting gate.
Secured by Zedan Racing at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale for $1.7 million, this flashy colt from the first crop of Gun Runner was the second-highest priced hip to go through the ring. Taiba is out of the young Flatter mare Needmore Flattery – a hard-knocking veteran who won 17 career starts (including nine stakes wins) for earnings of nearly 3/4 of a million.