Contenders

Owner Ahmed Zayat was the nation’s leading owner in terms of earnings in 2008, totaling purses in excess of $6.8 million. Zayat made his fortune as CEO and chairman of Al Ahram Beverages Company (ABC), the largest beverage manufacturer and distributor in the Middle East, and as the largest shareholder in Misr Glass Manufacturing (MGM), Egypt’s largest manufacturer of glass containers.
He holds master’s degrees in business and public health from Boston University and Harvard.

Most recent trainer to enter Racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., he grew up on a cattle ranch near Nogales, Ariz., a bordertown near Mexico.

He groomed and galloped quarter horses owned by his father, then became a jockey after his high school graduation. A breath of fresh air when he entered the thoroughbred spotlight with BC Sprint winner Thirty Slews and Cavonnier, the Kentucky Derby runner-up in 1996, he’s known as one of racing’s “characters,” posing for a winner’s circle shot one Halloween night wearing a pumpkin on his head.

He’s won four Preaknesses and on four occasions has won two-thirds of a Triple Crown: He sought sweeps after Kentucky Derby-Preakness triumphs with Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002) and he took the Preakness and Belmont with Point Given (2001). He’s had nine Preakness starters.

Owner and Breeder