Zayat Well Represented as Seller at Juvenile Sales

The first two Florida juvenile sales of 2017 will each feature a handful of racing prospects that were bought by Zayat Stables as yearlings and are being offered as 2-year-olds in training, part of what could become a new venture for the prominent breeding and racing entity.

Offering horses for sale is nothing new for Zayat Stables. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   and his grade 1-winning sire Pioneerof the Nile   were both presented to the public and were bought back and raced with great success by the family.

But the foray into 2-year-olds in training sales represents new territory that Justin Zayat hopes will prove successful.

Noting that Zayat Stables has consistently bought and sold at various public auctions, Zayat eschews calling the latest buying and selling move a pinhooking venture.

“We don’t pinhook,” Zayat said in reference to the term generally used for the practice of buying horses with the intent to re-sell. “We buy and sell horses all the time. We have 65 2-year-olds. We are just trying new things. It could be something new. We’ll see how it goes.”

Among the seven horses cataloged for the March 2 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale by various consignors on behalf of Zayat Stables is Hip 87, a bay colt by Awesome Again   bought by Zayat for $400,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency flight at the 2016 Saratoga August yearling sale. Bred in Kentucky by Town & Country Horse Farms, the colt was produced from the multiple stakes-placed Quiet American mare Kiss the Lady.

Hip 28 is an Into Mischief   colt from the family of Eight Belles purchased by Zayat Stables for $250,000 from Paramount Sales, agent, at the Keeneland September yearling sale. The colt, bred in Kentucky by Marablue Farm, is consigned by Eddie Woods, as agent, to the Fasig-Tipton auction at Gulfstream Park.

One horse bought by Zayat and entered in the sale but subsequently withdrawn is a gray son of Frankel who is a half brother to grade 3 winner Marbre Rose. The only horse cataloged at Fasig-Tipton sired by the undefeated horse who was the world’s top-rated Thoroughbred when retired to stud, the Irish-bred colt was bought by Zayat for the U.S. equivalent of $457,683 at the Arqana August yearling sale in France.

At the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s 2-year-olds in training sale March 14-15, eight horses bought by Zayat are cataloged, including a Giant's Causeway   colt purchased for $675,000 and a $425,000 Curlin   colt.

“We believe we have an exceptional group at Fasig-Tipton and at OBS,” Zayat said. “People know good horses and bad horses, so I entered serious horses in the sales. I wouldn’t be surprised if we top both sales.”