Zedan Racing’s TAIBA – a $1.7 million juvenile at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale – made his long-awaited debut March 5th, and showed he’s all talent to earn “TDN Rising Star” honors.
The overwhelming 1-2 favorite broke well, but had to settle for a pressing spot in between rivals early. Jockey John Velazquez tapped on the gas entering the bend and TAIBA took a narrow lead at that point. After a :45.69 half, it quickly became a one-horse affair as TAIBA leveled off and exploded with efficient strides to run up the score to 7 1/2 lengths. He stopped the clock in 1:09.97.
The son of Gun Runner earned an impressive 103 Beyer speed figure for his breakout performance.
| HORSE | RACE NAME | TRACK | RACE # | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabian Lion | Woody Stephens S. Presented by Mohegan Sun | BEL | 8 | 06/10/23 |
| HORSE | RACE | PLACE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country Grammer | Hollywood Gold Cup S. [G1] | 4th | 05/29/23 |
| Arabian Lion | Sir Barton S. sponsored by Brandon and Diannah Perry to Benefit The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance | 1st | 05/20/23 |
| Arabian Lion | Stonestreet Lexington S. [G3] | 2nd | 04/15/23 |
| Hejazi | Lafayette S. | 2nd | 04/07/23 |
| Country Grammer | Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline [G1] | 7th | 03/25/23 |