Bob Baffert names record $10.5M colt Zedan after it joins his Santa Anita stable

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ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — A colt that sold for a record $10.5 million has been named Zedan by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

The colt joined Baffert's stable at Santa Anita this week after arriving from Florida, where he was purchased at a sale for 2-year-olds in training last weekend by Amr Zedan, one of Baffert's prominent clients.

“He's a specimen,” Baffert said. “A man among boys.”

It's the second-highest price ever paid for a 2-year-old thoroughbred in North America. The record is $16 million in 2006 for The Green Monkey, a descendant of Northern Dancer and 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat.

But money couldn't buy success.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, The Green Monkey was retired two years later after failing to win in three career starts. He wasn't a success as a stallion either. He was euthanized at age 14 in 2018 because of laminitis, a painful condition involving inflammation and damage to the tissue connecting the hoof wall to the coffin bone.

The purchase price for Zedan exceeded the Ocala Breeders' Sale Co. record of $3 million, which Amr Zedan paid for Brant at the 2005 2-year-old sale.

Baffert selected the new colt's name after meeting Zedan's father, Fareed M. Zedan, during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

“The two hit it off wonderfully and Bob selected the name Zedan as a kind gesture to honor our family,” according to a post on the X account of Zedan Racing Stables.

Zedan, a bay colt, was sired by Flightline, the 2022 Horse of the Year who retired with a 6-for-6 record, including a win in the Breeders' Cup Classic. His dam is Lucrezia, a daughter of perennial top stallion Into Mischief.

“We believe this son of Flightline is a generational opportunity,” Zedan Racing Stables posted on X.

Baffert added, "With his pedigree, you know why he cost so much.”

Zedan will be closely watched leading up to his future racing debut. Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby a record-tying six times and Zedan could be a contender for the 2027 edition.

"He has all the ingredients to be a legitimate superstar,” Tom Ryan, racing manager for SF Racing, another of Baffert's clients, said on X.

Baffert's top Derby horse for the May 2 race is Potente, a $2.4 million purchase in August 2024 by owner Speedway Stable. He won his racing debut in January at Santa Anita, where he also won the San Felipe Stakes in March.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing