Zayat Ready to Welcome Justify to Triple Crown Club

Three years ago, the camera crews followed him around racetracks, and microphones were pointed at him to take in every word. With his spectacular racehorse American Pharoah  going for the first Triple Crown in 37 years, Ahmed Zayat was a man in demand. And his special Thoroughbred, who amazingly enjoyed being around humans as much as he did outrunning horses, delivered the ultimate prize.

Zayat has been relatively quiet in the sport since, turning over many duties to his son, Justin Zayat. Their Solomini ran along the Triple Crown trail this season and was unplaced in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), so Zayat turned into a spectator through the series, albeit an interested one. On June 9, he will join the racing world to see whether Justify can join American Pharoah and the other 11 conquerors of the Triple Crown.

He is more than ready to welcome others into the select company of Triple Crown winners, particularly since he is connected to trainer Bob Baffert, who also conditioned American Pharoah, and co-owners WinStar Farm, which stands several former Zayat performers at stud.

"If you are a fan of this sport, you are rooting for the Triple Crown to happen," Zayat said of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1). "We had a period in the (1970s) where we had three Triple Crowns in a short time, and then it wasn't done again until American Pharoah. Could it be possible we have another now? It's more than possible.

"Horses are athletes, and they train and change every day. Justify coming up to this the way he is—he is a massive horse who has kept his condition and his weight. The horse is thriving. He's training better all the time, and watching him on TV every day, I think he is in a totally different zone right now. Last week, Bob said the horse was beginning to remind him of how American Pharoah used to work. He's a talented horse—no doubt about that. No horse wins the Derby and Preakness and is undefeated without being talented. The question you have is, if the extra push is there that you need to be a Triple Crown winner—the stamina and the drive."

Zayat will not be in attendance Saturday at Belmont Park. He has a family commitment overseas—a wedding.

"It was decided months ago, and they didn't pick the date depending on the Triple Crown," he joked. "I would love to be there otherwise."

Zayat runners standing at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., include Derby runner-up Bodemeister , Paynter , and Pioneerof the Nile , the sire of American Pharoah.

"We have a huge alliance, so I am happy for them," Zayat said. WinStar owns Justify in partnership with China Horse Club, Starlight Racing, and Head of Plains Partners.

Although it has been a considerably shorter wait for this Triple Crown try, Zayat believes it would still benefit the sport and its participants if Justify can turn the trick.

"I'd welcome it with open arms, 100%," he said. "It's good for the sport I belong to, it's incredibly exciting for the fans, and it makes us believe that we can do it more than one time. That is a selfish reason. I kept saying American Pharoah was a once-in-a-lifetime horse. Will I ever have another horse like that? Why not? Bob is family now—a personal friend. So I'd love for him to do it."