Zayat Stables Goes After Their First Kentucky Derby Win
Since the Zayat Stables began racing in 2005, they have had remarkable success. In just eleven years they have had five runners earn over $1 million, saddled 13 grade one winners, won a leading owner title by earnings, and garnered an Eclipse Award with a two-year-old champion. More than anything else the Zayat Stables is known for their near misses in the Kentucky Derby. Four times since 2009 they have gotten close to taking home the roses on the First Saturday in May.
Most recently it was Bodemeister who had a six-race career that spanned a mere five months in 2012. He went quickly from a maiden victory to being narrowly defeated in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness by I’ll Have Another. On the lead in the Louisville, Bodemeister led the race deep into the homestretch after setting very brisk fractions.
Zayat Stables Manager, Justin Zayat remembered Bodemeister, “A short six race career, but an unbelievable journey. He developed really, really quickly. He broke his maiden on February 11th and he had one chance to make it to the [Kentucky] Derby and that was to win the Arkansas Derby. He was a spectacular horse. He deserved to win the Derby that year [2012], but it was ridiculous fractions. What can you do? That’s horse racing.”
The year before it was Nehro who also had to develop quickly. He, too, broke his maiden in February and had to scramble to qualify for Run for the Roses. This Zayat runner would also find an interesting way to finish second in the Derby.
Zayat recalled this son of Mineshaft’s Derby campaign,“Nehro was kind of like Bodemeister in that he had to get to the Derby in a very quick way. He broke his maiden late. He was 36-1 going into the Louisiana Derby and finished second. If we were going to make the [2011 Kentucky] Derby we had to wheel him right back in the Arkansas Derby because he was doing so well. He lost again by a nose, but we made the Derby and finished second to Animal Kingdom, who was first time dirt; another crazy way to lose the Derby.”
In 2010, there was another kind of Kentucky Derby drama for the Zayats, this time with the dazzling Eskendereya. The talented son of Giant’s Causeway ran only six times in a career that included a maiden victory in the Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park as a juvenile and then open length victories in the Fountain of Youth and the Wood Memorial. Eskendereya headed to the Derby as an overwhelming favorite, but a week before the race, a soft tissue injury sent him into an early retirement.
“That was probably the toughest of all of the Zayat Stable’s tough losses,” said Justin Zayat. “Going into the [2010] Kentucky Derby as one of the heaviest favorites in a long time. He won the Wood Memorial by ten. Todd [trainer Pletcher] was so excited. We were all so excited for the Derby that year. Then, the week of the Derby, he was off. It was so gut wrenching to get to the week of the Derby, to get that far. I thought we would never make it back.”
Pioneerof the Nile gave them their first Derby close call and brought Zayat Stables to the forefront of American racing. This Zayat homebred son of Empire Maker swept the California prep races, yet was sent off as the third betting choice on the first Saturday in May.
“Pioneerof the Nile came along and kind of put us on the map. He was an extremely underrated horse for what he had done,” explained Zayat. “Today with Twitter and all, he would be the talk of the town going into the Derby. He won the Cash Call, the Robert Lewis, the San Felipe, and the Santa Anita Derby. He swept the entire West Coast, which is pretty spectacular. Then he runs second in the [2009 Kentucky] Derby to Mine That Bird, another crazy way to lose the Derby.”
Zayat Stables heads to the 2015 Kentucky Derby with the distinct chance that they will have three horses in the starting gate. As of this writing Mr. Z has 14 Derby qualifying points, American Pharoah with 60 after his Rebel Stakes win, and El Kabeir’s leading total of 75.
For the New Jersey-based Zayat team, El Kabeir is a special horse. He has already run eight times and won three graded stakes, but his proximity to home as allowed them to keep close tabs on his transformation into a Kentucky Derby contender.
Zayat explained, “This horse has a special place in my heart. Since he’s stabled in New York, we would go every single weekend to see him since he has been in John Terranova’s barn as a two-year-old. We got to see him grow up and develop. He was a rank, very aggressive, very green two-year-old with a lot of energy. Now he’s a totally different horse. He can relax and he can rate.”
Even though he is not the stable’s top three-year-old, Zayat feels that he is a threat because, “He’s really developing at the right time.”
And if those two are not enough, the Zayats have American Pharoah, their first Eclipse Award winner and the recent victor in the Rebel Stakes. In the Rebel a stumble at the start caused their homebred son of Pioneerof the Nile to loosen a front shoe. That seemed to have little affect as he romped to a 6 ¼ length victory over the sloppy Oaklawn Park racetrack.
He came out of that race in great shape according to Zayat, “We got lucky and he didn’t grab a quarter. We kind of dodged a bullet there. Thank God, he’s no worse for wear. He’s the same horse that he went into the race.”
Zayat was happy to talk about concerns that American Pharoah is a one-dimensional frontrunner, “In his races so far he has been untested. He’s kind of been on the lead in all of his races. Obviously that‘s what he has to overcome in the future, but I know this horse can rate. Bob [trainer Baffert] has been rating him in the mornings. If there is a speed horse in the race, he will be able to sit off of him.”
Will this be the year for the Zayats to put their Kentucky Derby bad luck behind them? Justin Zayat made it clear when he talked about American Pharoah, “We have been pretty fortunate to have our share of nice horses. I actually don’t remember a horse that has gotten us so excited. He’s brilliant, truly incredible.”