THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010 For information about TDN, call 732-747-8060. FEATURE PRESENTATION • GII DAVONA DALE S. ESKENDEREYA BUOYS ZAYAT STABLES Ahmed Zayat=s Zayat Stables is going through Chap- ter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, but the operation enjoyed a banner day last Saturday when Eskendereya (Giant=s Causeway) bounded away with the GII Fasig- Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park (video) and vaulted himself to the top of many people=s Ken- tucky Derby watch list. Zayat admitted yesterday that the re- gally bred colt=s 8 1/2-length victory in the nine-furlong event DAVONA DALE ATTRACTS EIGHT was extra special. The streaking Sassy Image (Broken Vow) and run- ATo be quite honest with you, away GII Forward Gal S. heroine Bickersons (Silver I was totally frozen,@ Zayat ad- Deputy) headline a solid cast mitted. AThat=s unlike me. I=m a for Saturday=s GII Davona very emotional person, but I was Dale S. at Gulfstream Park. frozen. We=ve been going The former, a winner of through a lot lately, as you three straight including last know, and I was just looking at Eskendereya A Coglianese November=s GII Golden Rod the sky holding back the tears. S. and Gulfstream=s Sweet- My wife Joanne and our kids were surrounding me and est Chant S. Jan. 17, has looking at me and I wasn=t even moving. And they were been assigned post eight. saying, >Are you ok?= and >Why is daddy not reacting?= Bickersons will break from Usually I am rooting and we are all high-fiving. But the four hole. Saturday I was just holding back tears and wondering Sassy Image J “TDN Rising Star” J where this performance came from. I read a quote that Adam Coglianese Christine Daae (Giant=s said, >There is nothing like a fast Derby horse to get you Causeway) heads to the big out of Chapter 11 reorganization.=@ leagues after posting an eye-catching maiden win at Cont. p2 Gulfstream Jan. 15. Amen Hallelujah (Montbrook), last seen annexing the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 16, makes her first start on dirt. The dark bay posted a six-furlong bullet in 1:11 4/5 at Gulfstream Feb. 17. Saturday, Gulfstream Park DAVONA DALE S.-GII, $150,000, 3yo, f, 1m PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT 1 Amen Hallelujah Montbrook Leparoux Dutrow Jr 118 2 Female Drama Indian Charlie Maragh Sciametta Jr 116 3 Joanie's Catch First Tour Lopez Rose 120 4 Bickersons Silver Deputy Bravo Breen 118 5 Comic Marvel Distorted Humor Velazquez Mott 116 6 Christine Daae Giant’s Causeway Nakatani Biancone 116 7 Mambo Fever Stormin Fever Rose Dutrow 116 8 Sassy Image Broken Vow Albarado Romans 122 Did You Know?... Christine Daae (Giant=s Causeway) was tabbed as a J “TDN Rising Star” J Visit the TDN Rising Stars section www.hillndalefarms.com on our website! P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 2/25/10 • PAGE 2 of 7 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Zayat Stables purchased Eskendereya, the Arabic name for the Egyptian city of Alexandria, for $250,000 as a 2008 Keeneland Septem- ber yearling. Second over the Saratoga lawn in his debut last September, the chestnut graduated by 7 1/4 lengths in the off-the-turf Pilgrim S. at Belmont in October, and he concluded his juvenile cam- paign with a ninth-place ef- fort in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile. He is now two- for-two as a sophomore after beginning the season with a Gulfstream allowance victory Jan. 7. Zayat Zayat said Eskendereya has Horsephotos matured considerably, and he was expecting a big effort in the Fountain of Youth. AIt is very significant how they change from their two-year-old to three-year-old years,@ Zayat explained. AYou want them to start filling up, growing, acting mature and focused. We were very encouraged be- cause he was doing exactly all the right things that you wanted to see from a colt who had been promising as a two-year-old turning three. In terms of appearance, demeanor, the way that he had been training, every- thing was right and [trainer] Todd [Pletcher] was high on [him].@ Despite his optimism, Zayat said he was still sur- prised by how easily Eskendereya won. AEverything was on all-systems go,@ he said. AHe looked ready, but you still don=t expect somebody, in a field that is probably the deepest prep from the five that day, to win that way and, with the sheer move- ment of how he galloped out and the time he ran, ev- erything was breathtaking for me. I expected he could run first, second or third, and I was looking for a good, forward performance, but I didn=t expect him to do what he did. For me, it was incredible.@ Eskendereya=s authoritative victory may leave his rivals hoping the colt is peaking too soon for the first Saturday in May, but Zayat thinks the Fountain of Youth didn=t take too much out of his colorbearer. AWhen Eskendereya galloped out, he galloped very, very strongly,@ Zayat said. AWhen John Velazquez got back to the winner=s circle, he said to Todd, >This sucker would not stop.= And I was looking at him; there was almost no sweat on him and he was breathing normal. It was like the race was nothing for him. It looks like it didn=t take a lot out of him and I think he has a lot left in the tank. So I don=t think this race was particularly taxing on him.@ Cont. p3 P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 2/25/10 • PAGE 3 of 7 • thoroughbreddailynews.com That could be bad news for the competition, but Zayat admitted it can be nerve-wracking to own a Ken- tucky Derby contender. AIt=s scary for me, to be honest with you,@ he said. AFrom now to Derby Day will be an eternity for me. I try to be grounded. I realize that this horse is royally bred and he=ll cher- ish even more distance-- he=ll love 1 1/4 miles, Zensational Benoit even 1 1/2 miles, and he doesn=t get tired. So ev- erything is going right for him, but it=s still a little sur- real to me.@ A big win in a major Kentucky Derby prep race auto- matically generates interest in a horse, and Zayat said he has been inundated with offers to buy Eskendereya. AI have had numerous offers, as you can imagine,@ the Egyptian businessman said. AOur phone has not stopped ringing. Everybody has Derby fever and every- body thinks that he is something special. By definition, he=s the fastest three-year-old in the country, based on Beyer, Ragozin or Thoro-Graph. The way he won, the time, and his pedigree--these are all the characteristics that people desire.@ And Zayat is listening. AOf course, I am entertaining offers,@ he said. AThis is a business for me. It=s not a hobby. I love horses, I love developing horses, but it=s also a business. Sometimes Still, bankrupty news is never far from the fore. Fifth you have to look into how you can make value of your Third Bank, which filed suit against Zayat Stables, horses.@ claiming the organization de- This is not the first time Zayat has been on the Ken- faulted on loan payments, had tucky Derby path. Zayat homebred Pioneerof the Nile been seeking a trustee to over- (Empire Maker) won last year=s GI Santa Anita Derby see the stables, but the bank and was second behind Mine That Bird (Birdstone) in withdrew that request last the Kentucky Derby. week. Zayat said yesterday the AWe were very spoiled by Pioneerof the Nile,@ Zayat bank=s actions were puzzling to said. AHe was our first homebred who became a Grade I him. AI=ve never understood how winner. So there is always a special feeling with a they=ve been working and what homebred. It meant a lot. With Eskendereya, we liked motivates them,@ he said. AI him when we bought him as a yearling. The fun part of have no understanding why they that is, you have to take a punt on these horses. You would have done that in the first hope you made the right bet and you saw something place, and certainly I have no Pioneerof the Nile & Zayat that others didn=t. And now he=s lived up to what we understanding of why they are Benoit thought he could do. I have had the pleasure of experi- doing this now. But I can tell encing success with three different ways of picking a you one thing, they had no shot of winning.@ horse: first breeding one that ran second in the Derby; -Jessica Martini then picking Eskendereya as a yearling; and I also bought [multiple Grade I winner] Zensational (Unbri- TELL IT TO THE TDN... dled=s Song) as a two-year-old at Fasig-Tipton Calder. I Want to send a “Letter to the Editor” of the hope I=m not touting myself here, but I=ve experienced three different stars from three different places of Thoroughbred Daily News? Our address is 27 equine development. Each one has their own special Monmouth St., Red Bank, NJ, 07701; or send a fax excitement and pleasure and satisifaction that you get to: (732) 747-8955; or an e-mail to: from their success.@ [email protected]. P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 2/25/10 • PAGE 4 of 7 • thoroughbreddailynews.com NEWS TODAY FASIG-TIPTON FILLY FESTIVAL SATURDAY Gulfstream Park and Fasig-Tipton will unite to present Saturday=s Fasig-Tipton Filly Festival.