Hangin' With Haskin : ahmed zayat

Profile in Courage

Blood-Horse Staff — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:44:00 GMT

How can an owner who finishes second in all three Triple Crown races, two of them in photos; loses the Pimlico Special by a nose; and loses his three best horses to injury claim to have had his greatest year ever?

Ahmed Zayat hasn’t come right out and made such a claim, but the truth is, 2012 has indeed been his best year as an owner, because he has had the rare privilege of witnessing and experiencing first hand the heart and courage of a champion and being right there all the way as his horse fought his greatest battle. Remarkably, it is a battle he currently is winning.

Forget the heartbreaking defeats in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, and the promising careers cut short. The Zayat family will always remember 2012 as the year of Paynter. And whenever they recall the indomitable fighting spirit displayed by their horse and his will to live, it will bring a smile to their faces that will more than make up for the disappointments on the track.

The jubilation of winning the Haskell, with Ahmed’s son Justin there to accept the trophy, was a special moment for sure. But there is no greater prize bestowed upon a Thoroughbred owner and no greater feeling to warm the soul than the pride and admiration the Zayats feel right now for Paynter.

They have utilized the Twitter world to provide constant updates on the horse to his legion of fans that continues to grow daily, in much the same manner as Barbaro, whose struggle gained national attention in 2006. This communication has enabled the Zayat family and Paynter’s fans to jointly feel the joy and heartache that has accompanied the horse’s battles with colitis, laminitis, an abscess, and whatever other maladies he has had to endure.

Even Paynter’s trainer, Bob Baffert, admitted at one point, “I can’t believe this horse is still alive.”

He added, “They should give a special Eclipse Award to that veterinarian (Dr. Laura Javsicas, who devoted so much of her time to Paynter and helped him through all his ordeals).

When the time came to start thinking about the humane thing to do, Zayat tweeted, “We need to be compassionate and merciful and treat our star with the respect and love that he deserves while giving him the best chance in fighting for his life.”

The word Thoroughbred has been used in many ways since the name entered the vernacular in 1701. It has become associated not only with royal breeding and athleticism, but courage and fortitude, and a competitive spirit. The Thoroughbred in the true sense of the word is a fighter by nature and that fight is not restricted to the racetrack. It can manifest itself anywhere. Paynter could have won the Triple Crown and not embody the spirit of the Thoroughbred any more than he did standing in a stall at Upstate Equine Medical Center in New York or at New Bolton Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

There will be no trophies for Paynter at this year’s Eclipse Awards dinner, but trophies and what they represent can take on many forms and have just as proud a place in the heart as they do on the mantle.

To those who have marveled at his resolve and invested so much emotion following his plight, Paynter in his own way is the 2012 Horse of the Year.

Power Up Paynter

aspradling — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:41:00 GMT

Once upon a time there were two horses named MC’s Dream and Bradleberry. Both were potential stars, showing great promise from the time they were mere tots. You will find no record of either horse, but be assured they are here as big as life, with a stranglehold on the 3-year-old division.

MC’s Dream and Bradleberry have morphed into Paynter and Bodemeister, with their new names holding great significance to their trainer Bob Baffert, who, thanks to owner Ahmed Zayat, gets to train one horse named after his son, Bode, and another after the contractor who built the house in which Bode will grow up.

What is remarkable about this story is that when the year began, no one outside of Baffert’s barn and the Zayat household had heard of MC’s Dream or Bradleberry or Paynter or Bodemeister or whatever their names were at the time.

On Feb. 11, Bodemeister burst on the scene with a vengeance, not only demolishing a field of maidens, but surprising even Baffert and Zayat with his 9 1/4-length romp in a blazing 1:34 2/5 for the mile. Behind him was another highly touted Baffert colt named Stirred Up, who actually went off as the favorite.

Several days later, Zayat, still surprised, but delighted over Bodemeister’s brilliant performance, alerted yours truly that he had a better one in the barn named MC’s Dream. Yeah, sure, we’ve heard that one before. There’s always a better one in the barn. Not even a week had passed when MC’s Dream, now Paynter, showed up in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race and blew his opponents away by 4 1/2 lengths in a blistering 1:02.98. So highly touted was he that he was sent off as the 2-5 favorite. Maybe he did have a better one in the barn.

It was obvious Zayat had two brilliant colts on his hands, but there was no way either one could be ready for the Kentucky Derby or likely any of the other Triple Crown races. Here it was now a couple of weeks into March and neither colt had done anything but break their maidens, with Paynter having only that one 5 1/2-furlong race.

But what most people didn’t realize was just how special and extraordinary both these colts were. Everyone who had ever been around them surely knew.

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo knew when he bought them for Zayat at the Keeneland September yearling sale, paying $325,000 for Paynter and $260,000 for Bodemeister.

Although he loved Bodemeister, Paynter was the first horse on his short list for Zayat.

“He was a very good sized, strong colt for an Awesome Again and he had the physical look of a two-turn, dirt horse, with the pedigree to go with it,” Ingordo said. “And he was out of a full-sister to Tiznow. I remember how strong he was and how much I liked his shoulder, head, and neck. I was pretty pumped up when we were able to buy him.”

Not a bad recommendation from the man who picked out Zenyatta and scores of other top-class horses.

After purchasing both colts, Zayat sent them and his other young horses to J.B. McKathan in Florida. McKathan has been breaking and training good horses since he had Silver Charm and other major stars for Baffert.

McKathan thought so highly of Paynter he took his picture to send to Zayat's son Justin and used it as his screen saver on his phone. He hasn’t changed it since.

“Paynter was more of a big strapping colt than Bodemeister,” he recalled. “He was just a really gorgeous classy colt. When you get to be around good horses you know one when you see him. He never had a bad day. He was really solid and sound and just a great horse to be around; really classy.

“He was fast, but he never broke the stopwatch or anything like that. When you have these really talented horses, we’re just trying to slow them down the whole time. They’ll work fast sometimes, but not because we want them to. We just want to keep them under control and let them ease on down there. He was never rank and wanting to run off. He had a really good mind and that always helps.”

McKathan never worked Paynter and Bodemeister together. The last thing you want to do with young talented horses is have two express trains going full throttle together.

McKathan provided ample preparation for one’s first close-up encounter with Paynter.

“Wait until you see him; he is gorgeous,” he said. “He is a really really good-looking dude. You stand next to him and you’re going to be impressed. Believe me when I say a horse is good looking he is good looking.”

Although you have high-profile names, such as Bob Baffert and Ahmed Zayat, closely associated with the Paynter – Bodemeister story, the central figure could very well be Justin, Zayat’s oldest son who is 20 years old and attends New York University (NYU), and has been deeply involved in the Zayat Thoroughbred operation since he was 13 when his father started the stable.

Each year, Zayat has his main trainers come to the farm to look at the babies and choose which ones they’d like to train. The Zayat team then decides which horses to send to which trainers. Last year, Baffert was unable to go and asked Justin to choose the horses for him. He chose Paynter and Bodemeister.

“My dad loves Awesome Again and I know Bob loves him,” Justin said. “Whenever we get an Awesome Again my first thought is to give him to Bob. Paynter’s dam (Tizso, by Cee’s Tizzy) is a full-sister to Tiznow and his pedigree screams classic distance. I knew he was Bob’s horse from day one. I saw him on the farm and I wanted to know if he was progressing, so I asked J.B. to send me a picture of him every few weeks. And he just kept looking better and better. I felt this was a Bob Baffert horse and I went with my gut."

As for Bodemeister, Justin said, "I know Bob likes a certain type of horse, with classic pedigrees, and Bodemeister is by Empire Maker, and Bob trainer Pioneerof the Nile for us and he's by Empire Maker. It was a pretty easy decision for me.

“When we allocate our horses, before we send them to their respective trainers we have a contest. We each pick the ones we think are going to be the stars, the allowance horses, and the less talented ones. We have this competition every year. We try to give each trainer at least one “A” colt and one “A” filly, and one colt we feel can get them to the Derby. You could say Bob got lucky last year.”

The year before, they gave Steve Asmussen Nehro, the year before that they gave Pletcher Eskendereya, and the year before that they gave Bill Mott Pioneerof the Nile, who they eventually transferred to Baffert. In 2008, they gave Mott Z Humor and Asmussen Z Fortune, both of whom were major players on the Derby trail.

Nehro and Pioneerof the Nile both finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Eskendereya, who would have been a prohibitive favorite in the Run for the Roses, was injured and retired shortly before the race.

Although the Zayats had to be thrilled to be such a major force on the Derby scene, those were tough breaks. But Zayat and Justin remained upbeat and optimistic, and kept persevering, knowing their time would come to hold up the Derby trophy or the Woodlawn Vase or the Belmont Stakes trophy.

But never could they have imagined what was in store with Paynter and Bodemeister in 2012. The Zayats would be thrilled, teased, and in the end frustrated and disappointed by a series of gut-wrenching defeats in all three Triple Crown races.

Bodemeister, despite his inexperience looked like the horse that could defy history and become the first horse to win the Derby without having started at 2 since Apollo in 1882.

Following a gutsy second to grade I winner Creative Cause in the San Felipe, the son of Empire Maker romped by 9 1/2 lengths in the Arkansas Derby for his third consecutive triple-digit Beyer speed figure. All of a sudden, the Zayats had one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, with Paynter, Baffert and Zayat did something so bold and so completely out of character, it was thought by many that they were rushing the colt and jeopardizing his career. They had decided to go straight from the 5 1/2-furlong maiden race to the Santa Anita Derby. Despite bobbling at the start and dropping back to sixth, Paynter still finished fourth, beaten only 3 ¾ lengths by I’ll Have Another. Baffert actually thought he should have won with a better trip.

A week before the Derby, Paynter was back in the Derby Trial Stakes, but the track came up a sloppy mess and he wound up going head and head with two other horses through a brutal half in :45 1/5. He put those two horse away, but was caught in the final furlong by Hierro, the mile run in a snappy 1:35 1/5.

A week later, Bodemeister wound up a slight favorite in the Kentucky Derby, but cooked himself with ridiculous fractions of :45 1/5 and 1:09 4/5. Every horse near him cracked, but he amazingly kept going, opening up a three-length lead at the eighth pole and seemingly home free.

The Baffert and Zayat families watched on the big screen in the paddock, but their jubilation quickly turned to heartbreak, as I’ll Have Another came charging late to beat Bode by 1 1/2 lengths. A good deal of the talk after the race was about the remarkable race Bodemeister ran in defeat. But the bottom line is that the Zayats had suffered their third second-place finish in the Derby in four years.

Zayat is an emotional person who wears his heart on his sleeve, but after seeing the anguish on the face of Justin and the tears shed by Bode Baffert, he felt he had to keep his own emotions in check. The feelings of disappointment and frustration he kept contained soon were replaced by a feeling of pride in his horse and what he accomplished. And more importantly, the Preakness was in two weeks and provided a new beginning.

It was decided to bring both Bodemeister and Paynter to Pimlico, with Paynter running in a 1 1/16-mile allowance raceon Preakness to get him back on the winning track and give Zayat an idea just how the track was playing.

If the Zayats thought the Derby defeat was agonizing, they had to be devastated in the Preakness watching Bodemeister again set all the pace and getting nailed right on the wire by I’ll Have Another.

Bodemeister had done enough and it was time to turn their attention to Paynter for the Belmont Stakes. Optimism ran high, despite Paynter having had only four lifetime starts and having to stretch out from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/2 miles.

The morning of the Belmont, Zayat and his family and several friends gathered in their mobile home, which they rent and park on the backstretch overnight in order to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Following their morning prayers, they indulged in a feast of bagels and lox and whitefish and other culinary delights, including a cake inscribed with the words, “Power Up Paynter,” before preparing to head to the races. When TVG showed the stretch runs of the Derby and Preakness, Zayat let out one word: “Torture!”

Little did he know he would be in for more torture.

Earlier on the Belmont card, Justin Phillip was nailed in the final stride in the True North Stakes.

In the Belmont, once again, it was Zayat’s silks on the lead every step of the way. Paynter turned back the challenge of Atigun at the head of the stretch and set sail for home, but Mike Smith came off the rail in the furlong allowing Union Rags to sneak through and win by a neck.

The three Triple Crown races comprise a total of approximately 3.8 miles. Zayat’s two horses led for all but about 10 feet of those 3.8 miles and didn’t win any of the three races. But Zayat never complained and complimented the winners and expressed his pride in his own horses for their toughness and courage.

“Racing owes me nothing,” Zayat said. “I love this sport and each race is a new beginning.”

His new beginning was now the Haskell Invitational, which would kick off racing’s second season.

Bodemeister was ticketed to return in Monmouth’s premier event, but a fever kept him out of the race, and it was quickly decided to substitute Paynter. Baffert felt he was unable to attend, and Zayat, who was spending the summer in Del Mar, also couldn’t attend because his youngest daughter, Emma, had a temperature of 102, and as Zayat says, “Family always comes first.”

So it was up to Justin to represent the family and hopefully accept the trophy following the race. That would be the fulfillment of a dream, as Justin was born in Teaneck, N.J., which is located close to Hackensack, where Zayat has his office. To not only attend his first big victory in person, but represent the entire family would be a moment he would treasure for the rest of his life.

It took less than a minute and 49 seconds for his dream to become a reality, as Paynter finally showed the greatness everyone saw in him.

Most everyone expected him to go to the lead, but it was Gemologist who rushed to the front after Paynter broke a bit slowly. Paynter, headstrong early, finally settled in second through a quarter in :23 4/5 and a half in :48 flat. He engaged Gemologist on the far turn through three-quarters in 1:11 1/5 and it was apparent that Paynter was in total control. Gemologist was already under heavy pressure and was hit once left-handed with the whip by Javier Castellano, while Rafael Bejarano, who had replaced Mike Smith, was still motionless on Paynter.

Turning for home, Gemologist was done, but Nonios, who had been tracking the pace from the inside, swung to the outside and seemed ready to pounce on Paynter. But when Bejarano set him down, Paynter found another gear and spurted clear to win going away by 3 ¾ lengths in a solid 1:48 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

Justin immediately received a call from his father. “He was the happiest guy in the world,” he said. “He was yelling and screaming, ‘Oh My God , Oh my God.’ This horse has run so hard in all his races, and we gave him such a grueling campaign; from a maiden to the Santa Anita Derby. Finally, this was the breakout race we’d been hoping for. He’s always kind of lived in Bode’s shadow, but he made his mark today. The Belmont was such a tough loss after all we asked of him. Turning for home when Nonios made that run at him, I was going, ‘Please don’t do this to me again.’”

Said Zayat: “You could hear me screaming from California to New Jersey. Never in my life have I screamed that much. This was so gratifying and validated all of Bob’s hype. I’ve never seen him so confident before. I would have loved to be there, but I couldn’t leave my daughter.”

If Zayat could have seen Justin leading in Paynter with his sister Ashley and sitting at the winner’s podium answering questions from the media he would have burst with pride.

“This has been a dream my whole life,” Justin said. “I’ve been waiting to be at a big win in person. Whenever we’ve won I’ve never been there. I always had to watch it on TV. To finally be there in person after the whole Triple Crown and running second, second, and second, and then finally breaking through and to do it in New Jersey, there’s nothing better.”

So begins the second season for the Zayat family. From the early days of 2012 watching Paynter and Bodemeister develop into bonafide stars, through a Triple Crown ordeal that would have broken most owners, and finally a major victory in their home state, the Zayats have experienced racing’s gamut of emotions. As strong as they have always been as a family, the laughter, the thrills, and the tears they have experienced this year have bonded them even further. And they owe it all to the speed, class, and courage of two special 3-year-old colts. That is the true magic of horse racing.

Spa La La La La

aspradling — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:40:00 GMT

Yes, ‘tiz the season to be jolly. Saratoga is here again, and it seems to be getting earlier and earlier. The first half of the year has been a series of emotional ups and downs with issues so hot they burned up the pages of newspapers and network air waves, in good part to the detriment of the sport.

If there was a face of horse racing it would be posted on the “Ten Most Wanted” wall of the New York Times and several other publications and TV networks who normally have as much interest in racing as they do badminton, and just about the same knowledge.

Even though the New York Times refuses to let go of Doug O’Neill’s jugular, the emotion-filled days of spring and I’ll Have Another and milkshakes are for the most part over and we get to start anew. We have come to terms with the injuries to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont winners, and our thoughts are now filled with Saratoga sunrises, strolls up Broadway, and soaking our troubles away at the Roosevelt or Washington Baths. And, of course, there are the horses, whether they’re emerging from the morning mist on the Oklahoma training track or charging down the stretch in front of a packed grandstand. As I await my 44th Saratoga, I can anticipate that electric and nostalgic feeling of getting off the Northway and the first glimpse of the barns and grandstand.

But no one is looking forward to Saratoga more than Ahmed Zayat, who will attempt to wash away the frustrating defeats of May and June.

Zayat has his pair of gifted colts, Bodemeister and Paynter, who suffered heartbreaking defeats in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness (Bodemeister) and Belmont Stakes (Paynter).

Now that the Triple Crown gods have called it a year after an eventful spring, in which they toyed with our emotions, it is now up to the racing gods to determine Zayat’s fate. The three Triple Crown races comprise a total of approximately 3.8 miles. Zayat’s two horses led for all but about 10 feet of those 3.8 miles and didn’t win any of the three races. But Zayat never complained and complimented the winners and expressed his pride in his own horses for their toughness and courage. He now anxiously awaits the second season with the enthusiasm of a father looking forward to watching his two sons play in the World Series. For this, no one deserves to be rewarded in the major stakes this summer and fall more than Zayat, especially having also lost his top older horse, Nehro, for the remainder of the year.

The start of Zayat’s second season didn’t exactly go as planned, with Bodemeister having to miss the Haskell Invitational with a fever. The son of Empire Maker was supposed to head to Monmouth, while Paynter set his sights on the Travers. Zayat and Baffert will have to decide whether Paynter will take Bodemeister’s place in the Haskell, a race Baffert has won five times. As of now, the son of Awesome Again is considered a probable starter, as is Hansen, who was originally scheduled to run in the West Virginia Derby. So, it looks as if we still have a bang-up Haskell, with those two brilliant colts and Dullahan.

If Zayat could have pulled off this double with Bodemeister and Paynter he would have become the first owner in history to win both the Haskell (or its predecessor the Monmouth Invitational) and Travers in the same year with different horses. But again, it wasn’t meant to be.

The Triple Crown over the past few years has been a double-edged sword for Zayat. He has to take great satisfaction seeing so many of his 3-year-olds turn in huge performances in all three legs of the Crown. But it has to be frustrating for him and his family to finish second in three of the last four runnings of the Kentucky Derby – once to a 50-1 shot who never won another race, another to a horse who had never run on dirt, and this year to a horse winning from the 19-post for the first time history. In the only year he didn’t finish second, he had the overwhelming favorite, Eskendereya, but had to withdraw him several days before the race due to a career-ending injury. So, in the last four years, he’s had three seconds in the Derby, seconds in the Preakness and Belmont, and a fourth in the Belmont.

Nehro, in addition to finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, was beaten a nose in the Pimlico Special this year and a neck in the Louisiana Derby and Arkansas Derby last year. On this year’s Belmont Stakes card, Justin Phillip, named after Zayat’s son, was nipped in the closing strides in the True North Handicap.

In addition to Bodemeister and Paynter, Baffert also has Blueskiesnrainbows and Liaison, the one-three finishers of the recent Swaps Stakes. Baffert will have to do a lot of shuffling, keeping Blueskiesnrainbows, another speed horse, away from Bodemeister and Paynter. What makes Baffert’s year even more impressive is that he’s also had graded stakes-winning 3-year-olds Secret Circle, Castaway, and Drill, and stakes-placed Stirred Up and Brigand.

Saratoga also will be the scene of a free-for-all in the historic Whitney between the Stephen Foster and Suburban horses, which include Ron the Greek, Wise Dan, Mucho Macho Man, Hymn Book, Rogue Romance, Alternation, Trickmeister, Stay Thirsty, To Honor and Serve, and Mission Impazible, among others. The survivors of this slugfest eventually will take on Baffert’s pair of Game On Dude and Richard’s Kid, who look to be the dominant older horses in California.

Euros beware

Not only did the Ballydoyle-trained Treasure Beach come up empty in Saturday’s Man o’ War Stakes, but America may have found the type of horse who can make life difficult for the Europeans in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Point of Entry, trained by Shug McGaughey and owned by the Phipps Stable, who also sent out Boisterous to a fast-closing narrow defeat in the Arlington Handicap Saturday, proved himself to be a top-class grass horse following his impressive score in the Man o’War Stakes, his third consecutive victory and second straight graded stakes win. An attractive colt with a beautiful head and fluid stride, Point of Entry has as potent and classy a female family as you’ll ever see.

Point of Entry is a half-brother to the ill-fated Pine Island, winner of the Alabama and Gazelle Stakes.

His dam, Matlacha Pass, is a full-sister to Pleasant Home, who romped by nine lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

His second dam, Our Country Place, is a half-sister to Triple Tiara winner and Hall of Famer Sky Beauty and also to Silence Beauty, dam of Wood Memorial and Cigar Mile winner Take of Ekati.

Third dam, Maplejinsky, like Sky Beauty and Pine Island, won the Alabama Stakes, as well as the Monmouth Oaks, and is a half-sister to the great sprinter Dayjur.

Fourth dam, Gold Beauty, was the champion sprinter in 1982, having won or placed in the Test, Vosburgh, Fall Highweight, True North, and Boojum.

Point of Entry’s sire is the recently deceased Dynaformer, one of the most influential stallions of the past decade and a major source of class and stamina. Point of Entry also is inbred 3x4 to His Majesty through Dynaformer’s dam, Andover Way, and the classic-winning Pleasant Colony (sire of Our Country Place). Point of Entry’s broodmare sire is the classic stallion Seeking the Gold, while third dam Maplejinsky is by English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky.

This family also traces to Round Table, Hail to Reason, Stymie, and Bull Lea.

Catchin’ more Z’s

Zayat isn’t the only “Z” to keep an eye on the rest of the year. Nick Zito has a pair of late-developing stretch runners named Fast Falcon and Easter Gift, who were beaten in photos in the Dwyer and Pegasus Stakes, respectively.

Both colts are intriguing, because they are lightly raced and we really don’t know yet how good they are. If they improve off their fast-closing second-place finishes in the Dwyer and Pegasus, they could have a major say in the outcome of the Haskell and Travers.

Fast Falcon is by Awesome Again, out of Pleasant Tap’s stakes-placed daughter, My Chickadee, a half-sister to Pool Land, winner of the grade I Ruffian Stakes and four other stakes.

Easter Gift’s pedigree is not quite as strong from a stamina standpoint. He is by Hard Spun, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, out of the Allen’s Prospect mare Angel Gift, who won two stakes and placed in six others, including the graded Clement Hirsch, Royal Heroine, and Paseana.

Easter Gift’s broodmare sire, Whiskey Road, a son of Nijinsky, out of the top-class Bowl of Flowers, was a stakes winner at 1 ½ miles in Ireland and sired the great international stakes horse Strawberry Road, as well as Melbourne Cup winner Just A Dash.

Home is where the Crown is

One final thought on the Triple Crown. Why is it that 11 horses have been able to do what horses since 1978 have been unable to do? Why are the horses of today capable of winning the first two legs impressively and incapable of getting that third leg. We wrote a column recently discussing how much more difficult it is to win the Belmont now because of the larger fields. But here is one other fact to ponder, whether it has any bearing on it or not.

Just look at the lifestyle of the Thoroughbred today, most of whom go through the yearlings sales or the rigors of the 2-year-old sales, where they are asked to breeze a quarter of a mile in :09 and change and :10 and change, which is considered “slow.”

Of the 11 Triple Crown winners, 10 of them were homebreds, growing up in a single environment without the stress of the sales. By the time they were sent to the track, the owner and trainer knew everything there was to know about them.

Of course, the only exception was Seattle Slew, a $17,500 yearling purchase, who was fortunate enough to find the perfect trainer in Billy Turner, whose steeplechasing background gave him the patience the precocious colt needed to stretch out to classic distances.

As we said, we have no idea if this fact has any bearing on anything, but it is worth noting just as a point of interest.

Zenyatta Foes Still Going Strong

It's hard to believe, but Zenyatta's victims are still running huge in major stakes two and three years later. Switch, second to Zenyatta in the 2010 Lady's Secret Stakes, captured the grade II A Gleam Handicap last weekend, and Richard's Kid and Twice Over, both beaten by Queen Z in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic, recently finished second in the grade I Hollywood Gold Cup and third in the group I Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, respectively.

Six horses that Zenyatta beat in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic came back to win
grade or group I stakes -- Gio Ponti (Man o'War, Shadwell Mile), Twice Over
(Eclipse Stakes, Champion, Juddmonte International), Richard's Kid (Pacific
Classic, Goodwood), Awesome Gem (Hollywood Gold Cup), Rip Van Winkle (Juddmonte International), and Girolamo (Vosburgh).

Eight of the horses in that field had already won grade or group I stakes going into the race.

Haskin's Derby Postscript: Zayat Marches On

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:52:00 GMT

Tradition!

As Tevye said in Fiddler on the Roof when his daughter went against tradition and asked to marry a lowly tailor, “Unheard of, absurd…unthinkable.”

For owner Ahmed Zayat, his Bodemeister went against tradition by blazing a half in a near-record :45 1/5 in the Kentucky Derby and still finished second, beaten 1 ½ lengths…unheard of, absurd.

Zayat’s Paynter went against tradition by running in the Santa Anita Derby off only one 5 ½-furlong maiden race in his life and still was beaten a mere 3 ¾ lengths, despite stumbling at the start…unthinkable.

Even Zayat himself has done the unthinkable and unheard of by thwarting a possible bank takeover of his vast racing stable and then promptly turning his stable into a bigger success than it had been before.

If Bodemeister and Paynter are freaky, as many believe, then perhaps what they’ve accomplished isn’t all that freaky…at least to them. Perhaps they haven’t even come close to tapping into their true talents. Now that’s a scary thought.

Zayat and trainer Bob Baffert have been contemplating what do with both horses, especially considering how lightly raced they still are. At this point, no decisions have been made, but it looks very unlikely Paynter will run in the Preakness. As for Bodemeister, they want to give him a little more time before making a final decision. According to Zayat, he’s carrying good flesh and his energy level is high, but it’s still too early to commit to the race.

Once the Kentucky Derby is over, the Derby gods relinquish their power to the Triple Crown gods or racing gods, or whatever ethereal force you believe controls one’s racing fate. As far as we know there are no Preakness or Belmont gods that conspire with the Derby gods, which is good news for Zayat, who has been tested in Kentucky the past four years. Maybe it wasn’t quite as stiff a test as Moses having to roam the desert for 40 years, but historians have concluded that four years in the Kentucky Derby is equivalent to 40 biblical years.

So, after three second-place finishes in the Derby, each one more agonizing than the one before, and a heartbreaking injury suffered by potential superstar Eskendereya on the eve of the Derby, Zayat may now turn his attention to the black-eyed susans, hoping they smell sweeter than the roses. At least they don’t have thorns.

Just imagine, in Zayat’s three seconds, he was beaten by arguably the freakiest winner and in the freakiest manner in Derby history; was beaten by a horse who had never even run on the dirt before; and was beaten by a horse who broke from post 19, one of only two post positions that had never produced a Kentucky Derby winner. The prices of the horses who beat him: $103.20, $43.80, and $32.60. The odds on his horses: 8-1, 6-1, and 4-1. In each defeat, his horse had the lead at some point in the stretch. And in the year he lost Eskendereya (who would have been an overwhelming favorite) to injury, his trainer wound up winning the race with his second stringer, which twisted the dagger in even deeper.

Zayat is an emotional person, but after seeing the anguish on the faces of his son Justin and Baffert’s son Bode following the Derby, he had to keep his own emotions in check. His feelings of disappointment and frustration soon were replaced by feelings of pride in his horse and what he accomplished.

Bodemeister, like Pioneerof the Nile and Nehro, had found a way to lose the Derby, but to Zayat, none of them had failed.

Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Zayat has maintained that same philosophy. One of these years he’s going to get the light bulb to shine on the first Saturday in May, and everything will feel right.

Bodemeister - Photo by Steve Haskin

California Dreamin’

Most everyone knows by now that I’ll Have Another became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Santa Anita Derby since Sunday Silence in 1989. What most everyone might not know is that this year’s Derby also was the first since 1989 in which the one-two-three finishers all were coming off grade I victories -- I’ll Have Another (Santa Anita Derby), Bodemeister (Arkansas Derby), and Dullahan (Blue Grass Stakes). In 1989, we had Sunday Silence (Santa Anita Derby), Easy Goer (Wood Memorial), and Awe Inspiring (Flamingo Stakes).

Sunday Silence was trained by the legendary Charlie Whittingham. I’ll Have Another is trained by Doug O’Neill, who remembers being in awe of Whittingham when he first started training.

Some things just have a way of coming full circle.

I'll Have Another and Doug O'Neill Day One - Photo by Steve Haskin

Haskin's Belmont Report: Is It Finally Nehro's Time?

Blood-Horse Staff — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:14:00 GMT

When Nehro’s connections decided to skip the Preakness and wait for the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), the first thought was that the son of Mineshaft–The Administrator, by Afleet was going to be the buzz horse in the Test of the Champion.

Despite having run second in his last three starts–the Louisiana Derby (gr. II), Arkansas Derby (gr. I), and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), there surprisingly hasn’t been much buzz surrounding Nehro, at least to the extent originally expected.

If you can overlook the fact that Nehro has won only one race in his career in six starts, he has as much going for him in regard to being an ideal Belmont Stakes horse as anyone. His female family doesn’t exactly shout mile and a half, but there is certainly enough to suggest he will have little problem with the distance.

What he does having going for him is temperament, versatility, and consistency. Actually, when you think of it, what he has accomplished in his last four starts has been pretty remarkable.

First off, however, his temperament is as close to perfect as you can hope. This horse is extremely laid back, will eat grass all day if you let him, does everything you ask of him, and you can’t school any better in the paddock than he did on Wednesday when he never so much as turned a hair in sweltering temperatures.

It is that temperament, along with his natural ability, that enabled him to turn in the four efforts we alluded to.

In his maiden race going a mile at Oaklawn, he came from far back, and with one devastating move on the far turn, inhaled his opposition before drawing off to win by 4 ½ lengths.

That race was good enough to prompt his connections, especially owner Ahmed Zayat, to try him in the Louisiana Derby, despite the big jump in class.

This time Nehro sat right behind the leaders in third, while caught in traffic, and then rallied along the inside to finished second, beaten only a neck by Pants on Fire.

In the Arkansas Derby, he again came from far back, but this time didn’t get in gear until he was in the stretch. Although Archarcharch made a big move nearing the eighth pole to blow by the leaders, Nehro was getting to him with every stride, again losing by a rapidly diminishing neck.

Finally, in the Kentucky Derby, he had to break from post 18, raced closer up in fifth, while wide every step of the way, and was the first horse to make his move and go after the pace-setting Shackleford, who was setting extremely slow fractions.

Nehro collared Shackleford turning for home, but as we saw in the Preakness, Shackleford is not an easy horse to put away. Nehro kept coming at him, finally wearing him down and taking over the lead inside the eighth pole. But a fresh Animal Kingdom came sweeping by him, and although he began to draw clear, Nehro continued to run on well to finish second.

There are few who would argue that Nehro ran close to a mile and half in the Derby, going five-wide into and around the first turn, five-wide the length of the backstretch, and six-wide turning for home. For him to finish second was an extraordinary effort.

So, in his last four starts, Nehro has rallied from far back with a sweeping outside move on the turn, rallied from close up on the inside, rallied from far back on the outside, and rallied from fairly close up again while racing extremely wide every step of the way.

You have to admire this colt’s versatility and his ability to launch a powerful move from anywhere on the racetrack.

We have no idea where he’ll be in the Belmont Stakes, but does it really matter? You can be sure regardless of where he’s running he’s going to put in his usual big move. And for that he must be respected, and most of all admired.

In other Belmont news, there were some anxious moments this morning concerning Master of Hounds, who arrived at Belmont from Aqueduct at 6:45 and proceeded to cause quite a ruckus, especially whenever a filly walked by his stall. He was quite studdish walking the shed, and it was only until he went to the track for a jog and a mile trot that he settled down.

Despite the blistering heat he did not get hot at all on the track and was calm and relaxed walking back to the barn, and was much better once back in his stall.

At Ballydoyle, the colts and fillies are separated, and coming from two days of solitude in quarantine at Aqueduct, it took the colt a while before he got used to the new surroundings, with horses walking past his stall and grazing in the paddock.

Assistant trainer T.J. Comerford, said they’ll get the colt’s training out of the way early on Friday, sending him out at 6:30.

Animal Kingdom looked great on the track this morning and simply has done nothing wrong since he arrived at Belmont last weekend. Shackleford also is his holding his flesh extremely well, and while some people feel Mucho Macho Man looks on the thin side, he actually seems to be thriving at Belmont and looks like as happy horse. He is a naturally thin horse, especially with his 17-hands-plus frame, but he has shown no indication he will not be in top shape for the Belmont, where his humongous stride should help him.

Another laid-back horse who takes everything in stride and looks to be doing very well is Santiva. This tenacious little horse should be fairly close to the lead, and if he can again show the same tenacity of his sire, Giant’s Causeway, he could be an intriguing longshot for the exotics.