American Pharoah Forges Way to Zayat's Heart

If you have a few minutes for pleasant conversation and fond recent memories, bring up one of Zayat Stables' top horses to Ahmed Zayat. If you have more than a few minutes for such conversation, bring up his homebred American Pharoah.

The outgoing Zayat will talk to you about the brilliance of Bodemeister  , the courage of Paynter  , and the determination of Nehro. But bring up American Pharoah and the conversation will touch on his talents but eventually move close to the Egyptian-born businessman’s heart.

As Zayat talks about the likely favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), his smile grows bigger with each adjective describing last year’s champion 2-year-old male who enters the Louisville classic off an eight-length romp in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I). While Zayat Stables plans to enter three horses in Saturday’s Derby as grade II winner El Kabeir and multiple grade I-placed Mr. Z are expected to join American Pharoah, it's clear which one is the owner's favorite.

“I like them all but I do have a favorite, American Pharoah,” Zayat said. “Sentimentally, I like him more. From day one, American Pharoah has been an absolute superstar.”

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American Pharoah is the physical manifestation of so many of the goals Zayat Stables has worked toward in a decade of racing horses in the U.S. His considerable talents serve as reminder that Zayat’s racing dreams are coming true, possibly with this horse.

American Pharoah is a son of Pioneerof the Nile  , who was the first horse ever bred by Zayat Stables. Pioneerof the Nile would become the first grade I winner bred by Zayat Stables with his victory in the 2008 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park. At 3, the son of Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Empire Maker won the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and ran second in the Kentucky Derby.

American Pharoah is out of the Yankee Gentleman   mare Littleprincessemma, who was campaigned by Zayat. Justin Zayat, Ahmed’s son and Zayat Stables racing and stallion manager, said those ties put American Pharoah close to his father’s heart.

“Pioneerof the Nile won us one of our first grade Is, got to the Derby, and ran second. So that was the most special moment, and then to have him be bred to a homebred mare of ours that is named after my little sister, you can’t even make this stuff up,” Justin Zayat said. “We’ve paid for some nice horses at auction, and that’s a good feeling but this horse is a homebred—like true Zayat blood. That’s as good as it gets.”

Pioneerof the Nile is not the only Derby near-miss for Zayat Stables, as Nehro finished second in the classic in 2011 and Bodemeister, who was raced in partnership with Mike and Tiffany Moreno, was second in 2012. While those near-misses would frustrate some owners, Ahmed Zayat said he is trying to enjoy the moment this year.

“This time, honestly, I’m allowing myself to dream. Before I was very scared because once you’ve been there, and then come close to the Promised Land three times in a very short time, you start to become more timid, anxious, and scared," Zayat said. "Right now I’m trying to enjoy it. I’m trying to bottle every second.

“Seeing my horse work so well and listening to everybody, all the buzz. I’m daydreaming, not just dreaming. I’m allowing myself. It’s an incredible high.”

After enjoying their time on the Churchill Downs backstretch April 27, the Zayat family would visit Central Kentucky farms the rest of the day. Zayat Stables has about 140 horses counting Thoroughbreds on the track, young horses, broodmares, and stallions.

“In the afternoon, we’re going to Lane’s End, Taylor Made, and WinStar (Farm) to see our stallions and our babies,” Zayat said. “It’s the best part of the business.”

As part of that business, the Zayats entered American Pharoah in the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale as part of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. As it turned out, bloodstock agent David Ingordo would go to $300,000 to purchase him back for Zayat.

“We own 75% of Pioneerof the Nile and Taylor Made said that (American Pharoah) is an absolute standout on their farm. They know that we breed to race but they said maybe we should consider putting him in the sale because it will help our stallion,” Zayat said. “I was willing to do it, because Saratoga and the sale are special places. Usually very nice horses go there, so we didn’t mind.

“Between me and you, I told my son that I’m not letting him go for less than a million dollars, which is a pretty big number.”

Zayat believes the horse easily would have surpassed a million dollars at the sale if not for a fortuitous—as it turned out for Zayat—minor injury.

“At the end of the day we said, ‘Why is he even in here?’ I told one of my bloodstock agent brokers David Ingordo that I’m going to buy him back if I’m not getting (a top price),” Zayat said. “Someone is watching over us because about four or five weeks before he went in the sale, he hit himself in the stall and there was kind of a bump on his ankle. I think people looked at that. I think they wondered why we’re selling when usually we breed to race. I think those things may have scared some people.”

Since then American Pharoah has been back with the Zayat family, impressing at every turn. Trainer Bob Baffert said American Pharoah, like Pioneerof the Nile, has a great mind for racing but that his natural ability exceeds that of his sire.

“American Pharoah is a good-looking horse, like Pioneerof the Nile, but American Pharoah is quicker; he moves differently,” Baffert said. “He has a lot of brilliance and is pretty exciting to watch work and run.”

The homebred status of American Pharoah is special to Ahmed Zayat, as is his own family. Even at the height of his business career building up Al Ahram Beverage Co., when regularly traveling from Cairo to New York City, Zayat said he would try to be home every weekend to spend time with his family.

Justin Zayat loves spending days talking horses with his father, in-person, by text, or by Twitter. The conversation-loving Zayats are active on social media.

“He’s a great mentor and a great boss. He’s a tough businessman but a teddy bear inside,” Justin Zayat said. “When we’re in the office it’s all business, but when we go home he’s a dad and a great dad to be around.

“We’ve found something to bond over; it’s something we’re both interested in. In texts and conversations, all day we talk horses. Every single moment of the day, we debate and argue. I think at the end of the day that debate helps us make good business decisions.”

Ahmed Zayat said racing has helped bring his family together.

“Horses have been a common bond for my family,” Zayat said. “With my son, I find it hard for me to be harsh or tough. I’m able to do that with others (in business), but I look at his face and I just can’t do it.”

Zayat said he’s not taking anything for granted on the first Saturday in May. As talkative as he is, he will avoid making any predictions this week.

“I’m not going to say too much before the race and I’m going to let my horse do the talking,” Zayat said. “He’s a very nice horse but he’s not there yet. He has to go out on the track and do it first.”

Zayat said while it’s an enjoyable week, it also toys with his nerves. He said turning in a nice final workout on April 26 marked clearance of one hurdle for American Pharoah, but he said he’d get nervous again before the draw. More nerves will follow in the paddock and then on the track before the race. He said getting in the gate actually provides a moment of relief, just before the potential chaos of a 20-horse race.

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Justin Zayat said he’s only been sleeping four hours a night since the Arkansas Derby.

“My dreams are weird. I keep dreaming crazy things,” Justin Zayat said. “You wake up in the middle of the night, you get scared about your horse even though he’s healthy and everything is going perfect. We’ve been on pins and needles.”

With American Pharoah coming out of his splendid Sunday work well on Monday, and El Kabeir and Mr. Z also in good shape, the Zayats were enjoying together one of those more-relaxed moments of Derby week on Monday.

“Look at me, I’m beaming with happiness because the works are out of the way now and we’re kind of relaxed now,” Ahmed Zayat said. “I’m sure at the draw, I’ll start to get nervous again but it’s an incredible feeling to have one, two, and three horses. It says something about our program; it’s not really about us but it says something about our horses.”

“With one of them being a homebred, it can’t get any more special than that,” Zayat said. “He’s unbelievably talented; we just need some racing luck, which we haven’t had in the past. Right now it’s a dream, it’s a hope. We are blessed. We are so excited we can’t sleep.”