Nicholas Philip Zito (born February 6, 1948 in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. His first top level horse was with which he won the 1990 Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes and earned a second-place finish in that year's Belmont Stakes. Nick Zito went on to win the Preakness once, and the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes twice. He got his big break in 1991 when he won his first Kentucky Derby on Strike the Gold.