Trained in the United Kingdom, he showed good form as a two-year-old in 2002, winning two of his six races including the Mill Reef Stakes and finishing second in the Prix Morny.
In the following year he finished second in the 2000 Guineas, won the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and was rated the best three-year-old over one mile in Europe and North America.
Three weeks later over the same course and distance he started odds-on favourite for a similar event and recorded his first success, taking the lead a furlong out and winning by three and a half lengths.
In the Middle Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse he finished fifth of the ten runners behind Oasis Dream, after appearing to be outpaced in the closing stages.
On 3 May the colt started a 33/1 outsider behind the favourite Hold That Tiger in a twenty-runner field for the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, with the other contenders including his previous rivals Muqbil, Tout Seul and Monsieur Bond.
The colt briefly struggled to obtain a clear run a furlong out but finished strongly to take second place, three-quarters of a length behind the winner Refuse To Bend.
He raced just behind the leaders until the last three furlongs but then dropped away and finished fifteenth of the sixteen runners behind Indian Haven, who won by a length from the Aidan O'Brien-trained France.
Darryll Holland took over from Drowne when Zafeen was one of eleven colts to contest the 158th running of the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on 17 June.
The lightly-raced Heron Stakes winner Kalaman (later renamed Oriental Magic) started 5/2 favourite ahead of Clodovil (Poule d'Essai des Poulains), and Indian Haven with Zafeen Next in the betting on 8/1.
Zafeen hung to the right a he began hi challenge a quarter of a mile out but recovered to overtake France approaching the final furlong and then held off the late run of Kalaman to win by a length.