Being Justin Zayat: Pharoah’s Freaky Speed, Brilliant Beholder

Justin Zayat, second from left behind Jill and Bob Baffert (silver hair, blue jacket), celebrates in the winner's circle at the Haskell Invitational Stakes with American Pharoah's connections after his victory on Aug. 2. Justin Zayat will watch Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
While American Pharoah was drawing an estimated 18,000 fans to his morning gallop Friday at Saratoga Race Course, Justin Zayat of Zayat Stables was watching it on Periscope from his family’s home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The 23-year-old racing and stallion manager for Zayat Stables was up early to see it before heading with his family to a cross-country flight to join the upstate New York party. They are off to see if their prized colt will on Saturday become the first Triple Crown winner in 74 years to add a victory in the $1.6-million Travers Stakes. Before he left California, Zayat answered another 10 questions – and one leftover – from America’s Best Racing.
1. What did you think when you saw the huge crowd at Saratoga for American Pharoah’s morning gallop?
I was pumped. I’m excited to see how many people come out to see the horse every day. It’s a routine now that they’re getting so many people. It’s incredible. It shows how much this horse is doing for the sport and how many people love following him. There are no words to describe it. It was jaw-dropping. But what’s jaw-dropping, too, is how he gallops … just how easy and how smooth he is. I saw Bob Ehalt Tweet that “American Pharoah was unofficially clocked in 2:24 for galloping 10 furlongs.” That is freaking fast. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. This horse is so enjoyable every morning. I wake up, and I’m in a happy mood right away.
FRIDAY MORNING WORKOUT

2. Let me take you back to last Sunday. Beholder after she won the Pacific Classic Stakes by 8¼ lengths at Del Mar, and that generated a lot of excitement in social media. What are your thoughts about her, especially in relation to a possible showdown with American Pharoah in the Breeders' Cup Classic?
She is an unbelievable mare. I’ve been a fan of her for her entire career. It’s been fun to watch her grow. I always say that racing needs stars, so for Mr. (B. Wayne) Hughes to race her for four years now, it’s been fun to watch her develop and change personality as she grows older. She ran a huge race, but a match race (that Hughes suggested) won’t be happening. If she wants to come to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, we’ll be ready. If our horse is racing there, that means he’s ready. She’s going to have to bring her “A” game, too. It would be exciting. It would be great for the sport to have a battle of the sexes. Just imagine. She’s a champion for a reason, but we’re the Triple Crown winner.
3. What wisdom would you impart on a new Thoroughbred owner just entering the sport?
Enter at your own pace. It depends on how old you are. If you’re retired with tons and tons of money, you could start a 200-horse stable by yourself. You can invest heavily into the Thoroughbreds and go all out, but you’re obviously going to need trusty advisors beside you. For a guy who’s 20 who wants to get into the industry who may not have millions and millions of dollars to buy Thoroughbreds, there are different ways. There are new partnerships out there that are great ways into the business that are very knowledgeable. West Point, Eclipse [Thoroughbred Partners], Team Valor – they’re all great partnerships. It depends on what type of way you want to get in. Do you want to own horses, or do you want to actually work in the business? There are people who want to be trainers or jockey agents or maybe a journalist or a photographer. That’s one thing about this sport that’s beautiful. There are so many ways to enter.
THE ZAYAT FAMILY AT THE HASKELL

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
4. Saratoga held its first Thoroughbred meet just a month after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.  Can you name anything else you participate in or use today that was in existence in 1863?
Water. (laughs) Food and water. That’s the only thing that comes to my mind right now.
5. Do you drink the mineral water of Saratoga Springs?
Of course. How could I go to Saratoga and not try it? Don’t they have that natural spring in the middle of the track? I’m telling you it’s a red fountain. Honestly, to me it tastes like water, but I’ve tasted it. Plus, sometimes they send the Saratoga water in bottles to New York anyway.
6. If you could implement any innovation in how horse racing is presented to the masses, what would it be? Jockey microphones? Jockey cameras? Exchange wagering? Drones for TV coverage?
Drones may be a little crazy because they may scare the horses. But I like what [morning rider] Martín García wore when we trained American Pharoah – that freaky GoPro that went 360 degrees around so you could see the whole crowd when he worked. That came out a couple weeks ago. I thought that was pretty cool. Imagine 10 different jockeys are in a race, and you could be clicking from jockey to jockey to watch a race. It would be a different view. Otherwise, I like the traditions of wagering right now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong. Maybe lower takeouts for some tracks, but nothing beside that.
PHAROAH GALLOPING FRIDAY AT SARATOGA

Photo by NYRA
7. Do you have any future bets on who will win Super Bowl 50, the 2015 World Series or any Breeders' Cup race?
(Laughs) I have rarely made a future bet in my life. It’s too far away. Too many factors, especially in horse racing. I’m not even a sports gambler. The only thing I ever gamble on, when I gamble, is horses. Once in a while I go to a casino with friends and play blackjack here and there. But if I ever have to gamble on anything, I’d rather gamble on horses. Horse racing, you get to yell and get the adrenalin going. In blackjack, who am I going to yell at, the dealer?
8. If you could be on any late night television talk show, which would you choose and why?
I don’t watch that many late-night talk shows. I like “Saturday Night Live,” though. It’s pretty funny. I don’t watch the Jimmy Fallon show or any of these other shows unless [Pharoah’s jockey] Víctor [Espinoza] is on it. I don’t watch that much TV to be honest. When the TV is on in our house, a lot of times it’s just on TVG.
9. What will be the title of the memoir on American Pharoah’s run to glory?
I feel like we’re still trying to write the fairytale ending. It’s hard to predict it right now. Call it, “The American Pharoah.” He came to America and he’s like the king now. He’s got a great name. That’s what it has to be called. Imagine if you later saw a movie called “The American Pharoah.” It may catch my eye to want to watch it.
 10. Which is tougher, graduating from NYU or winning the grand slam of horse racing – the Triple Crown, plus Breeders’ Cup Classic?
Winning the grand slam of horse racing. NYU is very, very tough, but tons of people have graduated. No one has done the grand slam. That’s how tough it is. At NYU, I knew if I put my mind to it I could do it. But the grand slam of horse racing is something that’s never been done before, so it’s obviously a huge, huge, huge challenge. We don’t even know what it’s going to take to do it, because it’s never been done.
Left over from Thursday: A la baseball, what would American Pharoah’s walk-up music be?
“Going Down for Real,” by Flo Rida. It pumps me up. When Pharoah comes out, I need to be pumped up. It’s on the radio all the time now. It’s not like a classic song. It’s like a pump-up song. I could picture him prancing on the track to that song.
GOING DOWN FOR REAL