Zedan Racing

It has been a wild ride for Jes Sikura, son of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa owner and president John Sikura, since the 24-year-old graduated from the University of Kentucky in December. Just a few days after receiving his diploma, he and his father were on a plane to California. What began as a trip to celebrate opening weekend at Santa Anita proved serendipitous when the Sikuras secured multiple graded stakes winner Barnes (Into Mischief) for their stallion roster following his scratch from the GI Malibu Stakes. Since stepping into...

8th-Del Mar, $61,500, Msw, 11-23, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:16.75, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. NIMAH (f, 2, Gun Runner--E. T. Indy, by A.P. Indy) went right to the front on this debut and led the pack through an opening quarter in :22.49 and four furlongs in :45.07. Clearing her inside rivals and challenged by Miss Watermelon (Cairo Prince) at the three-eighths pole, she was called on for more at the head of the lane to keep that rival at bay by 1 3/4 lengths. The victress is a half-sister to...

A weanling colt by Gun Runner brought $2.2 million from Donato Lanni on behalf of Zedan Racing at Keeneland November Tuesday. He is a half-brother to GSW Ides of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett). Hip 146, consigned by Denali Stud, Agent XXIV, was produced by GI Frizette S. heroine Nickname (Scat Daddy). He was bred by Three Chimneys Farm, LLC and Brookdale Racing. Record broken again! Hip 146, a weanling colt by Gun Runner out of Nickname, brings $2.2 million from the @DenaliStud consignment. pic.twitter.com/oP7HPjrbq5 — Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 4,...

Making his belated debut after earning a final bid of $2,000,000 at Keeneland September as a yearling in 2023, Jude (Uncle Mo) proved waiting for as he put in a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy performance at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing Stables Friday. Drawn outside his favored stablemate in second time starter Into Midnight (Into Mischief), Jude earned second billing of the three Bob Baffert-trained starters, going off at 3-1 just off the rail while Mutaz (Nyquist), also owned by Zedan, had improvement to find...

6th-SA, $60K, Msw, 3-5yo, 6f, 6:33 p.m. ET. Set for his unveiling is $2-million 2023 Keeneland September grad JUDE (Uncle Mo), who was purchased by Zedan Racing and sent to trainer Bob Baffert. Out of winner at 2 Helena Bay (GB) (Johannesburg), the first-time starter is a half-brother to GI TVG Pacific Classic Stakes hero & sire Collected (City Zip) and a current 2-year-old colt in-training by Gun Runner--himself a $700,000 Keeneland September buy for M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm. TJCIS PPS 8th-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6fT, 4:53...

Boyd (Violence), a $1.05-million purchase after galloping at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale, galloped again, this time romping home a 5 1/2-length debut winner at Del Mar Sunday. The victory was the second seven-figure juvenile winner on the card for Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing following Brant (Gun Runner)'s win in the GI Del Mar Futurity two races earlier. Sent off the even-money favorite, Boyd was hustled out to the early lead and was easily in control through a quarter in :21.32. He turned for home three lengths in front, completed...

6th-DMR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 7:11 p.m. ET. A pair of pricey colts under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert make their first starts as the seaside oval closes out its summer meet on Sunday. BOYD (Violence) is a Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May auction buy for Zedan Racing, who made the chestnut the second topper at the sale when they went to $1.05-million to acquire him. Initially, this future Baffert trainee was an $82,000 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed sale grad then went for $280,000 during Keeneland September. A...

The GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes is carded as the anchor for Monday's Labor Day festivities, which marks the last set of races for the season upstate. A scan through the past winners of the top-level affair over the past 25 years include a strong list of future sires. How about for starters Sky Mesa (2002), First Samurai (2005), Shanghai Bobby (2012) and Competitive Edge (2014)? More recently Practical Joke (2016), Mind Control (2018), Basin (2019), Jackie's Warrior (2020), Gunite (2021) and Forte (2022) got their picture taken before heading...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is sending a strong contingent to Saratoga Race Course for Travers Day next Saturday. But he won't have a runner in the marquee event, the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Baffert said Wednesday that he is keeping 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time) in California. He had originally been planning on shipping the lightly raced colt East but nixed that idea after Goal Oriented worked at Del Mar on Friday. He went seven furlongs in a 1:23.80 (1/2). "He...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Sunday at Saratoga, Del Mar and Ellis Park. Sunday,...

1st-SA, 60K, Msw, 3-5yo, 1mT, 4:00 p.m. Zedan Racing Stable went to $550,000 to secure MUTAZ (Nyquist) as a 2-year-old at OBS April last year. Debuting Saturday on the grass for trainer Bob Baffert, the colt is out of GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes winner Acoma (Empire Maker) who has produced four winners from six to race including the dam of GII Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes runner up Golden Afternoon (Goldencents). Acoma herself is a half-sister to GISW and sire Arch (Kris S.) along with UAE Horse of the Year...

We're on the cusp of the one-month mark to the GI Kentucky Derby and this Saturday marks the most important weekend of nine-furlong preps on the Triple Crown calendar, with significant stakes at Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Aqueduct. Next week the Top 12 expands to the Top 20 as the actual field begins to take shape. 1) CITIZEN BULL (c, Into Mischief-No Joke, by Distorted Humor) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital...