Zito looking to spoil another Triple Crown bid

Frammento could be Zito’s new Triple Crown spoiler (Alan Abriss/Horsephotos.com) Twice in the last and longest leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, Nick Zito has changed history. On Saturday, the 67-year-old Hall of Fame trainer will be making some history of his own in the $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1). Back in the Belmont for the first time since 2010, Zito will send out his modern-day record 25th horse in the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion” in Grade 2-placed Frammento (Midshipman), who galloped over Belmont Park’s training track for the third straight morning on Friday. Overall, Zito has finished in the top five with 16 of his first 24 starters, including two wins, seven seconds and three thirds. Both his victories spoiled bids for the Triple Crown that Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) is seeking, as well. “I think the one thing that we’re proud of is our Belmont record is good,” Zito said. “This horse is a live longshot and I think he’ll get a good piece; that’s all you can ask for. If anything crazy happens, that’s what you think. I’m in the race because I’ve got a mile-and-a half-horse. He’s got the pedigree, and you can see how cool he is. “He has improved a lot, that’s why I’m feeling good about everything. You look at the form, and you get scared yourself. You see American Pharoah and you say, ‘Who’s going to beat this horse?’ and there’s other nice horses in there, too. They’re all good horses.” Zito knows how to beat horses that looked unbeatable in their quest for the Triple Crown. In 2004, he sent out Birdstone to run past Smarty Jones in the last 70 yards and win by a length at odds of 36-1. Four years later, 38-1 Da’ Tara wired the Belmont field for a 5 1/4-length victory as Big Brown was eased.

“At the end of the day you look at it and say, ‘How could
you beat those horses?’ Again, it’s racing,” Zito shrugged. “You’ve got to play the
game and anything can happen in a race. That’s why they have a word called ‘longshot.’
I don’t understand why people can’t get that in their head, but I’m glad I never
listen to them. I’m glad I went forward. At least you made some history, you
know? I like training horses for distance and this is a mile and a half. I think
we’ve got a live longshot and I think we’ll get a good piece of it. I’m hoping
to get a good piece of it.”

Though their odds were similar, Zito said he was more
surprised with Da’ Tara’s victory than he was with Birdstone, who went on to win
the Travers S. (G1) for owner Marylou Whitney and her husband, John Hendrickson.

Twice in the last and longest leg of horse racing’s Triple
Crown, Nick Zito has changed history. On Saturday, the 67-year-old Hall of Fame
trainer will be making some history of his own in the $1.5 million Belmont S.
(G1).

Back in the Belmont for the first time since 2010, Zito
will send out his modern-day record 25th horse in the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the
Champion” in Grade 2-placed Frammento (Midshipman), who galloped over Belmont
Park’s training track for the third straight morning on Friday.

Overall, Zito has finished in the top five with 16 of his
first 24 starters, including two wins, seven seconds and three thirds. Both his
victories spoiled bids for the Triple Crown that Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness
S. (G1) winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) is seeking, as well.

“I think the one thing that we’re proud of is our Belmont
record is good,” Zito said. “This horse is a live longshot and I think he’ll get
a good piece; that’s all you can ask for. If anything crazy happens, that’s what
you think. I’m in the race because I’ve got a mile-and-a half-horse. He’s got
the pedigree, and you can see how cool he is.

Nick Zito is not afraid to take a chance with a longshot (Alan Abriss/Horsephotos.com) “He has improved a lot, that’s why I’m feeling good about everything. You look at the form, and you get scared yourself. You see American Pharoah and you say, ‘Who’s going to beat this horse?’ and there’s other nice horses in there, too. They’re all good horses.” “Birdstone had won the Champagne (G1) as a two-year-old. A lot of people didn’t want me to go forward, but I’m glad I did,” Zito explained. “I’m glad Marylou and John OK’d it. A lot of people, even people that worked for me, were saying, ‘You’re really going to run that horse?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to run the horse.’ They were worried about how good Smarty Jones was. If you remember, it looked like he was going to win, but that last quarter mile…” Zito has great respect for fellow Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and 3-5 program favorite American Pharoah, who will break from post 5 in the eight-horse Belmont, one spot outside of Frammento, listed at 30-1 on the morning line. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, a two-time Belmont winner with Drosselmeyer (2010) and Palace Malice (2013), will ride Frammento for the first time.

“(American Pharoah) is a tremendous horse,” Zito admitted. “I
hope it’ll be a dry track, because it is ridiculous the way he runs on an off
track. It’s a little scary. I’ve had horses win major races, one was the
Kentucky Derby, on off tracks, but this horse is superior on a wet track.
Superior. There’s no question.”

Zito and Baffert are the only trainers in the Belmont field
to win each Triple Crown race at least once. Zito captured the Kentucky Derby
with Strike the Gold (1991) and Go for Gin (1994) and the Preakness with Louis
Quatorze (1996).

American Pharoah can become the 12th Triple Crown winner
and first since Affirmed in 1978 with a Belmont victory. Affirmed was the third
horse to sweep the series in six years, following Secretariat (1973) and the
undefeated Seattle Slew (1977).

“I know they’re comparing him to ‘Slew’ and horses like
that, but that’s a long way off yet,” Zito warned. “Still, if you win the Triple
Crown, I guess it’s not.”

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