American Pharoah enters the 2015 Preakness Stakes as the odds-on favorite, but for owner Ahmed Zayat that isn't enough. The 52-year-old is adamant his horse will walk out of Pimlico Race Course the victor.
"I believe that he'll win the big race," Zayat said before quickly realizing his slip (via CNN). He would quickly laugh and correct himself, adding: "run a big race."
Despite having more than 100 horses at his Zayat Stables, the Egyptian-American is most proud of his Derby winner and Triple Crown contender.
"He makes me so comfortable and confident with what he does," he added. "It sounds a cliche, but he's like poetry in motion. He glides, it's like his feet don't even touch the ground. He's like a kangaroo and you wouldn't think he was going that fast unless you look at the clock. It's just effortless for him."
"Plus he's an absolute cat. Typically horses like this can be mean and bite. He likes a pat and loves to be kissed."
Undoubtedly, Zayat himself would love to be the owner of a Triple Crown winner. His horses have finished runner-up in the big three races in 2012. A historian of the sport, Zayat understands an evolution in horse racing has complicated the chase for the illustrious achievement.
"The last one was over 40 years ago and that's because horses are built differently now," he said. "Stamina is different to the past. They used to run every seven to 10 days. Now, there are three to four weeks between races, so we're asking them to step up here. So you win, and you're asked two weeks later to run a mile and a quarter against fresh horses."
"And if that's not enough, three weeks on you have another mile and a half to race against horses that might not have entered either race. Then you're asking them to run in a field of 20, which they're not used, so it's tight turns and traffic to contend with."
"So it's a big ask."
Big ask or not, American Pharoah will be expected to enter the Belmont Stakes with an opportunity to make history.
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