NEWS
Road to the Triple Crown: Zayat gets boost
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 5:22 PM
ESKENDEREYA
Coglianese Photos
by Jeff Lowe
After fighting to maintain control of his racing stable this winter, Ahmed Zayat is thrilled to be in command with a hot horse for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Zayat made the call this week to pull Eskendereya out of Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park and instead will send him to the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct as a final Kentucky Derby prep. He has been taking calls from prospective buyers for a month since the Giant’s Causeway colt stormed to an 8 1/2-length win in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) on February 20 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
So far, Zayat has been content to not sell Eskendereya, even as he works through a dispute with Fifth Third Bank over more than $34-million in loans that he used to build Zayat Stables. Fifth Third sued Zayat and sought the appointment of a receiver to oversee his horses. Zayat resisted, filing in February for Zayat Stables to go through Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. He insists that he has always planned to pay back the loans, even as the steep declines in the bloodstock market had a significant impact on the value of his horses.
Now, Zayat has a colt who could provide an instant jackpot. He said he would only consider a deal in which he could stay in as a partner.
“With Eskendereya, I said, ‘Oh my God, where did this come from? I’m lucky now,’ ” Zayat said on Wednesday. “Can he repeat it again? I hope so, but I’m not a prophet. That’s what I believe he is, but we don’t know. It’s horse racing. He’s doing everything right, thank God.”
Zayat’s decision to skip the Florida Derby was all about timing. He preferred the four-week gap from the Wood Memorial to the Kentucky Derby rather than six weeks from the Florida Derby.
“I just was never comfortable with six weeks,” Zayat said. “Todd [Pletcher] and I talked about it all week. It’s so hard, so why make another barrier when I don’t have to? You would expect him to win [the Florida Derby], but … the idea is to have a prep and I really want to toughen him, not duck anybody. It’s not about winning a prep, it’s about winning the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown. I could be wrong, but it’s my horse.”
Pletcher has an ample replacement in Rule, who collected his fourth straight win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) on February 13 at Tampa Bay Downs.
While Zayat decided against the six-week break for his horse, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. would relish that opportunity with Radiohead (GB), who dazzled in his dirt debut on February 27 at Gulfstream. Returning from a 3 1/2-month layoff, the Johannesburg colt won a one-mile allowance race by 3 1/4 lengths over stablemate and Grade 1 winner Homeboykris.
Dutrow is a self-described “freak” about timing between races, and he usually would avoid a situation where he had to bring a horse back just three weeks after a strong performance, especially following a layoff. But he likes the idea of six weeks between the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.
“I wish I had more time to really treat him the right way [for the Florida Derby],” Dutrow said. “But, you know, there's pressure to get to the big race in six weeks. And going to the big race is what I love. So I'm hoping that he runs a good race. The three weeks has to cost him. He ran such a big race off the bench. I just have mixed emotions about him. I'm going to be going into the race scared that I'm doing something wrong. When I think back, Big Brown went out of the gate with three breezes [for his three-year-old debut] and look how he ran. You never know.”
Dutrow said he is “very happy” with his unconventional choice to train Homeboykris up to the Derby. The Roman Ruler gelding finished fifth in both the Remsen Stakes (G2) and Holy Bull Stakes (G3) in his other starts since winning the Champagne Stakes (G1).
“I'm training for the race, and it's fun, and we're happy about it,” Dutrow said. “And we're expecting him to run big. And we're just very happy to have him in this spot right now. He ran a couple of dull races and we just don't get it. I don't know what it is, but, you know, last time he showed up and he came out of the race really good. And we're just very happy to be doing this. It's very exciting for us.”
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
