Wikipedia
Nadir Kouidri (born 1975 in France) better known by his stage name Ridan, is a French singer/songwriter of Algerian origin launched into the limelight in 2004. His stage name is the reversal of his real name Nadir.
He is known for his urban poetry in French banlieue (suburbs). A recurring theme in his songs is the difficult life of Arab immigrants in France. One of his most famous and popular songs is "Ulysse".
In 2005 he won "Victoires de la musique" award for "Album revelation of the year" for his album Le Rêve ou la vie. This prize was shared equally with Daniel Darc for the latter's album Crèvecœur.
In 2012, his single Ah les salauds! (Oh the bastards!) was the subject of controversy and was banned by several radio stations, because of the political message disseminated through the song.
Ridan (February 21, 1959 – 1977) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1961 was one of the best 2-year-old colts racing in the United States but lost the 1962 U.S. Champion 3-Year-old honors by a fraction of a nose.
A full brother to 1965 U.S. Horse of the Year Moccasin, Ridan was the grandson of Nasrullah, a son of Nearco. Trainer Moody Jolley purchased him from Claiborne Farm as a yearling. Because the colt reminded Jolley of another Nasrullah colt named Nadir, he named him Ridan, which is Nadir spelled backwards. Ernest Woods and John L. Greer each bought a one-third interest in the horse.
Trained by Jolley's son LeRoy, and ridden by future U.S. Hall of Fame jockey Bill Hartack, the two-year-old Ridan went unbeaten in seven starts in 1961 that included the important Arlington Futurity and Washington Park Futurity. Soreness in a foreleg cut short his season, and although he had handily beaten another two-year-old star, Crimson Satan, the 1961 U.S. Juvenile Champion honors went to Crimson Satan. The choice was hotly debated in racing circles. Hartack said Ridan was the best two-year-old he had ever ridden or seen. A number of expert racing observers agreed, saying that Ridan was the best two-year-old they had ever seen. The following year at age three, Ridan settled the issue, beating Crimson Satan seven more times by an average of eight lengths in each race and retiring without ever losing to him.
In 1962, Ridan won the Hibiscus Stakes in record time, then won the Blue Grass Stakes and the Florida Derby. Made the heavy favorite going into the Kentucky Derby, Ridan wound up third after running wide in a hard-fought race in which he and Roman Line finished a neck behind upset winner Decidedly. Disappointment followed in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown. Ridan lost by the then narrowest, and still second narrowest, margin in Preakness history, beaten by a nose by Brandywine Stable longshot Greek Money.