Taiba to Skip Met Mile, Look Toward Del Mar

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Zedan Racing Stables' multiple grade 1 winner Taiba  will skip the June 10 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park.

Taiba worked seven furlongs in 1:27.40 Friday at Santa Anita Park in what was to be his final prep for the one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up which offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in November at the Arcadia, Calif. oval. He has not raced since an eighth-place effort in the Feb. 25 Saudi Cup (G1).

"His works have been good, but not like I'd like to see them. I just don't think he's ready for something like that yet," said Baffert, who won the 2017 Metropolitan with Mor Spirit  . "I'm going to wait and run him at Del Mar. He's doing well, but not well enough for the Met Mile. To run in the Met Mile, you have to bring your 'A' game and I don't think he's quite there yet."

The 4-year-old Gun Runner   colt's trio of grade 1 scores came in the Santa Anita Derby last April, the Pennsylvania Derby in September at Parx Racing, and the Malibu Stakes in December at Santa Anita.

Meanwhile, Zedan's graded stakes-placed Arabian Lion  who rolled to a frontrunning four-length score last in the May 20 Sir Barton Stakes, will look toward Saturday's Woody Stephens Stakes (G1). He was initially under consideration for the Belmont Stakes (G1), but Baffert decided to point the Justify   colt to the seven-furlong sprint for sophomores instead.

"On the turnback, sometimes they run well. We'll send him back to two turns again after that," Baffert said.

Arabian Lion, who boasts a ledger of 2-2-0 from six starts for purse earnings of $217,600, entered the Sir Barton from a pacesetting runner-up effort to First Mission  in the April 15 Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.

Baffert will also enter multiple graded-stakes placed Fort Bragg  in the Woody Stephens. The Tapit   colt, who was third in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in December, finished second last out in the Pat Day Mile (G2) a neck back of returning rival General Jim  on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard at Churchill Downs.

"He's still improving and filling out," Baffert said. "He's maturing and there's a lot of room to improve."

Baffert previously won the Woody Stephens with Bayern  (2014) and American Anthem   (2017).