American Pharoah Delivers Derby Dream for Zayat Stables

American Pharoah pulled away late to win the Kentucky Derby under Victor Espinoza on Saturday at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
LOUISVILLE – American Pharoah took the first step toward the greatness many project for him when he powered down the stretch to a one-length victory over Firing Line in the 141st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Victor Espinoza, in securing his second consecutive Derby triumph and third overall, kept the 2-year-old champion in an ideal stalking position in third behind pace-setting stablemate Dortmund and Firing Line. American Pharoah swung extremely wide around the final turn when Espinoza called on him but wore down Firing Line. Dortmund, who set a tepid pace, finished third for his first defeat in seven career starts.
The thrilling finish provided trainer Bob Baffert with his fourth Derby win and his first since he teamed with Espinoza for front-running a win with War Emblem in 2002. The others came with Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998). He equaled D. Wayne Lukas and Henry J. Thompson for second on the all-time list. Ben Jones saddled an unprecedented six Derby champions.
“This American Pharoah, he keeps bringing it,” Baffert said. “He makes a trainer look really good. Thank God for good horses.”
The bay colt completed the 1 ¼ miles in a modest 2:03.02 as an anticipated torrid early pace never developed. He became the first 2-year-old champion to take the opening leg of the Triple Crown since Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Street Sense in 2007. American Pharoah missed the Juvenile with an injury.
Baffert said of his distinguished place in history: “Those names are legends. To be in this position, I never think of stuff like that.”
Owner Ahmed Zayat, who established Zayat Stables in 2005 and quickly developed it into one of the nation’s premier racing operations, gained the breakthrough he dreamed of after three runner-up finishes in the run for the roses.
2015 KENTUCKY DERBY SLIDESHOW

Zayat, surrounded by family and friends, arrived at Churchill Downs believing his time had finally come.
“What gave me a lot of confidence was this particular horse,” he said of his homebred. “American Pharoah is different from any other horse I had. We felt he had brilliance to him.”
American Pharoah earned his fifth consecutive victory since an inauspicious debut, with those wins coming by a combined margin of 23 ¼ lengths. The combination of sparkling spring weather and world-class racing proved to be irresistible to fans. Churchill Downs announced a Derby day attendance record of 170,513, and a two-day mark of 294,276 when Friday’s Kentucky Oaks was included.
2015 KENTUCKY DERBY

Few understand better than Zayat and his son, Justin, his racing manager, how swiftly racing fortunes can change. They appeared to have an overpowering favorite after Eskendereya dominated the 2010 Wood Memorial Stakes by 9 ¾ emphatic lengths. Eskendereya never reached the Derby starting gate after sustaining a soft-tissue injury that forced him to be withdrawn from consideration the week of the race. He never ran again.
Zayat knows the agony of finishing second, realizing that only Derby champions carve out a place in the rich history of the game. Everyone remembers that 50-1 Mine That Bird, vanned in from New Mexico, relished a muddy track to defeat Zayat’s Pioneerof the Nile in 2009.
In 2011, Zayat watched in disbelief as Nehro was outrun by 21-1 Animal Kingdom, even though Animal Kingdom had never competed on dirt before. In 2012, Zayat watched prized colt Bodemeister wrest the early lead under Mike Smith and tear through the first five splits faster than any horse in history. Bodemeister all but ran himself into the ground as I’ll Have Another swept past in the final furlong.
“The beats were insane,” Zayat said.
And so was the family’s celebration after American Pharoah lived up to his billing as the horse to beat, a potential superstar. Zayat first watched his wife, Joanne, begin to cry as she thought their horse might not withstand his duel with Firing Line and ageless Gary Stevens, a grandfather riding hard again after surgery to replace his right knee.
“The other horse, he was kind of tough,” Espinoza said, “but I knew I got him.”
Said Stevens: “Coming for home, I thought I might get there. But it wasn’t to be. My horse showed his braveness today. He just got beat.”
Joanne Zayat’s tears turned to tears of joy when American Pharoah, a son of Pioneerof the Nile, asserted his superiority in the final strides and their turquoise and gold silks flashed across the finish line first.
Justin? He was so overcome with emotion that, well, there is no way of sugarcoating what happened. He lost his lunch.
Perhaps he will be more composed if American Pharoah can win the Preakness on May 16 and take another step toward becoming the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.
JOCKEY VICTOR ESPINOZA CELEBRATES WINNING THE KENTUCKY DERBY ABOARD AMERICAN PHAROAH

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire