Ahmed Zayat owned American Pharoah in 2015, when that horse emerged as the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed in 1978. In a diary written with Tom Pedulla for The Post, he assesses Justify’s chances of adding his name to the list of racing immortals in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes:
I am a huge fan of Justify. How can you fault a horse that is 5-for-5?
He looks to be the total package. He has speed and heart, and he’s battle-tested. He has already won two of the most prestigious races in the land, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Some people say his Preakness was unimpressive, that with another jump Bravazo would have beaten him. I don’t know. Maybe so. The way I look at it, he did what he had to do.
Looking at him and the way he is training, he looks like he’s maintained his condition and his weight. I’m told he is training better than he did between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He may be the lone speed in the Belmont.
People who know me will tell you I say things as I see them and am not politically correct. Going into the draw, I would say I was 99.9 percent sure we were going to see our 13th Triple Crown winner. After he drew the one hole, I’m probably 70-30 that he can do it.
I know there are only 10 horses, so the rail is not the kiss of death. If anything goes wrong early, there is a mile and a half to make it up. The way I see it, Mike Smith, Justify’s jockey, did not want to be committed to the lead. But I think he has no choice but to send him from the rail.
When I am asked to compare American Pharoah and Justify, both have talent, speed and a good mind. But American Pharoah’s mechanics, I’ve never seen anything like him. No trainer I talked to has seen anything like him, either. He was literally flawless, if that exists. He was LeBron James, for sure. I am not saying American Pharoah was Secretariat, but he was as close as you can get.
I hope Justify will prove his greatness on Saturday. I am rooting for that to happen. It would be tremendous for our sport.