DERBY DREAMS
NJ’s Triple Crown prince back with new horse
Justin Zayat gave all he had during the 2015 Kentucky Derby. And that included the contents of his stomach
When his family’s horse, American Pharoah, won, the then-23-year-old was captured vomiting on national television.
“Everyone thought I had too many mint juleps,” Justin told The Post, adding that alcohol was not the culprit. “When I won the Derby, I got this pit in my stomach and was jumping up and down. I hadn’t eaten all day because I was so nervous. I let all my emotions out.”
Things only got crazier from there, as American Pharoah went on to make history — becoming the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978 and bringing in more than $8 million in purse money. Justin, who manages some 200 horses for his family’s namesake stables — which were started by his father, Ahmed — was thrust into the inter-
national spotlight as the young buck in a sport full of gray-haired gentlemen.
On Saturday, the Teaneck, NJ, native will return to Churchill Downs for the first time since American Pharoah’s glorious run. This time around, the Zayats’ horse is Solomini, a 2-year-old chestnut colt who’s ranked in the top 10 by most oddsmakers after finishing third at the Arkansas Derby on April 14.
At 26, Justin is older and wiser — but still plagued by the same raceday jitters.
“If I’m not getting nervous, my horse probably doesn’t have a shot,” he said.
Justin was 13 when his father started buying horses. In high school, he begged to listen in on conference calls so he could learn the business; before he graduated, elite trainer Bob Baffert had become his mentor. At NYU, Justin set up an office in his dorm room and split his time between classes and career.
“[At] 18 I was speaking to these super-accomplished guys in their 60s and [I’m] this little s--t over here,” he said with a laugh. “But we developed a respect for each other.”
Now the vice president of Zayat Stables, headquartered in Hackensack (though the horses are trained all around the country), Justin is already helping groom the next generation. His toddler nephew, Solomon — for whom Solomini is named — has the horse’s saddlecloths hanging above his bed, and will join the fun on Derby day.
The family is Orthodox Jewish — which means their Sabbath conflicts with Saturdays, when big races are held. As a result, the Zayats can’t drive to and from the track (nor can they communicate via phone). Instead, they typically stay in a hotel about a mile away and walk together.
“My parents always say, ‘We’re not going to sacrifice our beliefs because of a horse race,’ ” Justin said. “We stick to our morals.”
Justin, who lives on the Upper East Side with his wife of 18 months, Michelle, admits that he gets recognized since claiming the Triple Crown trophy: “Sometimes people stop me in Manhattan and say, ‘ Hey it’s horse boy.’ They ask for selfies — and for betting tips,” he said. .Now his phone is full of pictures of himself with celebs such as Tom Brady, Tracy Morgan and Rob Gronkowski. Bob Bowman, the coach of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, calls him for breeding advice. And in 2017, Justin was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 sports list — alongside the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.
He’s using his newfound clout to bring attention to the sport.
“I want to make [horse racing] more mainstream,” he added. “I try to bring my friends to Belmont — I take them to the Preakness because I want them to feel the fun of racing.”
And Triple Crown hopes aside, Justin has one more big dream: “I want to meet LeBron [James] so badly. It’s on my bucket list. I guess I’ll have to name a horse after him.”