American Pharoah looks to capture Preakness Stakes for Zayat Stables

Published May. 14, 2015 8:00 a.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

It's been nearly two weeks since American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, but Zayat Stables racing manager Justin Zayat hasn't had as much time to celebrate the victory or look ahead to Saturday's Preakness Stakes as one might think.

Instead, the 23-year-old has been busy back at NYU, where he'll graduate on May 20 with an economics major and a business studies minor. Zayat had finals to take, and, it turns out, "just won the Kentucky Derby" isn't grounds for an excused absence.

"It's been quite hectic the last week and a half," Zayat told FOX Sports in a phone interview this week. "But I take my last final on Thursday, and then I'll finally head out to Baltimore."

Once Zayat gets to Pimlico, however, school will be the furthest thing from his mind.

Instead, all of his focus will be on his family's top horse, who will be the odds-on favorite to win the Preakness. American Pharoah was tabbed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite Wednesday after drawing the one post in Saturday's eight-horse field.

A win would make Pharoah the third horse in four years to complete the Derby-Preakness double in the quest to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. But for Zayat and his father Ahmed, American Pharoah's owner, winning at Churchill Downs in the first place was a dream come true.

"It was a huge relief and a huge sense of accomplishment," Zayat said. "You've come so close to doing it three times -- or even four times; we had to scratch a favorite one time -- and every single time we run second or come that close, I always felt like that was my opportunity and that it's never going to happen again.

"So to actually have it happen and for everything to fall into place with a horse -- particularly one that we homebred by our own stallion -- it makes it even more special. Every single thing has to go perfect in the Kentucky Derby, and we're thrilled that it happened to us. It's so hard to win that race, so our family has been floating on clouds all week."

In 2009, Zayat Stables saw 4-1 favorite Pioneer of the Nile -- American Pharoah's sire --€” finish second to 50-1 Mine That Bird. The following year, Zayat Stables' Eskendereya was projected to be a Derby favorite before a leg injury ended his racing career. In 2011, Nehro finished second to Animal Kingdom, another long shot running his first race on dirt. In 2012, Bodemeister finished second to I'll Have Another, who went on to win the Preakness before being scratched at the Belmont.

But there's something different about American Pharoah. He made that much clear in Louisville, and while Zayat expects a challenge at the Preakness, he still believes it's his horse's race to lose.

"He's the best horse we've ever owned in all these years," Zayat said. "We've had some brilliant horses over the years, but American Pharoah, before he even ran in Arkansas, we said he was the horse of a lifetime.

"We've believed that from the time we saw him on the farm as a 2-year-old and he just wowed everyone. He's a freak of nature, the way he moves. And it's not like it's just me saying that. People tell me they've never seen a horse with such an efficient stride, or with the mind that he has or the way that he handles himself. I could tell myself this and hype myself about it, but when I'm hearing it from other sources -- people who are my competition telling me this -- then I guess it's true."

Zayat stopped short of guaranteeing a win in the Preakness, but the expectation is definitely there.

"It's hard not to get overconfident going into the Preakness with the Derby winner, but you also have to consider the competition that's coming back," he said. "The top three horses from the Kentucky Derby are all running, they're all very good horses, they've all been running together all year in California, so they're familiar with each other. So we're coming in confident, but at the same time we know who we're up against and we respect those horses."

In Zayat's mind, there's not necessarily one thing that sets American Pharoah apart from his competition. It's more like a little bit of everything, which might be even better.

"A lot of our horses we've had who have been good have lived up to high expectations, but American Pharoah is different in a way," Zayat said. "We had the highest of hopes for him when we started training him -- I don't even think you can understand how high -- and every single time he ran, he impressed me more than I expected. You're expecting him to do something crazy and then he does something even crazier.

"That's what makes him so unbelievable. He does everything so effortlessly. He's working in the morning and you're watching and you think he's going slow, but then you look down at the watch and you're just like, 'Holy crap, did that horse just go that quick? He looked like he was in a gallop.'

"There's a certain type of horse out there that is just brilliant," he continued. "Pioneerofthe Nile was not a brilliant racehorse. He was a very good racehorse, he won races, he got the job done, but he never wowed anyone. American Pharoah, when he runs, he just wows people. Even my friends who know nothing about horse races watched that race and said, 'Wow, that horse is freaky.' Even to the naked eye, it's evident how special this creature is."

It also doesn't hurt when you've got a world-class trainer getting him ready, although Zayat admits that having Bob Baffert on board is more like a bonus than a necessity with a horse like American Pharoah.

"To tell you the truth, anyone could really have trained American Pharoah," Zayat said. "But to do it with Bob, who we've had such a great relationship with over the years -- I mean, the guy has basically seen me grow up; when he started training for us I had braces and glasses, a totally different guy -- is important.

"It takes a good trainer to keep a good horse consistently good and to really teach him the right way to do things. You and I could have put a rider on him and told him to go gallop him every morning to get him fit, and we'd do an OK job because the horse is that good, but it takes a good trainer not to screw up a great horse, and Bob Baffert stepped in at the right time and said, 'Let me take care of this, and I'm going to have him ready for the Derby,' and he did."

Now all that's left is running the race.

On Wednesday, Zayat shipped American Pharoah from Kentucky to Baltimore, and the rest of the week will be spent getting ready for post time. Zayat acknowledges that the turnaround between the Derby and Preakness can present a challenge for some horses, as well as the difficulty that comes with facing fresh horses who didn't run in Kentucky in the Preakness.

"I've got no problem with any new shooters coming," he said. "It's going to take a damn good horse to beat American Pharoah, so if they want to try to come and take us down, then let them come."

But should everything go as Zayat expects on Saturday -- and that, of course, is the plan -- it'll mean another three weeks on an amazing ride for Zayat and his family. This time, however, it'll be without taking a break for exams.

"I never imagined we'd win the Derby, so to win the Preakness and have a chance to go for the Triple Crown would be the greatest time of my life," Zayat said. "It would be a dream come true for us. Winning any American classic race is a huge accomplishment, and he's one of the great horses of his generation.

"Belmont is an eternity away in horse racing," he continued. "Three weeks is so long, so I'm focusing on this one race, taking it one step at a time. But it's hard not to let yourself dream a little."

You can follow Sam Gardner on Twitter or email him at samgardnerfox@gmail.com.

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