Egyptian Ahmed Zayat has three horses running in 141st Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ahmed Zayat can’t contain his enthusiasm at having three horses running in the Kentucky Derby. The fast-talking Egyptian businessman is alternately nervous, hopeful and tickled pink.

“Hyper” is how trainer Bob Baffert describes his client, whose American Pharoah is expected to be the early favorite for Saturday’s 141st Run for the Roses.

Listening to Zayat’s bubbly chatter, there’s no hint of the run of bad luck he’s endured at the Derby. Three times his horses have finished second behind long shots.

In 2009, 50-1 Mine That Bird sneaked up along the rail and beat Pioneerof the Nile. In 2011, Nehro was defeated by 20-1 Animal Kingdom. A year later, 15-1 I’ll Have Another beat Bodemeister.

Baffert can count two of those losses among his Derby defeats, having trained Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister.

“Luckily they run the Derby every year,” he said.

Zayat had a double-dose of bad luck in 2010. Early Derby favorite Eskendereya was withdrawn days before the race with a leg injury and Zayat filed for bankruptcy protection to keep his racing operation afloat after a bank claimed he defaulted on $34 million in loans.

Baffert has won this race three times, but not since 2002. He’s been training for Zayat since 2007, becoming close friends while enduring the sport’s ups and downs together. They exchange calls or texts “like 10 times a day,” Zayat said.

“We know the game. It changes every second and every time he calls me my heart sinks for 30 seconds,” the owner said, knowing it could be bad news about his horses.

Zayat took his first crack at the Derby in 2008. Z Fortune finished 10th and Z Humor was 14th.

Now 52, he retired 10 years ago, having sold his beer distributorship to Heineken for $280 million and plowed the proceeds into buying more horses. His love of the sport is a family affair, with Justin, one of his four children, acting as racing manager for Zayat Stables.

“He has a lot of passion,” Baffert said. “The clients that have a lot of passion, those are the best clients because they really want to do well. They invest a lot of time along with money. It’s like owning their own team. They’re very competitive, which is good. It’s a trainer’s dream to have clients like that.”

The sport has taught the ultra-competitive Zayat a tough lesson: You may win at a 25-percent clip, but 75 percent of the time you’re going to lose. “The first orientation is getting adjusted to being competitive and yet needing to turn the page and move on.”

Baffert is in the unusual position of training the probable favorite and second choice this year. He’s got American Pharoah for Zayat, who lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, and undefeated Dortmund for India-born owner Kaleem Shah.

“Hope for a dead-heat,” the white-haired trainer joked.