Zayat looking at possible Kentucky Derby duo

Ahmed Zayat said he wouldn’t run more than one horse in the Kentucky Derby just because he could. So even as El Kabeir was winning races and racking up points to qualify for the world’s most famous horse race, Zayat was not necessarily viewing the colt as a Derby horse.

After all, Zayat is also the owner of American Pharoah, last year’s 2-year-old champion male who, by all accounts, is training like a champion as he gears up for his highly anticipated 3-year-old debut this Saturday in the $750,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Zayat also owns Mr. Z, a horse who has seven graded-stakes placings since winning his debut at 2.

While Zayat hopes American Pharoah can pick up where he left off last fall and get back on track toward the Derby, El Kabeir’s performance in Saturday’s Gotham convinced Zayat to give him his shot to run for the roses. A horse who had won two previous stakes from either on or just off the pace, El Kabeir rallied from a dozen lengths back to win Saturday’s Gotham by 2 3/4 lengths.

Said Zayat Sunday morning at Belmont Park: “Because of his versatility and his ability to do anything – in the snow, short of training, on the lead, off the lead, everything – this guy proved ‘Hey, I’m for real.’ How do you not give him a chance?”

A gray son of Scat Daddy trained by John Terranova, El Kabeir added the Gotham to his 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Jerome in January and a win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club in November. He also has runner-up finishes in two other graded stakes.

Under the points system Churchill Downs uses to determine the Derby field in the likely event more than 20 horses enter, El Kabeir has earned 75 points, the most of any 3-year-old.

Before the Gotham, El Kabeir’s success had come racing on or just off the early lead. Saturday, with a quick early pace and El Kabeir perhaps struggling early with the muddy surface under C.C. Lopez, he was ninth of 10 runners early.

“He made an unbelievable inside move and hugged the rail, and the rail was the place to be, but the way he angled out and the explosion – that eye catching move – told me a lot,” Zayat said. “And the fact that he keeps going and going and going is what I want to see.”

Zayat said he hopes to see a similar performance in the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial on April 4, most likely the next spot for El Kabeir, who has spent the entire winter in New York.

Zayat, who has had horses finish second in the Kentucky Derby three times, on Saturday will turn his attention to Arkansas and American Pharoah, who has not raced since winning the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita last Sept. 27. He had to be scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1 when he suffered an injury to his suspensory.

American Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert, has breezed six times this year, including a six-furlong move from the gate in 1:10.40 last Friday at Santa Anita.

“In terms of raw talent, Baffert told me on Friday this is the best horse he’s ever had since he’s been in the business at this point in their career,” Zayat said.

“Saying that, I need to see more than one dimension from him. We trained him prior to the Breeders’ Cup to sit behind horses. He had no issues sitting, settling and relaxing. He’s just naturally fast.”

Fast is something that El Kabeir was not in the Gotham. His final time of 1:45.56 for 1 1/16 miles earned him just an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Totally meaningless to me,” Zayat said. “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 go inside, outside, do everything possible.”

And now Zayat hopes it’s possible he has reason to run more than one horse in his year’s Kentucky Derby.