Ahmed Zayat, American Pharoah's Owner, Has Gambling Debt Lawsuit Thrown out

American Pharaoh owner Ahmed Zayat has had the lawsuit regarding alleged gambling debts thrown out, according to the Associated Press. 

On May 24, the Associated Press reported (via the Lexington Herald-Leader), a lawsuit filed in March 2014 accused Zayat of owing $1.65 million in gambling debt placed at offshore casinos.

Zayat maintained his innocence throughout the suit; in the same report, Zayat said the lawsuit is "a fraud. It's a scam from A to Z. It's total fiction. It's a total lie."

"The Zayats are very grateful for the court's decision, which vindicates them and reinforces everything they have been saying," said Zayat family spokesman Matthew Hiltzik in a statement, via Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal. "They were always confident that the truth would prevail, and are very happy to have this behind them so that all racing and sports fans can focus on the exciting upcoming weekend at Belmont."

"There is a God. The God of justice & Truth. We have won the case. The judge threw the Runinsky case out," Zayat said on Twitter.

According to Christian Red and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News, Zayat's lawyer, Joseph Vann, said they had been trying to have this case dismissed for more than a decade: "We have moved to dismiss this meritless claim relating to allegations from 11 years ago." 

In the Daily News report, citing a March 2015 court statement, Zayat claims he "never asked Rubinsky to put up a line of credit for me anywhere, and I was never aware—and I am still not aware—that he ever did so."

Red and Thompson also wrote that Rubinsky did plead "guilty in 2008 for his role in an illegal bookmaking operation with brothers Michael and Jeffrey Jelinksy."

In the AP report, Zayat claims he did give Rubinsky a check for $25,000 "to help him" but denies that it was for payment on any kind of debt and that their relationship ties were severed after Rubinsky continued to call him.

Ultimately, the suit was little more than a minor distraction for Zayat ahead of the conclusion of American Pharoah's hunt for the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.