Kentucky Derby: Inexperience makes break key for Taiba

Louisville, Ky.

Bloodstock agent Gary Young describes Amr Zedan as being “very obsessed” with winning the Kentucky Derby. He should know. He lavished $1.7 million of the owner’s money on Taiba as a 2-year-old in training as part of that quest.

The Gun Runner colt already looks to be a bargain after sweeping his first two races in style. He will look like a downright steal if he can become the first horse since Leonatus in 1883 to win the Kentucky Derby in his third race.

Young predicts the start, from post 12 in a full field of 20 with Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard, will have everything to do with whether such history is made on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

“If we break, I think we have a very live shot,” the agent and long-time clocker said. “If he doesn’t break or he’s one of those horses that gets claustrophobic in the gate or he gets sideswiped leaving there, that’s going to be awfully tough.

“He’s going against 19 horses. If he goes into the first turn ahead of 17 or 18 of them, the experience factor is not a big deal. If he gets sideswiped and he’s going into the first turn eighth or ninth and he’s getting dirt in the face, all of a sudden it becomes a big deal.”

Taiba has not been particularly straightforward since Young prevailed against China Horse Club in a bidding war. The auctioneer raised the stakes in $100,000 increments while the determined Zedan stood motionless and speechless at Young’s side.

Talk about silence being golden.

“It was getting pretty steep,” Young said, “but there was not one hesitation at all.”

Young also had not hesitated in identifying the chestnut colt as the must-have prospect at Fasig-Tipton’s Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He could not find a physical flaw. He found himself in awe when the juvenile breezed one furlong in 10 1/5 seconds.

“That was the best work I’d seen in a while,” Young said. “You also got the idea there were a couple of gears left in his toolbox.”

Nothing has been straightforward about Taiba since then, though. He was initially sent to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who decided to give him more time to develop and delay his debut until 3.

That resulted in an extremely tight schedule – some might say impossibly tight – in a bid to give Zedan the Derby victory taken from him when the late Medina Spirit was eventually disqualified following a positive post-race drug test last May.

Taiba did not debut until March 5, when he turned a six-furlong contest into a mismatch he commanded by 7 1/2 lengths for Baffert. He was moved to the barn of Tim Yakteen, a former Baffert assistant. Yakteen and Young recommended to Zedan that he take it slow by making the April 16 Lexington Stakes (G3) as the second start.

This time, Zedan raised his voice. He was intent on the April 9 Santa Anita Derby (G1) in an all-or-nothing shot to earn the qualifying points needed to make the Kentucky Derby field. Taiba justified his owner’s confidence by advancing with an authoritative 2 1/4-length score against stablemate Messier.

The rising star has worked only once since then, completing six furlongs in 1:12.80 on April 28 at Santa Anita. It was the best of four drills at the distance that morning at Santa Anita, but do not look for bullets in studying Taiba’s work tab. He is racing’s version of former NBA guard Allen Iverson, who famously decried the value of practice.

“He’s basically figured out the difference between the morning and the afternoon,” Young said. “He kind of just goes through the actions in the morning. In the afternoon, thus far he’s been a beast.”

All will be forgiven if the $1.7 million bargain turns up a beast on Saturday.