Taiba

It can be hazardous to one's betting bankroll to drink the hype-flavored Kool-Aid that flows freely when an undefeated sophomore with limited experience wins a nine-furlong prep for the GI Kentucky Derby in eye-catching fashion. Yet despite the well-documented risks against backing horses who have made only two lifetime starts prior to the first Saturday in May, Emerging Market just might be the type of real-deal, rapidly rising phenom to convince me to saunter over to the punch bowl and try a sip. In the case of this ''TDN Rising...

A yearling filly from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Taiba (hip 80) attracted the highest price of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's January Winter Mixed Sale Tuesday when selling for $150,000 to Marc Gunderson. The filly was one of three on the day--and two from Beth Bayer's consignment--to sell for six figures during an auction which produced increases over its 2025 renewal. By the close of business Tuesday, 183 horses sold at the Winter Mixed sale for a gross of $3,476,100. The average of $18,995 rose 30.2%...

Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) started in 1974 in North Carolina where Pam Directed the Graduate Program in Sports Medicine and the Research Lab in Human Performance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jim is a professional electrical engineer and was promoted to Director of Transmission and Protection for General Telephone and Electronics. After 25 years in North Carolina, the broodmare band had grown to 100 mares in addition to standing five stallions. While selling at the Keeneland November Sale in 1998, we looked at several...

Saudi businessman Amr Zedan is in investment talks with the English Football League's Preston North End club, according to Sky News. In recent weeks, Zedan has been in discussion with Preston North End's board about a possible deal. However, the club, which is chasing a playoff berth, is also in talks with other parties. Zedan is heavily involved with horseracing primarily in California in association with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. As an owner under his Zedan Racing Stables banner, he has raced nine graded winners in the U.S....

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued to churn out double-digit increases over its 2024 renewal as the eight-day auction's Book 2 section concluded Thursday. "It felt like a complete continuation from yesterday," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said Thursday evening. "The momentum was there and there was the same enthusiasm for quality stock. The market never seemed to waver all day. It seemed to be steady and strong and consistent. Which was very encouraging. It jumped out of...

5th-Keeneland, $106,535, Msw, 10-11, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.17, gd, neck. MAP OF THE MOON (f, 2, Liam's Map--Malibu Pride, by Malibu Moon) became the latest in a string of long-price debut winners for this owner and trainer, scoring here at 9-1. The $200,000 Keeneland September grad was content to drop out to the latter third of the field as fellow firster Lady Jancis (Speighstown) and favored third-time starter Triskelion (Leinster) exchanged blows through an opening couple of furlongs in a strong :21.31. Asked to improve with a wide run...

A slate of 65 offerings were catalogued for the Inglis Digital USA September Sale, led by a number of runners coming off of successful racetrack performances and the broodmare Earth Shaking (War Front), a half-sister to the dam of GISW Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), the organization announced via press release. The aforementioned daughter of War Front will be offered not in-foal and ready for mating. All five of Earth Shaking's foals to make the races have gotten their picture taken. Another of the broodmare offerings is Jill's a Hot Mess (Laoban),...

A colt born Jan. 6 at Castleton Lyons near Lexington is the first reported foal for Taiba (Gun Runner--Needmore Flattery, by Flatter). Bred by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, the chestnut colt is out of Wecallherqueenmary (Exaggerator), whose unraced dam is a full-sister to late champion Speightstown. Castleton Lyons purchased the mare for $200,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale. "He's a good foal, a lot of quality," said Castleton Lyons's Pat Hayes. "He looks athletic and more like Taiba than the mare. Very good shoulder and hip, powerful forearm...

First let's salute two horses in this category just emerging from surely the most competitive freshman title race ever. The lead changed hands between both, as well as McKinzie (now $75,000), through the final hours of 2024, with VEKOMA ultimately seizing the crown--partly through belated processing of a son in Panama--by $22,939 from McKinzie, with TIZ THE LAW breathing down their necks $9,334 behind. In fact, his "extra" winner gave Vekoma a share of the North American record of 39 first-crop juvenile winners. Admittedly he was working from corresponding volume,...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Mulholland Springs' John Mulholland.   MEAL TICKET (10, Malibu Moon--Rainbow's Song by Unbridled's Song) to be bred to Into Mischief Second in the GII Royal Heroine S. at Santa Anita and the listed Golden Poppy S. at Golden Gate, we purchased this mare privately after her final start of her career. Meal Ticket was bred her first year to Into Mischief and produced an absolutely stunning colt that we sold to BC Stables for...

The TDN team barely had time to stop in at Spendthrift Farm to visit Forte this past November before the champion was booked full for 2024. Here's our video feature on the son of Violence. But Forte is just one of the four in-demand newcomers at Spendthrift, where the breeding shed is sure to be busy as ever this year as Into Mischief continues his reign as the leading sire in North America and the top four freshman sires of 2023 take on their fifth season at stud. To learn...

A season with a 2025 breed back to Cody's Wish (Curlin) has been added to the Thoroughbred Charities of America's (TCA) Live Auction and Celebration scheduled to run Sunday, Jan. 7, with the majority of the proceeds going to support the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, announced the TCA Saturday. The offering was donated by Godolphin in memory of Cody Dorman, the 17-year-old Kentuckian whose story and special connection with his namesake was widely beloved in and outside the industry. Any remaining proceeds will go to honoring his memory...