Issue link: http://nytbreeders.epubxp.com/i/127475
Just Kaz AdAM CogliANese People call and ask to breed to Here's Zealous. Sometimes I charge them, sometimes I don't." — Peter Kazamias Kazamias, 51, is a breeder, owner, and trainer of New York-breds ous finished fourth in his comeback in October 2012 and has since won six straight. Flying Zealous' sire, Here's Zealous, is one of two stallions Kazamias stands at Kaz Hill; Bank Heist is the other. Here's Zealous won the 2001 Gravesend Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct and earned nearly a half-million dollars on the track before being claimed by Kazamias for $50,000 in 2005; Bank Heist raced six times for owners George Bolton and Gulf Coast Farms and trainer Todd Pletcher. By champion Maria's Mon and out of the Dehere mare Candytuft, he's a half brother to multiple grade I winner and champion Midnight Lute, second on the national second-crop sire list and sire of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) hopeful Govenor Charlie. "Until now," said Kazamias, "I've been breeding about 10 of my mares 20 to Bank Heist, but I'm going to up that number because of how well Midnight Lute is doing right now." Though Kazamias will occasionally ship one of his mares to Pennsylvania or Kentucky to breed them, he prefers to manage an already-risky business by breeding to his own two stallions. "There's some really nice stallions I like to go to in Kentucky, but it's a lot of expense," he said. "You send them all the way out there, you ship back and forth—it's just a lot of time and money involved. Sometimes they lose the baby after you've put so much time into it. I like to basically just concentrate on my farm." One of his more successful outside breeding ventures is the Awesome Again colt Awesome Vision, out of Kazamias' mare Blind Canyon (by Valley Crossing). Purchased at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale at Saratoga for $65,000 by bloodstock agent Buzz Chace for West Point Thoroughbreds, Awesome Vision won Aqueduct's Compelling Word Stakes in March and has earned $175,672 in five wins from seven starts. Kazamias is considering sending Blind Canyon, second in the 2004 Maryland Million Oaks and 2005 Maryland Million Distaff, back to Awesome Again. In the meantime, though, he prefers to keep the breeding in his own equine family. He doesn't board horses for other owners and seldom books other people's mares to his stallions. "I have a lot of friends in the industry, and as Here's Zealous is doing very good, they call me and ask if they can breed to him. Sometimes I charge them, sometimes I don't," he said, chuckling. Here's Zealous (a son of Dehere) is ninth on the general New York sire list. Kazamias also prefers to train only his own horses, though he regularly fields requests from outside clients. "I did it for one or two people, and it was a hassle," he said frankly. "People call me all the time, and I don't want to be explaining myself to people. They're constantly calling, asking when the horse is going to run, and if you're training babies, you can't be like that. You have to take your time." The 51-year-old Kazamias keeps his yearlings at Kaz Hill Farm, then sends them to Rising Sun in New Jersey to be broken. The farm has a training track, jogging machines, and what Kazamias calls "aqua spas" for his horses. His approach seems to be working. His horses have made 32 starts this year, and Kazamias has gone to the winner's circle nine times, with three seconds, and six third-place finishes. His horses have earned $307,526 so far in 2013. "You watch them grow as babies and become yearlings and get to the races—it's a lot of work, but a lot of accomplishment when they win," he said. New York Breeder ❙ nytbreeders.org ❙ May 2013