Zito is Dialed In for third Derby crown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Don't let the raspy New Yawk accent fool you. Nick Zito is one sensitive guy. He doesn't hold anything back, and nothing makes him weepier than triumph on the big stage.

After his 3-year-old colt Dialed In came from last to take the Florida Derby by a head last month at Gulfstream Park, Brooklyn Nick got choked up in the winner's circle. "Excuse me," he said. "Even big guys cry."

That show of emotion was nothing compared to his cosmic outburst when Strike the Gold, another late runner, gave him his first golden Derby moment in 1991. Zito screamed, "Show me the way!" as "Strikey" surged through the Churchill Downs stretch. As he passed the finish line, Zito yelled, "I love you, America! I love my kids! I love everybody."

Zito took the 1994 Derby with Go for Gin ("the Gin Man"), and hopes Dialed In will end his 17-year wait for a third trophy. The son of Mineshaft is 3-for-4 lifetime and only a half-length from being undefeated, and that loss was against older horses. By design, he has had only two 4-furlong workouts the past three weeks at Palm Meadows in Florida.

"He's not very big," Zito said. "It's the everyday training we do with this horse, not the works. This is a very ripped horse. He's conditioned unbelievably. Horses this good are gifts. This horse will not be short. I can't guarantee he'll win, but I can guarantee he'll come with his run."

Dialed In drew post 8 Wednesday and is the 4-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 20. He's Zito's 25th Derby runner, and only one was the betting choice. George Steinbrenner's Bellamy Road ran seventh in 2005 at odds of 5-2.

Zito, born in Brooklyn in 1948 and raised in Queens, is a rare treat when he free-associates. He's a street corner philosopher who makes constant references to "The Man Upstairs." An ESPN feature before the 2008 Travers showcases the Hall of Famer at his effusive best.

"I count my blessings and be thankful for what God gave me," Zito said. "In this sport you have to be humble, because before honor comes humility, and to represent the sport, I just don't want to be a jerk. This game will humble kings.

"I'm an emotional person. I actually cried the morning after the [2007] Breeders' Cup when I walked with God and I was emotionally wrecked. I was happy, because it's a lot inside."

Not the typical stuff you get at a Bill Belichick press conference.

Dialed In's owner, Robert LaPenta, is a longtime Zito client. Where Zito riffs with words like a jazzman, LaPenta's quotes are precise. Together they upset Big Brown with Da'Tara in the 2008 Belmont and won major stakes with War Pass, The Cliff's Edge and Ice Box, last year's Derby runner-up.

Since 2004, Zito is 0-for-4 in the Derby with LaPenta, who's counting on gifted jockey Julien Leparoux. "I think there's enough speed in the race to set him up," LaPenta said. "So the only question we're going to have with a closer is will he have the opportunity to make that run. How far wide will he have to go? Can Julien find an inside path for him?

"But Dialed In is a great horse. Nick is over the moon about him. He's very talented and courageous, and he seems to know where the finish line is. I think Julien is a good match, and they have a great relationship."

And if Dialed In gets the roses, Zito will be filling notebooks and providing sound bites as only he can.

Nick Zito's Triple Crown wins

Kentucky Derby: Strike the Gold (1991), Go for Gin (1994)

Preakness: Louis Quatorze (1996)

Belmont: Birdstone (2004), Da'Tara (2008)