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Nick Zito
Top Associated Horses: Todd Got Even,
Ice Box,
Zaphyra,
Souma,
Crazy Charlie,
County Clerk
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2009 Record: (408-66-62-51)
2009 Earnings: $2,886,890
2009 Win %: 16% In-The-Money %: 43%
Born: Feb. 6, 1948, New York, N.Y.
Residence: Elmont, N.Y. and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Family: wife, Kim; children Alexander and Sara
Racing Background: Grew up near Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York ... Went to the track with his father when he was about nine years old, but rules at the time prevented him from entering the grounds so he’d spend the day with a security guard … Zito’s first job on the track was as a hotwalker while still a teeager ... He moved on to become a groom for trainer Buddy Jacobson and then worked for trainer Bob Lake ... Zito was an assistant to trainer Johnny Campo for four years and to Hall of Famer LeRoy Jolley before going out on his own in 1972 at the age of 24 with two horses
Racing Career: Zito’s first winner was Palais at Liberty Bell Park in Philadelphia in December 1972 … Developed a claiming stable in the 1970s ... Scored first graded stakes victory with Mayanesian in the 1981 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga ... The key horse in building Zito’s reputation as a top stakes trainer was the colt Thirty Six Red. He selected Thirty Six Red for $92,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 1988 for owner Giles Brophy. In 1990, the colt won the Wood Memorial Stakes, ran second in the Belmont Stakes and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic ... Won the Kentucky Derby in 1991 with Strike the Gold and again in 1994 with Go for Gin ... Won the Preakness Stakes in 1996 with Louis Quatorze ... That same year, Storm Song won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and was voted 2-year-old filly champion ... Won 2003 Kentucky Oaks with Bird Town for legendary owner and socialite Mary Lou Whitney ... In 2004, Bird Town’s half brother Birdstone upset the Belmont Stakes to deny Smarty Jones the Triple Crown ... Zito came to the 2005 Kentucky Derby with a record five starters for five different owners, including post-time favorite Bellamy Road, but failed to hit the board with any of his starters ... Other grade 1 winners include Agincourt, Albert the Great, A P Valentine, Chelsey Flower, Commentator, Greenwood Lake, Halory Hunter, High Fly, In the Gold, Ride Sally, Star Standard, Stephen Got Even, The Cliff’s Edge, and The Groom Is Red … Has won more than 150 stakes races in his career, inlcuding the G1 Champagne four times ... In 2007, his stakes winners include Wanderin Boy, winner of the Alysheba at Churchill Downs, and Most Distinguished, winner of the Amsterdam at Saratoga. Zito horses ran second to Lawyer Ron in Saratoga's top two handicap races in ’07; Wanderin Boy in the Whitney and Sun King in the Woodward ... Also has promising Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner War Pass. The son of 1994 Sprint winner Cherokee Run defeated his field by nearly five lengths as the wagering favorite, giving Zito his second Breeders' Cup winner ... Among his owners are prominent sports figures George Steinbrenner and Rick Pitino ... In his Hall of Fame induction speech on Aug. 8, 2005, Zito thanked by name members of his family, staff, racing officials, sports writers, friends, veterinarians and owners he said had an impact on his career. "You can't get into the Hall of Fame by yourself. There's no way." ... He and his wife take an active role in the rescue and retirement of Thoroughbreds ... Through Dec. 31, 2007, his stable ranked 19th in earnings with $5,140,794 and had 62 wins in 436 starts.
NOTE: Bio stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list. Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.
