Amr Zedan spends record breaking $10.5m on colt as Preston North End linked businessman profiled
There have been confirmed discussions between PNE and Zedan
Amr Zedan - the businessman who has been linked with buying Preston North End - hit the headlines last week with a record breaking purchase.
At last Friday’s Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Zedan Racing Stables acquired a Flightline colt for a whopping $10.5million. It became the OBS record, with Zedan holding the previous at $3m, which he paid in March 2025. The eye-watering fee is the second highest price paid, ever, for a two-year-old in North America.
"Bob [Baffert] loved him,” said agent Donato Lanni, who was bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stables. “The first time he saw him, he loved him. And obviously, Amr, he's tough... he's tough to outbid. He's an emotional guy. He's great for the sport. He loves the racing. His enthusiasm is unbelievable.”
As explained by PNE chairman Ian Penrose, Zedan is known to the Hemmings family - who have owned North End since 2010. Horse racing is one of Zedan’s sporting ventures, along with polo. While a clear passion, the two sports are significant for the US-born Saudi businessman when it comes to connecting, networking, status, profile and brand.
Zedan’s wealth stems largely from the Zedan Group, having been chairman of the business since 2000. It has grown from a small engineering consultancy to a leading international group of companies. It supports several industries across Saudi Arabia - such as energy, real estate, aviation and technology - and is a key player in the Saudi Vision 2030.
That vision was launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with the aim of growing Saudi Arabia’s economy beyond oil. Zedan is also a venture capitalist and, through ZedanMorgan Capital, has built international wealth across the energy, healthcare, technology and mining sectors.
Zedan is a key profile with regards to Vision 2030 given his business empire, global investments and personal brand. In recent weeks he has not shied away, publicly, from the takeover talk surrounding him and PNE. Sky News broke the interest back in January and Penrose swiftly confirmed talks in a statement.
Since then, journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Zedan is in advanced talks to buy North End and the man himself attended Preston’s 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers. The initial report from Sky stated discussions had been around supporting the club’s ‘long-term Premier League ambitions’, before stalling around the turn of the year.
Heckingbottom: Investment needed
Speaking in a recent press conference, the PNE boss said: “Listen, I think there's so many different things to a changeover in a football club, and I've been involved in a lot of them. One thing I can guarantee is that there is change. Even when people say nothing's going to change, everything will change.
“Some people suffer from it, some people won’t be better off for it, some people lose their jobs. There's negatives and there's positives. But what I would say here at Preston is, for us to try and get on an even keel with our competitors, we need investment. Without a doubt, we do.
“And in the 18 months now that I've known him, I would trust Craig to do what he considers the right thing by Preston. He's not just going to dump it off his hands and give it to anyone. They will be doing due diligence to make sure that whoever they're speaking to has got the best interests of the club at heart. That is all I can say, really.”