El Kabeir proves strength with Gotham win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Despite El Kabeir’s two prior graded stakes victories and his consistency, owner Ahmed Zayat wasn’t truly convinced he was a Kentucky Derby horse. Until Saturday, that is.

After watching El Kabeir rally from second to last in a 10-horse field to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, Zayat now believes his gray son of Scat Daddy belongs in the starting gate May 2 at Churchill Downs.

“This guy proved, ‘Hey I’m for real,’ ” Zayat said Sunday morning standing outside of El Kabeir’s Belmont Park stall. “How do you not give him a chance?”

El Kabeir came out of his 2 3/4-length victory in the Gotham in good order, according to trainer John Terranova. If all goes well over the next four weeks, he will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial over Aqueduct’s main track. The Wood Memorial will be El Kabeir’s first start going 1 1/8 miles.

“I think a mile and an eighth separates the boys from the men, but after that, nobody knows,” Zayat said, referring to the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.

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Though El Kabeir was visually impressive rallying from 12 lengths off the pace when his previous wins had come from on or just off the lead, his final time of 1:45.56 for 1 1/16 miles over a muddy track was not fast. He earned only an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. He had averaged a 94 Beyer in his last three starts.

Zayat said the low figure is “totally meaningless to me. I respect speed figures a lot. I use them in my handicapping as a tool – underline the word tool. What I saw yesterday was a horse do everything possible.”

Terranova echoed that sentiment.

“I loved what I saw. I thought it was his most impressive race,” said Terranova, who added the Beyer “is not really a thought. I was more impressed with him and what he did yesterday and how he’s come out of it.”

El Kabeir now is a three-time stakes winner, having won the Grade 3 Jerome here in January and the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last November. He entered the Gotham off a second-place finish to Far From Over in the Withers. Far From Over, trained by Todd Pletcher, skipped the Gotham and is expected to run in the Wood Memorial.

Tiz Shea D, the Gotham runner-up, will be nominated to the Triple Crown series for a $6,000 fee by the March 23 deadline, part-owner Adam Wachtel confirmed Sunday. Wachtel, who along with Nils Brous and Gary Barber bought Tiz Shea D after his maiden win Feb. 7 at Parx, said he was impressed with the way his colt ran, taking dirt and rallying inside of horses after having a clear outside run in his maiden win.

“He still has to prove he belongs in those races with whatever he does next,” Wachtel said. “He showed he’s a very talented 3-year-old to be able to accomplish what he did.”

He will run either in the Wood Memorial, Blue Grass Stakes, or Arkansas Derby next, Wachtel said.