Zito Working to Win the Kentucky Derby

Nick Zito is convinced he can win this year’s Kentucky Derby as he did twice in 1991 with Strike Gold and in 1994 with Go for Gin. Now; he is 0 for 16, but this is no prove of lack of effort. Over the past two years he didn’t have a horse participati

   Nick Zito is convinced he can win this year’s Kentucky Derby as he did twice in 1991 with Strike Gold and in 1994 with Go for Gin. Now; he is 0 for 16, but this is no prove of lack of effort. Over the past two years he didn’t have a horse participating in the race.

But now Zito has a serious steady Derby contender starting with top horse War Pass and Fountain of Youth winner Cool Coal Man; both owned by Robert La Penta. Also; he has Stakes winner Fierce Wind which is property of Sam F. Davies.

After a front-running 4 3/4-length race in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; War Pass has been the first Derby prospect since completing a perfect 2-year-old campaign. The amazing colt opened this season with win No. 5, a 7 1/2-length romp over lightly regarded opponents at Gulfstream Park on February 24. That same day, Cool Coal Man won for the fourth time in five starts in the Fountain of Youth.

With the 1 1/4-mile Derby in seven weeks, War Pass moves into the final stages of his preparing season when he takes on six challengers in Saturday's Tampa Bay Derby. A final race is set for the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 5, and then it's on to Churchill Downs and the Derby on May 3rd.

"There's nobody better at preparing a horse for a Derby than Nick Zito," LaPenta said. "What we were looking to do (after the BC Juvenile) is just rest him and then slowly bring him back and condition him up to that mile-and-a-quarter."

With this preparation everybody feels War Pass should be in very good shape for the Derby. The same feeling is for Cool Coal Man that started this year season with an amazing victory in the Fountain of Youth. His final preparation race would be the Blue Grass at Keenland on April 12th.

LaPenta also said Nick Zito has always been a consistent trainer on his Derby preparations, and he always makes good choices with the race selection on the preparation stage for the Derby.War Pass, ridden by jockey Cornelio Velasquez, has proven to be a very good opponent, with the biggest question whether the colt has the preparation to maintain his speed over 1 1/4 miles.

LaPenta bought War Pass for $180,000 at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale. The next spring, the son of 1994 BC Sprint winner Cherokee Run was up for sale but was pulled out with ankle chips. Cool Coal Man brought $200,000 at the Keeneland sale, but failed to meet the owner's reserve bid of $850,000 at another sale.

"We haven't won another Derby (since 1994), and we had all those chances in 2005," Zito said. "Great expectations bring great disappointments....I would like to have peace. I would like to win another Derby."

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