Preakness 2015: Mr. Z bought by Calumet

Mr. Z has been bought from Zayat Farm by Calumet Farm and will be entered in the Preakness Stakes.

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Finishing a troubled 13th in the Kentucky Derby, Zayat Farm’s Mr. Z was not expected to go in the Preakness Stakes, scheduled for May 16. However, reports have emerged that Mr. Z has been sold to Calumet Farm and will indeed be entered in the Preakness. According to Jay Privman of DRF Live, Mr. Z’s owner, Ahmed Zayat is currently on a business trip in Italy, but said via phone that the sale to Calumet is only pending paperwork. Zayat said that essentially Calumet made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“There’s no issue about the price,” said Zayat, who did not disclose the figure. “They gave us an offer we could not refuse.”

According to Zayat, discussions began with trainer D. Wayne Lukas late Tuesday night U.S. time and have continued into Wednesday morning. Assuming the sale goes as planned, Mr. Z will be entered in the Preakness under the name of Calumet. It’s truly a last minute sale as the post position draw is scheduled for Wednesday at 5PM. It also puts some real interest in the draw, considering Mr. Z’s speed.

Reminder that Calumet also owns Oxbow who rather unexpectedly won the 2013 Preakness. If you look carefully, you can see the disbelief.

If Mr. Z wins Preakness there will be a lot of people like the guy with the melting face pictured here when Oxbow won pic.twitter.com/54YQqAdaOO
— Byron King (@BH_BKing) May 13, 2015

The addition of Mr. Z makes the field total for the Preakness eight, including the top three Derby finishers. It also adds a little intrigue to the mix as well. Mr. Z had 13 starts in which he’s only had one win, but he has eight places in those 13. One of those happens to be a runner-up finish to American Pharaoh in the Arkansas Derby. As mentioned, he’s likely to be the speed in this race and sometimes speed in the Preakness is hard to overtake.

Lukas, who already had six horses aimed at Preakness weekend, has insisted that Mr. Z has a real chance in the Preakness. He says the horse is better than he’s ever had him before and that his troubled trip in the Derby should not be indicative of future success.

“He was very lucky not to go down,” Lukas said of Mr. Z’s Kentucky Derby trip. “He could have been compromised to the point where he could have clipped heels.” (via BloodHorse)

Mr. Z is by Malibu Moon out of Stormy Bear by Storm Cat.

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