Zayat Donates $100,000 to the Turf Writers

In an effort to help lure young, talented journalists into the field of horse racing, American Pharoah's owner Ahmed Zayat has donated $100,000 to the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association. Zayat said he believed having a large and active media contingent following the sport is vital to its success and wants to do his part to help get more journalists interested in racing. Zayat said he will let the turf writers decide how to put the money to the best use. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing so it has not been totally flushed out,” he said. “I will leave it up to the turf writers to decide what is the best way to take on this challenge. I will donate $100,000. I envision it could be divided among five people at $20,000 each. I want to help this endeavor and take it to a different level. It's part of giving back to a sport that I am proud to be a part of.” “I believe the press and the turf writers are an integral part of the industry,” he said. “The sport is not just about horsemen, owners, horses. These are the people that tell the stories, and it's not just about you entering a horse somewhere or some horse running in some race or some horse being injured. It's not just simple reporting. There's more to it than that. There are important and interesting sub stories that need to be told. “People have mentioned to me how special Joe Hirsch was and how he was a mentor to so many people. I never had the pleasure of knowing him or meeting him. I felt it was appropriate we support an effort where we can bring in the young talent and give them a chance to be mentored and brought into the sport, either under formal training or through scholarships. Maybe we are talking about internships or scholarships or helping someone get a master's in journalism.” Zayat said he has not made any commitments beyond the initial pledge of $100,000, but said if he believes his project is producing positive results he will consider making annual donations.