On the day it was announced that the late Arrogate has been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, a colt (Hip 253) from the final crop of the brilliant champion summoned a final bid of $1.45 million from Donato Lanni, agent for Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stable. The April 25 purchase topped the first session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Lanni, standing alongside trainer Bob Baffert during the spirited round of bidding, signed the ticket. Bred in Kentucky by Rosedown Racing Stables and produced from the unraced War Front mare Destine , the bay colt is half brother to multiple stakes-placed Sunset Promise and is from the immediate family of champion sprinter Smoke Glacken , as well as graded-stakes winners Smokey Glacken and Crown of Thorns.
“It’s ironic because today they announced Arrogate is going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, so it’s fitting that we found a horse that resembles his stature, his look,” Lanni said. “The only difference is he is a different color. Bob (Baffert) loved the horse. He loved him as soon as he saw him. We were fortunate to get him. The good ones are always going to bring more than you think, and we loved everything about him. They aren’t making any more of them.”