American Pharaoh, a horse owned by Egyptian Ahmed Zayat, has become the 12th horse ever to win the Triple Crown in the United States. The prestigious honor is achieved when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes all in the same year.
The horse is the first in 37 years to complete the remarkable feat. The last race in the series, the Belmont Stakes, took place on Saturday, with American Pharaoh winning by five and a half lengths.
Zayat told ESPN that he plans to keep the horse in training for the remainder of the year and hopes to compete in more events as well. "We are not thinking here of value or money," he said. "When the horse is ready, we will not be scared of running him to lose or not. It's all about the fans and this belongs to history.''
According to Cairo Scene, Zayat nearly sold American Pharaoh in an auction last year. In the end, the auction didn't garner a high enough price and Zayat decided to keep the horse. Since then, Zayat has made millions of dollars in winnings from the horse while also securing a place for American Pharaoh and himself in horse racing history.
Born in Egypt, Zayat is the CEO and founder of Zayat Stables in Hackensack, New Jersey. His stables opened in 2005 and now own more than 140 horses. During the decade since Zayat entered the thoroughbred racing business his stables have been ranked among the top 5 in North America seven times, coming in at No. 1 in 2008 and 2015.
With American Pharoah's recent win, it looks like Zayat and his stables are only heading for more success.