Zayat Stables to Move Horses from Asmussen
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Zayat Stables intends to move all its horses from embattled trainer Steve Asmussen.
"All the Zayat horses in the Steve Asmussen barn are moving to new trainers now. Details with new trainers will be announced later," Justin Zayat, son of owner Ahmed Zayat, said on Twitter March 24.
Both father and son were in Ocala for the Fasig-Tipton Florida selected sale of 2-year-olds in training and were returning to New York City. Ahmed Zayat tweeted that a press release to be issued later would detail the allocation of the stable's horses at tracks including Oaklawn Park, Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, and Belmont Park.
The decision to remove horses from Asmussen comes in the wake of the March 20 publication of a New York Times article based on a 2013 undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals within the Asmussen operation.
This weekend, Zayat Stables directed all the stable's horses entered for races under Asmussen's name be scratched.
Asmussen's longtime assistant, Scott Blasi, has been relieved of his duties pending a review of documents and videos released by PETA that allege animal abuse.