Post

The most pressured trainer.

I know for sure that there’s one person I wouldn’t want to be this weekend — Nick Zito. The famed trainer has five entries in this weekend’s derby. More than likely, he’ll come out with a winner and come out with some wealth. But for the celebration he could have with one owner, he’ll have four others that could potentially be disappointed.

Zito is getting a lot of attention from pre-race prophets that are all worked up over George Steinbrenner’s 3-year-old, “Bellamy Road”. He’s one of the racehorses coming from Zito’s training to Churchill’s big race. It wouldn’t be the trainer’s first win at the majestic mile and a quarter, but it would settle a long-time hope for the horse’s owner and financier of the New York Yankees.

Of course, it could be much worse for Zito. He faces the chance that none of his five entries will even show, leaving room for the fame of Bob Baffert’s entry, “Sort it Out” to celebrate in the winner’s circle. Trainer Todd Pletcher also has high hopes for Saturday’s Derby, with three entries that will race toward the finish line with the goal of taking the top stakes.

Related Links:
USA Today article
Boston Globe article