No fan here…I wanted Orb to be a triple crown winner…now that’s a team you can cheer for 
[QUOTE=Laurierace;8164701]
I for one don’t care what kind of person he is.[/QUOTE]
Can I get another Amen?
[QUOTE=Laurierace;8164701]
I for one don’t care what kind of person he is.[/QUOTE]
I guess honor and integrity doesn’t mean much these days.
[QUOTE=Flash44;8164917]
Can I get another Amen?[/QUOTE]
I do not get all the Zayat bashing. Unless you are dealing with him personally, why do you care? Actually, I have friends who do know him personally and professionally, and they have nothing but good things to say about him.
It’s so ironic that after Steve Coburn’s many rants last year, whenever someone would say anything negative about such behavior, they were often told to “just ignore the owners” and “root for the horse.” That seems to be reversed this year. I guess they can “ignore it” if the owner is blue-collar, but not if the person is wealthy!
Go Pharoah! I hope he wins the Crown and silences all the nay-sayers. He’s a very nice horse and I wish him the best.
The horse can’t help who its owners and trainers are. I hope AP pulls off a Triple Crown win. While I would have loved to see this happen for CC, I’m happy to see any TC.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8165046]
The horse can’t help who its owners and trainers are. I hope AP pulls off a Triple Crown win. While I would have loved to see this happen for CC, I’m happy to see any TC.[/QUOTE]
Agree with this.
Just because I dislike the owner does not I can’t still appreciate what a nice horse AP is (triple crown or not). I’d love for him to win the TC, actually I think I’d prefer AP to be a TC wonder more so than I would for CC to have been one, simply because I think AP is better quality horse. He’s the whole package, he’s obviously talented, and he has a much more useful pedigree.
[QUOTE=Kim;8165036]
I do not get all the Zayat bashing. Unless you are dealing with him personally, why do you care? Actually, I have friends who do know him personally and professionally, and they have nothing but good things to say about him.
It’s so ironic that after Steve Coburn’s many rants last year, whenever someone would say anything negative about such behavior, they were often told to “just ignore the owners” and “root for the horse.” That seems to be reversed this year. I guess they can “ignore it” if the owner is blue-collar, but not if the person is wealthy!
Go Pharoah! I hope he wins the Crown and silences all the nay-sayers. He’s a very nice horse and I wish him the best.[/QUOTE]
I started this thread in response to “Kind of a spin-off: Why isn’t Pharoah being hyped as much?”
To offer another way of looking at things.
I am not “Zayat bashiing” the guy made his own bed and now he has to sleep in it.
“I guess they can “ignore it” if the owner is blue-collar, but not if the person is wealthy!”
The owners of C-C sure as heck were wealthy by most people’s standards. Their “good ole boy blue collar” rhetoric was BS.
He had the public’s admiration until he showed his true colors. NO one likes unsportsmanlike conduct. And most people don’t like people who welsh on their financial obligations to others for their own gain.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8165046]
The horse can’t help who its owners and trainers are. I hope AP pulls off a Triple Crown win. While I would have loved to see this happen for CC, I’m happy to see any TC.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Angelico;8165123]Agree with this.
Just because I dislike the owner does not I can’t still appreciate what a nice horse AP is (triple crown or not). I’d love for him to win the TC, actually I think I’d prefer AP to be a TC wonder more so than I would for CC to have been one, simply because I think AP is better quality horse. He’s the whole package, he’s obviously talented, and he has a much more useful pedigree.[/QUOTE]
Of course Zayat’s skeletons in his closet have nothing to do with the horse. If the Belmont was just another race and or the Triple Crown winner was not on the line. The connections would have little bearing.
But this is NOT just another race. And those of us who live and breathe the sport fully understand the power of “public perception” especially with the sport being the whipping post these days. Zayat’s “baggage” can and most likely will overshadow the horse’s accomplishments and the “value” of the T-C in the press, media and the public “eye”.
The connections do the “talking” for the horse, any horse. This is about far more than the “horse”.
Is the horse “deserving” yes any horse is. But IMO when the Triple Crown is won again I want it to be done by a “deserving” horse and just as importantly if not more so by “deserving connections”.
I will not be rooting for either. The horse doesn’t care anyway. He’s feelings won’t be hurt.
[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;8163624]
As an Egyptian, and a Jew, it’s pretty doubtful he made the Saudi national showjumping team. It’s also doubtful he jumped at the GP level.[/QUOTE]
I will not give this guy a “pass” as other have. The guy can’t remember if he went to Harvard or not…
Affirmed had questionable connections, if I recall. Didn’t seem to tarnish Affirmed or the Triple Crown. Has the media even talked about Zayat’s “baggage” thus far?
Anyway, no one is obligated to cheer for a horse, for whatever reason. Whatever floats your boat. I’ll be cheering for Pharoah, though; dumb misspelled name and all. 
<<The connections do the “talking” for the horse, any horse. This is about far more than the “horse”.>>
Zayat has acted nothing less than professional to the racing media and seems to really love the sport.
If the mainstream media had not started digging up info to tarnish his image now that AP is on the brink of greatness, we probably would not even be aware of it. And who knows how much of it is even true? Look at all the stories that come out about various celebrities and are later proven to be fabricated.
In this day and age, I am sure the media would probably find some “skeletons” with regard to the connections of some of the past TC winners as well. Back then, the media was more focused on reporting about the actual performances on the track, which, IMO, is really all that should matter now as well.
[QUOTE=harvestmoon;8165351]
Affirmed had questionable connections, if I recall. Didn’t seem to tarnish Affirmed or the Triple Crown. Has the media even talked about Zayat’s “baggage” thus far?
Anyway, no one is obligated to cheer for a horse, for whatever reason. Whatever floats your boat. I’ll be cheering for Pharoah, though; dumb misspelled name and all. ;)[/QUOTE]
I guess you haven’t bothered to click and READ the links provided.
"Has the media even talked about Zayat’s “baggage” thus far"
The New York Times for one. Pretty respected News Paper and not one given to report “gossip”.
Yeah, I looked through the first link you posted. Sorry, I don’t have much time right now to really READ through all of it.
[QUOTE=gumtree;8165378]
I guess you haven’t bothered to click and READ the links provided.
"Has the media even talked about Zayat’s “baggage” thus far"
The New York Times for one. Pretty respected News Paper and not one given to report “gossip”.[/QUOTE]
Oh please. The NYTimes isn’t what it used to be. Joe Drape clearly has a vendetta against racing and he will “report” anything that furthers his agenda. His “facts” about horse racing have been wrong before and I’m sure they will be again.
Although I am not a Joe Drape fan either, less of a Zayat fan, as I’m sure are his insurance companies and vets, he most certainly doesn’t have his horses best interest first. I back Gum Tree on this 100%, my family lives and breathes racing and I couldn’t root for him as a deserving owner
i’m rooting for AP because hes a homebred by a homebred. The horse deserves a cheering section.
Fortunately rooting for or against a horse has no influence on the outcome. I just want to see history made, I don’t really care whose horse makes it. Can’t wait!
In all honesty I don’t think he will win, I think he’s had to do too much already in too short of time to get him to this race. Pletchers entries will control the race I believe. If he does win it will be a amazing training feat by Bob, AP’s page is a blank and his bottom side does nothing to warrant distance. If he wins somebody might want to put a tracking device on Jorge, he could be MIA for weeks!
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8165490]
Oh please. The NYTimes isn’t what it used to be. Joe Drape clearly has a vendetta against racing and he will “report” anything that furthers his agenda. His “facts” about horse racing have been wrong before and I’m sure they will be again.[/QUOTE]
I don’t entirely disagree. But it is the NY times and a LOT of people don’t dismiss it as you have. No disrespect intended.
I don’t think Drape has a “vendetta” per-say and I don’t think his “agenda” hasn’t served a purpose for the good of change. He has written about a lot of things that have been right also.
I’ve been around long time and have seen and or heard lot of things that I was not comfortable with. And that includes how “business” is conducted in Lexington.
But that’s not my point. The fact that it was written about Zayat’s BS instead of about the horse is my point.
I don’t have a problem with the guy liking to bet. What I do have a huge problem with his betting is the fact he does it with off shore betting that puts NOTHING back into the sport. You know like purses, the purses that he has enjoyed a lot of. Completely disingenuous and self serving. He’s a businessman he knows how the sport works. But he’s too greedy to pay his fair share.
Another bit out controversy it the fact that people are questioning how/why he was granted an owners license. It states very clearly on the application; have you ever been associated with illegal gambling, and or those convicted of such. Not verbatim but close enough. It also contains languish dealing with being associated with convicted felons.
I am not saying he should not have been granted a license. It’s just more dirt that may or may not overshadow the event.
It’s a darn shame that Silver Charm lost the Triple Crown by 3/4 of a length. Nothing negative could have been written about the Lewis’.
Even Drape would have written a “happy” article. And they would have been GREAT for the sport and the industry.
If Zayat does get it I doubt he will be very popular on the “talk show” tour.
Win or lose he will be hard pressed to make a bigger ass out of himself than last year’s rendition on the “talk show” tour.
