$3.55M Hejazi Zips to Maiden Victory

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are grade/group winners, or have dams that are grade/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners in particular who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners. This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are grade/group winners, or have dams that are grade/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners in particular who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Santa Anita Park

It’s been no secret that Hejazi  has speed. The strapping son of Bernadini blew the rafters off the the old Timonium grandstand with his :9 4/5 eighth-mile clocking at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale. And since that display of raw velocity, Hejazi has run four times for trainer Bob Baffert. In his first two starts, one-turn maiden special weights at Del Mar, the colt ran second-best to eventual stakes winners Classical Cat  and Speed Boat Beach . Then in his third attempt at the winner’s circle, the maiden lined up against grade 1 company in the 1 1/16 American Pharoah Stakes (G1). His talents merited him a third-place showing behind stablemates Cave Rock  and National Treasure , the 1-2 finishers in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Given a three-month freshening, Hejazi returned with vigor in a Jan. 15 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park, zipping to his first career victory for Zedan Racing Stables.

Although breaking a bit slow, Hejazi accelerated to take command in a matter of strides under jockey Mike Smith, throwing down grueling early fractions of :21.97 and :44.28 before opening up a 2 1/2-length advantage through six furlongs in a fast 1:08.41. Fellow Baffert trainee Worcester  gave chase late but couldn’t touch Hejazi, who stopped the timer in a sparkling 1:14.58 on a fast main track.

“We gave (Hejazi) some time, gave him a chance to re-boot,” trainer Bob Baffert said after Sunday’s race. “We wanted to get some weight back on him. We put him through a pretty ambitious (three-race sequence). Now he’s got a chance…He’s got his weight back on and Mike got him to relax a little bit. Today was the day. Once I saw him out there cruising… We’re gonna have fun with him.”

A third-generation product of Mary and Chester Broman breeding, Hejazi became the most expensive horse ever sold at a public auction in the state of Maryland when Zedan Racing signed his ticket for $3.55 million last spring. The New-York bred is out of the Medaglia d'Oro   mare G Note, herself a daughter of graded stakes winner Seeking the Ante and a half to grade 3 winner Mineralogist and to Risk a Chance, the dam of 2022 Rebel Stakes (G2) hero Un Ojo .

Gulfstream Park

Todd Pletcher, trainer of Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and likely 2-year-old champion Forte , made a splash in this week's Maiden Watch with Spendthrift Farm's Kingsbarns . The Uncle Mo   colt turned in what Pletcher dubbed as a "very professional debut" in his first trip to the post, navigating his way through traffic en route to a 1 3/4-length triumph in a maiden special weight contest at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.

The 3-1 favorite in the 11-horse field, the Kentucky-bred colt traveled the mile in a final time of 1:39.18 on a fast main track.

Kingsbarns, bred in Kentucky by Parks Investment Group, was acquired by Spendthrift for $800,000 at Fasig-Tipton's The Gulfstream Sale, its Florida select 2-year-olds in training sale, from the Tom McCrocklin consignment. His dam Lady Tapit (Tapit  ), is a half sister to 2009 American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) captress Gozzip Girl.

Oaklawn Park

Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys Farm's homebred Shopper's Revenge  turned heads in the nightcap Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn Park, waltzing home a 5 1/4-length winner. The son of Tapit   was making just his second lifetime start after a distant runner-up effort in his Nov. 26 Churchill Downs debut.

Stretching out from seven furlongs to 1 1/6-miles for Saturday's contest, the Steve Asmussen trainee scrambled to the lead and never looked back. He was timed in 1:45.07 on a track rated fast.

A $275,000 buyback at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Shopper's Revenge is the third foal out of Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner and $3 million earner Stopchargingmaria . All three of the Tale of the Cat mare's foals have been winners.