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Ahmed Zayat, the colorful Egyptian-born owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner American Pharoah, is being honored by the New Jersey state Assembly, this as he faces a breach of contract and a defamation lawsuit.
The Newark Star Ledger reported Wednesday that the Assembly, Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee voted 7-0 to approve a resolution (AR240) that "acknowledges and congratulates" the New Jersey resident for owning the three-year-old colt. American Pharoah is looking to become the first Triple Crown winner in nearly four years.
"Everybody from the breeders here in New Jersey all the way to those who play at the highest level of the game — Sheikh Mohammed (emir of Dubai), the Queen of England — would all love to win the Kentucky Derby, and for it to be a New Jersey resident this year is extra special," John Heims, spokesman for Monmouth Park Racetrack, told the committee.
The attorney for a man alleging Zayat owes nearly $2 million in gambling debts to offshore sportsbooks filed a $10 million defamation suit the same day the Assembly cast its vote. Attorney Joseph Bainton is claiming that Zayat had gone to various media outlets stating he was a victim of an “extortion plot”. Bainton suggests he was implicated through his representation of Howard Rubinsky as a result of these allegations.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
