By Alan Carasso
If the GI Kentucky Derby all came a bit too soon for 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (c, 3, Gun Runner–Needmore Flattery, by Flatter), Saturday's GI betPARX Pennsylvania Derby showed that he is close to–or is already–the finished project, enjoying the run of the race in before shooting clear in the stretch to defeat Kentucky Derby third Zandon (Upstart) by three solid lengths. Cyberknife (Gun Runner), who got the better trip and the better of a final-furlong tussle with Taiba in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. earlier this summer, outfinished Simplification (Not This Time) for third.
“Gun Runner is an unbelievable sire and this guy looks more like Gun Runner than a lot of them,” said trainer Bob Baffert, winning his fourth Pennsylvania Derrby. “I was just so excited watching it. I was not loving it on the backside, but once he tipped out it was like, 'Wow! Look at this guy!' We have such a great team and to get rewarded with a win like this makes it all worth it. Fantastic.”
Ridden for speed by Mike Smith, in the irons for the Derby victories of the Baffert-trained West Coast (Flatter) in 2017 and McKinzie (Street Sense) the following year, Taiba dueled early on with White Abarrio (Race Day) through an opening quarter in :23.27, but when it was clear that the latter was going to make the lead at all costs, the chestnut was eased back into a ground-saving fourth from close up. Simplification and 'Rising Star' We The People (Constitution) added some fuel to the pace fire, but Taiba continued to travel well behind the first flight of runners while being asked a bit rounding the far turn.
Angled out sharply around Simplification in upper stretch, Taiba hit the front outside the eighth pole and was punched out mostly hands and heels to hit the line a clear-cut winner. Zandon sat an inside trip beneath Joel Rosario and made steady progress up the inside, but could not reach the winner. Cyberknife looked to exchange bumps with We The People while launching his own bid and was up in the final jump for third.
While GI Runhappy Travers S. winner Epicenter (Not This Time) is the head of the 3-year-old class, Baffert was subtly making the case for Taiba post-race. The colt does hold the distinction of being one of two members of the group to have won multiple Grade Is going long this season. Jack Christopher is a two-time winner at the top-level around one turn.
“You want to be the best 3-year-old,” the conditioner said. “This was the spot that puts him right there. He is just a tough horse. He is powerful. He is a heavily muscled horse and you would not think he would run this far. He has speed but he will sit behind horses. He comes running and he is just a fighter.”
A $170,000 purchase out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton October Sale, Taiba was the second-priciest offering at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale on Gary Young's bid of $1.7-million on behalf of Amr Zedan. The chestnut was named a no-brainer 'Rising Star' following a 7 1/2-length debut victory for Baffert over six furlongs at Santa Anita Mar. 5, but was turned over to Tim Yakteen and he did what not even Justify could do–win the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby off just a maiden victory Apr. 9. Bet to under 6-1 despite his inexperience entering the May 7 GI Kentucky Derby, Taiba never truly reached contention and tired to finish 12th. Connections were content to allow the rest of the Triple Crown to pass them by and, with Baffert off his suspension, he was routed for the Haskell. Consigned to a wide run into the stretch, he came to win the race a furlong out, but was outfinished at the fence by Cyberknife, denying Baffert a 10th win in the race.
From here, Taiba is likely to chart a course that lands at Keeneland on the first Saturday in November.
“If all is good, we are going to point to the Breeders' Cup Classic. You know, horse racing changes day by day. I'm not looking forward to running against Life Is Good (Into Mischief) and Flightline (Tapit). Those are two very fast horses.”
Bayern (Offlee Wild) used the Pennsylvania Derby as a springboard to his much-ballyhooed success in the 2014 Classic.
Pedigree Notes:
Taiba is the lone foal to race out of Needmore Flattery, a mare that would have made E. F. Hutton proud. The Ohio-bred did it the hard way in her career, making 39 trips to the races from ages two to five for owner and Taiba breeder Bruce Ryan, resulting in 17 visits to the winner's circle, nine of those in state-bred stakes races, for earnings north of $732,000.
After producing a colt by Uncle Mo for her first foal, one that Ryan elected to buy back for $112,000 at FTKNOV in 2019, the breeder cashed out, selling Neeedmore Flattery to Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals's Yeguada Centurion for $195,000 back in foal to Uncle Mo at KEENOV the following month. The mare was sent to France, foaled a filly in Ireland, and that produce–now named Tita Mimosa (Ire)–is in training and worked a half-mile in :48.60 (8/75) at Monmouth Park Sept. 18. Needmore Flattery's last listed produce is a French-bred yearling colt by G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) that is catalogued as hip 51 to next month's Arqana October Yearling Sale.
Saturday, Parx Racing
PENNSYLVANIA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Parx Racing, 9-24, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.67, ft.
1–TAIBA, 126, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Needmore Flattery (MSW, $732,103), by Flatter
2nd Dam: Kiosk, by Left Banker
3rd Dam: Phone Switch, by Phone Trick
($140,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $1,700,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR).
O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Bruce C Ryan (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $546,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $1,236,200.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Zandon, 126, c, 3, Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative
Cause. ($170,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Jeff Drown; B-Brereton
Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $182,000.
3–Cyberknife, 126, c, 3, Gun Runner–Awesome Flower, by
Flower Alley. ($400,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Gold Square LLC;
B-Kenneth L. Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.
$91,000.
Margins: 3, 3 3/4, HD. Odds: 1.40, 3.30, 4.10.
Also Ran: Simplification, White Abarrio, B Dawk, Naval Aviator, We the People, Skippylongstocking, Tawny Port, Icy Storm.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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