Record $10.5M colt named Zedan joins Baffert's stable

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A thoroughbred colt that sold for a record $10.5 million has been named Zedan by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert after joining his stable at Santa Anita this week, according to LEX 18 News.

The colt was purchased at a sale for 2-year-olds in training in Florida by Amr Zedan, one of Baffert's prominent clients. "He's a specimen," Baffert said. "A man among boys."

The $10.5 million price tag marks the second-highest ever paid for a 2-year-old thoroughbred in North America. The record remains $16 million, paid in 2006 for The Green Monkey, a colt with bloodlines tracing to 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. However, The Green Monkey, trained by Todd Pletcher, failed to win in three career starts and was retired after two years. He was euthanized at age 14 in 2018 due to laminitis.

Zedan, a bay colt sired by Flightline, the 2022 Horse of the Year who retired with a perfect 6-for-6 record including a Breeders' Cup Classic victory, carries impressive pedigree credentials. His dam is Lucrezia, a daughter of the prolific stallion Into Mischief.

Baffert selected the 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 Zedan Racing Stables.

The purchase price exceeded the Ocala Breeders' Sale record of $3 million, which Amr Zedan himself paid for Brant in 2005. Racing observers are closely monitoring Zedan's development ahead of his debut, with speculation that he could be a contender for the Kentucky Derby. Baffert, who has won the Derby a record-tying six times, has another prominent Derby prospect in Potente, a $2.4 million purchase who won the San Felipe Stakes in March.

"We believe this son of Flightline is a generational opportunity," Zedan Racing Stables posted on social media, while Tom Ryan, racing manager for SF Racing, called him a horse "with all the ingredients to be a legitimate superstar."