Bob Baffert's Taiba, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, wins Pennsylvania Derby

Taiba, runaway winner of the Santa Anita Derby, picked up his second Quality 1 get when he received Saturday’s $1-million Pennsylvania Derby. The 3-12 months-outdated son of Gun Runner assumed a stalking position for the most of the 1-1/8-mile race at Parx in the vicinity of Philadelphia right before coming off the rail and going to the centre of the monitor moving into the extend and winning the race by 3 lengths.

Taiba improved his winnings to just more than $1.2 million, having closer to his $1.7-million purchase cost as a 2-12 months-outdated. He is owned by Amr Zedan, who owned disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, and is trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith.

He defeat a excellent discipline in a race that included four other Kentucky Derby entrants.

Taiba was the most loved and compensated $4.80, $3.00 and $2.60. Zandon, winner of the Blue Grass Stakes, concluded second and Cyberknife, winner of the Arkansas Derby and Haskell Stakes, was 3rd. The rest of the industry, in get of end, was Simplification, White Abarrio, B Dawk, Naval Aviator, We the People today, Skippylongstocking, Tawny Port and Icy Storm.

“That was thrilling,” Baffert advised the Parx media personnel. “He did it. He ran his race. He is acquiring far better and improved. … He proved he is a good horse. It was his last chance to run a Quality 1 in opposition to 3-calendar year-olds and it was a challenging race, a good area.

“I was a tiny fearful when he was down on the inside of due to the fact he doesn’t like becoming on the inside. When he tipped to the outdoors, he just took off.”

Taiba broke on to the scene with a maiden win by 7½ lengths at Santa Anita. At that issue he needed points to get into the Kentucky Derby and Baffert was not in a position to get Derby factors mainly because of a dispute with Churchill Downs above the validity of Medina Spirit’s get right after a positive drug take a look at. Taiba was moved to the barn of Tim Yakteen, who guided him to a key victory in only his 2nd race.

Yakteen then took Taiba to the Kentucky Derby in which he finished 12th.

After Baffert returned from his 90-working day suspension stemming from the Medina Spirit favourable test, Taiba was moved back again to the Hall of Fame trainer and concluded 2nd to Cyberknife by a head in the Haskell Stakes subsequent a very challenging journey.

Baffert explained, “If all is great,” Taiba’s up coming race may perhaps be the Breeder’s Cup Classic, a challenging chore considering the opposition from older horses.

“I’m not hunting forward to operating in opposition to Life Is Very good and Flightline,” he reported. “Those are two incredibly speedy horses.”