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American Pharoah (
foal
A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foa ...
ed February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorse who won the American Triple Crown
In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...
and the Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first horse to win the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing
The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing is an informal name for the winning of four major Thoroughbred horse races in one season in the United States. The term has been applied to at least two different configurations of races, both of which includ ...
. He won the 2015 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Ho ...
and 2015 Champion three-year-old. In 2021 he was inducted into the American Racing Hall of Fame. He was bred and owned throughout his racing career by Ahmed Zayat
Ahmed Zayat (; ar, أحمد الزيات), (born August 31, 1962) is an Egyptian American businessman and owner of Thoroughbred race horses. He is the CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, a Thoroughbred horse racing business which bred and owns the 2 ...
of Zayat Stables, trained by Bob Baffert
Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakn ...
, and ridden in most of his races by Victor Espinoza
Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has w ...
. He now stands at stud at Ashford Stud
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...
in Kentucky.
After finishing fifth in his track debut as a two-year-old, American Pharoah won his next two races, the Grade I Del Mar Futurity
The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000.
In 1971, it w ...
and FrontRunner Stakes
The American Pharoah Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of September during the fall meet at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event, it is open to two-year-old horses and is held at a distan ...
, each by several lengths
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...
. An injury kept him out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...
, but the strength of his two wins nonetheless resulted in his being voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing ...
at the 2014 Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
s. Before the 2015 season began, Zayat had sold breeding rights to the colt to the Ashford Stud, a division of Ireland's Coolmore Stud. He retained control over the colt and his racing career, as well as an undisclosed dividend on stud fee
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species (stallion, bull, rooster, etc.) usually imply that the animal is intact—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offsp ...
s.
American Pharoah began his 2015 campaign with wins in the Rebel Stakes
The Rebel Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently off ...
and Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt.
In 200 ...
and went on to win the 2015 Kentucky Derby and 2015 Preakness Stakes
The 2015 Preakness Stakes, (run as the ''Xpressbet, Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes'' due to sponsorship), was the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes, promoted as the "middle jewel"2015 Belmont Stakes, becoming the first American Triple Crown winner since
American Pharoah made his track debut in a
Two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby, American Pharoah entered the second leg of the Triple Crown, the
Of the victory, Baffert said, "This little horse deserves it. There's something about this horse that he just brought it every time. He's a joy to be around." In a post-race interview, Zayat said that the colt's racing schedule for the remainder of the year would be decided by Baffert, and that the needs of the horse would come first. He also acknowledged the need for horse racing to have "stars" and for them to race as long as they could. Though American Pharoah's stud rights had been sold with plans to retire the horse at the end of 2015, Zayat expressed hope that the horse would continue racing as long as he was healthy and "has it in him". His winning time of 2:26.65 was the sixth-fastest in Belmont history, the second-fastest for a Triple Crown winner, and his closing quarter-mile was run in 24.32 seconds, which was over a half-second faster than Secretariat's final quarter-mile time of 25.00 when the 1973 winner set a world record and won by 31 lengths.
The following morning, the colt came out of the race tired but in good shape. When Baffert brought American Pharoah out of the Belmont Park barn, he invited the assembled media to come over and pet the horse. "I wanted to share him with everybody and show everybody how kind and sweet he is", said Baffert, while the group of about 30 people touched and even kissed the horse. The horse then posed quietly with Baffert and Espinoza to tape a segment for ''
After the race, Espinoza said, "He's OK ... Maybe it was just a little too much for him those three weeks, flying back and forth. He was running pretty comfortable there, but not like he used to." Baffert was proud of the horse's fighting effort, stating "It was just guts." Though Zayat talked of retiring the horse, Baffert said, "We knew we were doing the impossible, shipping him back and forth." The following day, Baffert said that American Pharoah was healthy and came out of the race in good shape. He said he had no regrets, stating, "I'm glad I brought him. Racing needed something like this. He almost pulled it off." Regarding Zayat's talk of retiring the horse, Baffert said, "Mr. Zayat is a very emotional man. We were all pretty disappointed ... I know (Zayat) will be going back and forth ... He's a sportsman for bringing him up here." Five days later, Zayat announced that the horse would be kept in training with the goal to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic, stating, "I believe there were a combination of factors that prevented American Pharoah from running his absolute best ... I have every confidence that he can run to his best again, and he deserves the chance to do so."
Affirmed
Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...
in 1978 and the 12th in history. His winning time was the second-fastest for a Triple Crown winner. He next shipped to Monmouth Park
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...
and easily won the Haskell Invitational on August 2. Three weeks later, he finished a close second in a hard-fought Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internati ...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...
on August 29, 2015, snapping a winning streak of eight races. After a layoff of two months, he shipped to Keeneland for the 2015 Breeders' Cup and ran in the Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
, where he challenged older horses for the first time and won by 6½ lengths
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...
, breaking the track record.
At the conclusion of his 2015 racing year, American Pharoah was retired to stud, per the agreement between Zayat and Ashford.
Background
American Pharoah is abay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
colt with a faint star on his forehead and no other white markings. He is from the second crop of foals sired by the Nile, who finished second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby
The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called ''Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.'' The race took p ...
. The stallion's first crop included Holy Bull Stakes
The Holy Bull Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses run over the distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, held annually in January at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida. The event c ...
winner Cairo Prince, and Social Inclusion, who finished third in the 2014 Preakness Stakes
The 2014 Preakness Stakes was the 139th running of the Preakness Stakes. The race was scheduled to start
at 6:18 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 17, 2014 at Pimlico Race Course and was run as the twelfth race on a racecard with thirteen ...
. American Pharoah's dam, Littleprincessemma, was purchased by Zayat in 2007 for $250,000. She raced but did not win either of her two starts in 2008. American Pharoah was her second foal, following allowance race winner Xixixi. Since his birth, she had produced two more full siblings to American Pharoah: a filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
born in 2014, and a colt, foaled in 2015 after she sold—in foal to the Nile—in November 2014 for $2.1 million.
American Pharoah was bred in Kentucky by his owner, Ahmed Zayat
Ahmed Zayat (; ar, أحمد الزيات), (born August 31, 1962) is an Egyptian American businessman and owner of Thoroughbred race horses. He is the CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, a Thoroughbred horse racing business which bred and owns the 2 ...
, CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, and was born at 11 p.m. on Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges fr ...
, February 2, 2012, at Tom VanMeter's Stockplace Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
. When he was a few days old, he and Littleprincessemma went to nearby Pretty Run Farm, also owned by VanMeter, where they remained for a few months. Later, the mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...
and foal
A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foa ...
were moved to Vinery, another Lexington farm where the Nile was stabled. There, American Pharoah was weaned at five months of age, and stood out from the other weanlings due to his conformation and good temperament.
In January 2013 as a yearling, he went to Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Kentucky
Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 U.S. Census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlement in the state.
Since the late 20th ce ...
, and began to be prepared for possible sale. In August 2013, American Pharoah was consigned by the Taylor Made Sales Agency to the Fasig-Tipton
The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryla ...
Saratoga Yearling sale. A few weeks before the auction, American Pharoah bumped his leg and had a small lump that was visible to potential buyers at the sale, which may have discouraged bidders. He was officially purchased for the posted minimum of $300,000 by Ingordo Bloodstock, acting as an agent for Zayat, who in effect bought back his own horse. Zayat had pledged that he would not sell the promising but untested colt for less than $1 million. Zayat similarly bought back the Nile, American Pharoah's sire, for $290,000 in a 2007 yearling auction.
"We felt that he had brilliance in him", said Zayat of American Pharoah, "his demeanor, his aura, his conformation, the way he moved." Following the auction, the horse first went to Florida and was started under saddle at the McKathan Brothers Training Center near Citra, where trainer J.B. McKathan said, "He just did everything right." Once he was ready to begin race conditioning, he went into training with Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
inductee Bob Baffert
Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakn ...
in the spring of 2014.
He was described in 2014 as a ridgling, rather than a colt, meaning that he had an undescended testicle
Cryptorchidism, also known as undescended testis, is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. The word is from Greek () 'hidden' and () 'testicle'. It is the most common birth defect of the male genital tract. About 3% of ...
. The 2013 catalogue for his yearling Fasig-Tipton sale listed him as a "colt", and he was described that way again in 2015. Zayat maintained the "ridgling" designation was an error: "he was always a colt."
In 2015, Baffert noted American Pharoah's smooth and distinctively long stride: "I've never had a horse that moves or travels over the ground like he does." The horse also had a short tail during his two- and three-year-old seasons—it was apparently chewed off by another horse. It is theorized that Mr. Z, a fellow competitor and Zayat-bred colt, may have been the culprit; the pair were kept together in Florida as younger horses. Trainer Baffert had a more colorful theory: "I think he was in the pasture one day and there was a mountain lion chasing him—that was the closest he could get ..."
American Pharoah's gentle demeanor is also distinctive, in that he appears fond of people and, particularly for a young racehorse, surprisingly calm around them. As Baffert explained, "Horses of his caliber are not that nice and sweet. They're just sort of tough. If I brought Bayern
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
out here, you can't get near him, he's too aggressive. merican Pharoahs just so different than any horse I've ever had." He was not always so calm, described initially as "a little bit of a headcase", but Baffert explained that after his anxiety-ridden first race, people worked with him, schooling him in the track paddock
A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1.
Description
In Canada and the United States of America, a paddock is a small ...
for about two weeks, when "all the sudden he got really sweet and really mellow." That said, in 2018, after becoming a breeding stallion, United States Vice President Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...
alleged that American Pharoah had bit him. However, a manager for American Pharoah's breeding company denied the allegation.
Name
American Pharoah's name is inspired by that of his sire, the Nile, and his dam's sire, Yankee Gentleman. The horse's name also acknowledges Zayat's own Egyptian-American background. The misspelling of "Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...
" is permanent, but inadvertent. Zayat originally claimed that the spelling was the result of an error by The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...
, but the organization's president stated, "The name request for the 2012 colt American Pharoah was submitted electronically on January 25, 2014, through The Jockey Club's interactive registration site. Since the name met all of the criteria for naming and was available, it was granted exactly as it was spelled on the digital name application." Zayat later retracted his statement.
Zayat's wife, Joanne, offered another explanation for the name's origins to a local news reporter just before the Preakness. Zayat's son, Justin, ran a contest on social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...
in which fans could submit names for the horse. The winning entry had "Pharaoh" misspelled, she said. "Justin cut and pasted the name from he winner'semail, and sent it to the Jockey Club." Marsha Baumgartner of Barnett, Missouri
Barnett is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 203 at the 2010 census.
History
Variant names were "Stone House" and "Barnetsville". A post office called Stone House was established in 1858, the name was changed ...
, who submitted the winning entry, told ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "I don't want to assign blame", but "I looked up the spelling before I entered." Nonetheless, Baumgartner minimized the controversy, stating, "Horses can't spell, anyway." Ultimately, Justin Zayat accepted responsibility for the error, stating, "I didn't happen to realize at the time that it was misspelled wrong ... Most English teachers in the world now are unhappy with me, but I'll live with that."
Due to the winning record of American Pharoah, The Jockey Club has now reserved both spellings so another horse cannot be similarly named. The Triple Crown blanket awarded to American Pharoah after his Belmont win inadvertently used the correct spelling of "pharaoh", and hence misspelled his name.
Racing career
2014: two-year-old season
American Pharoah made his track debut in a maiden race
In horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports ...
over six and a half furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...
s on the Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are:
*Turf, the most common track surface in Europe
*Dirt, the most common trac ...
surface at Del Mar Racetrack
The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...
on August 9. Ridden by Martin Garcia, he started as the 7–5 favorite against eight opponents. He became unsettled before the race and, after running in second place until the stretch, faded to finish fifth behind Om, Iron Fist, One Lucky Dane, and Calculator, more than nine lengths
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...
behind the winner. He ran in a blinker hood, which appeared to unnerve him, as did the commotion in the saddling paddock
A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1.
Description
In Canada and the United States of America, a paddock is a small ...
. Baffert addressed his anxiety issues by removing the hood and stuffing cotton in the horse's ears for subsequent races.
Despite his defeat, American Pharoah was moved up to Grade I class for the Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs on September 3. He was ridden by Victor Espinoza for the first time and started as the 3.2–1 second favorite behind Best Pal Stakes
The Best Pal Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a purse ...
winner Skyway, with Calculator and Iron Fist also in the field. American Pharoah took the lead from the start and went clear in the straight to win by four and three quarter lengths from Calculator, with a gap of more than eight lengths back to Iron Fist in third. Commenting on the colt's improvement, Baffert said, "We took the blinkers off, put cotton in his ears and schooled him a lot. He trained well, we decided he was ready and we put him in there. Today, he behaved himself and showed what he could do. He did what we thought he'd do the first time."
On September 27, American Pharoah was made the 1–2 favorite for the Grade I FrontRunner Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
. As in his previous race, he was immediately sent to the front by Espinoza and stayed there, pulling away from his rivals in the straight to win by three and a quarter lengths over Calculator, with Texas Red a length and a half away in third. After the race, Espinoza explained how the colt moved: "All the way he was on a high cruising speed. He has such a long stride. He moves really nice and is light on his feet." Baffert said, "I can't believe his demeanor, how he has changed since his first out. He's so professional. He's really mentally there."
American Pharoah was scheduled to run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...
at Santa Anita on November 1 but was scratched from the race after sustaining a "deep bruise" to his left front foot in a workout on October 27. After this injury, he was fitted with a special horseshoe
A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human ...
. His farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adj ...
, Wes Champagne, placed a thin sheet of aluminum alloy over a regular racing horseshoe and cut it to match the dimensions of the shoe, leaving the front two-thirds of the hoof sole exposed, but creating a solid plate across the back that covered part of American Pharoah's heels and part of his frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
. Champagne varied the design slightly depending on the tracks and races American Pharoah would run, but used the same basic concept throughout the Triple Crown series.
Even though he did not run in the Breeders' Cup, for the 2014 Eclipse Awards
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
, American Pharoah was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing ...
, beating Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red by 126 votes to 111.
2015: three-year-old season
Five and a half months after his last start, American Pharoah began his second season in the Grade IIRebel Stakes
The Rebel Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently off ...
on a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Plantation may refer to:
* Oaklawn (Huntsville, Alabama), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
* Oaklawn Plantation (Leon County, Florida)
*Oaklawn Plantation (Natchez, Louisiana)
The Oaklawn Plantation is a historic ...
on March 14. He carried top weight of 119 pounds and started as the 2–5 favorite against six opponents, headed by the Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award seven times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming ( ...
-trained Madefromlucky. The colt led from the start and drew away in the closing stages to win by six and a quarter lengths. Espinoza called the winner "an amazing horse", while Baffert was satisfied with the run, especially as the colt returned with a twisted shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cultur ...
which would have hampered his progress. Four weeks later at the same track, American Pharoah started as the odds-on favorite against seven opponents in the Grade I Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt.
In 200 ...
. After racing in second place behind outsider Bridget's Big Luvy, he took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and steadily increased his advantage to win by eight lengths from Southwest Stakes
The Southwest Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in late January at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event c ...
winner Far Right. Baffert noted, "He's matured substantially. He's a good horse and he keeps moving forward. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
is another one who we don't yet know how good he is. We've got a one-two punch and that's a good position to be in." After the race, Ron Moquett, the trainer of runner-up Far Right, described American Pharoah as "a superhorse".
Kentucky Derby
On May 2, American Pharoah started as the 2.9–1 favorite in an eighteen-runner field for the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby atChurchill Downs
Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was p ...
. His opponents included Dortmund, winner of the Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...
; Carpe Diem, who won the Breeders' Futurity Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes
The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is r ...
; Firing Line, winner of the Sunland Derby
The Sunland Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Inaugurated in 2003, the race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and is spo ...
; Wood Memorial
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memoria ...
winner Frosted
Frosted (stylised as FroSTed) was an American pop punk band, founded by ex-Go-Go's guitarist and singer Jane Wiedlin in 1995. The band was so-named because ''"it sounds sweet"''.''The Daily Aztec''link) The letters S and T were capitalised in tr ...
; Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...
winner Materiality; international entry Mubtaahij, who earned his way to Kentucky with a win in the UAE Derby
The UAE Derby is a Group 2 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,900 metres (approximately 9.5 furlongs) on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It takes place annually during the ...
; and Upstart, winner of the Holy Bull Stakes
The Holy Bull Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses run over the distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, held annually in January at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida. The event c ...
. The crowd surrounding the horse during the walk-over from the barns to the paddock upset American Pharoah, and several grooms were required to keep him under control. He continued to misbehave until he was loaded into the starting gate
A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing.
History
Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...
; his connections and supporters worried that he was using up energy he needed for the race.
Espinoza positioned the colt in third place early in the race as Dortmund took the lead, followed closely by Firing Line. The three remained ahead of the pack throughout the race, and broke clear of their rivals entering the straightaway with American Pharoah making a forward move on the outside. The favorite took the lead entering the final furlong and won by a length from Firing Line and Dortmund in 2:03.02, with Frosted finishing strongly in fourth. Espinoza, who won the race for the third time, said, "I feel like the luckiest Mexican on earth. He has been a special horse since the first time I rode him. He has a lot of talent and is an unbelievable horse. Turning for home I started riding a little bit harder. At the eighth pole I just couldn't put that other horse away, but he got it done." Espinoza's performance attracted some scrutiny as he appeared to have struck the winner 32 times with his whip during the race. In post-race analysis, one of the stewards at Churchill Downs said, "we watched he race replaymany, many times prior to making it official, and that wasn't anything that got our attention." Baffert said, "He was hitting him on the saddle towel. He doesn't hit that hard." Gary Stevens, rider of second-place Firing Line, commented that he had used his whip heavily as well, stating that the race was "as tough a race as I've been in in 20 years the last eighth of a mile." ''The Blood-Horse
''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association.
'' writer Steve Haskin
Steve Haskin (born 1947 in New York) is an American horse racing journalist and author. A former Wall Street employee, Haskin became interested in horse racing in 1967. He gained recognition for his annual coverage of the Kentucky Derby, first ...
, while condemning whip overuse in general, offered analysis that Espinoza "did a lot of waving with the whip" and may not have actually hit the horse as many times as it seemed. Reflecting on the race, Baffert said that the colt did not bring his "super A-game" to the Derby and that it was the first time American Pharoah had really been tested by other aggressive horses.
Preakness Stakes
Two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby, American Pharoah entered the second leg of the Triple Crown, the 2015 Preakness Stakes
The 2015 Preakness Stakes, (run as the ''Xpressbet, Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes'' due to sponsorship), was the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes, promoted as the "middle jewel"Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...
. Despite an unfavorable inside draw of the number one post position, he was installed as the morning line favorite ahead of Firing Line and Dortmund. No horse had won the Preakness starting from the rail since 1994. Immediately before post time, the weather changed to a heavy downpour with thunder. The last time the Preakness had been run on a sloppy track was in 1983, and American Pharoah was the only horse in the field to have previously faced similar conditions, having won the Rebel Stakes running in rain and mud.
American Pharoah had the lead within the first quarter-mile and was challenged by Mr. Z early on, but held the lead on the inside throughout the race. He was challenged by Dortmund and then Divining Rod, but American Pharoah broke from the pack in the homestretch and won by seven lengths, as Tale of Verve made a strong rally to overtake Divining Rod to place. Firing Line slipped badly at the start and was eased in the stretch. The winning time was 1:58.45. Espinoza did not use his whip at all in the Preakness, and stated, "I couldn't see how far I was in front because there was so much water in my eyes." The margin of victory was tied for the sixth-largest in Preakness history. The win by American Pharoah set up an attempt for the Triple Crown for the second straight year. It was also the second straight year that Espinoza had won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and the jockey's third time winning both races. For Baffert, it was the fourth time in 19 years that he won the first two Triple Crown races. Of the colt, Baffert said, "He brought his A-game today."
Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown
In the week following the Preakness, the Leverage Agency was named as the exclusive marketing, sponsorship, and licensing agents for the horse. The firm performed similar duties forCalifornia Chrome
California Chrome (foaled February 18, 2011) is a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who won the 2014 Kentucky Derby, 2014 Preakness Stakes, Preakness Stakes, and 2016 Dubai World Cup. He was the 2014 and 2016 American Hor ...
, the winner of the 2014 Derby and Preakness. The agency secured a deal with Monster Energy
Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...
for an undisclosed sum, rumored to be the largest single-horse advertising sponsorship to date. The deal allowed the "Monster Girls" to be around the horse, and the product's logo to be used on the horse's horse sheets, on Espinoza's shirt collar, and on caps and other gear worn by people around the horse.
In the runup to the Belmont, Baffert chose to work the horse at Churchill Downs, and transport him late to Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
without a timed workout at the New York track. While several prominent trainers questioned his decision, Baffert said it was more important to keep American Pharoah "happy" on a track he liked, having used a similar strategy with his 2001 Belmont Stakes winner, Point Given
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Point ...
. Rival trainers Kiaran McLaughlin
Kiaran P. McLaughlin (born November 15, 1960, in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer best known for training 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor.
Background
McLaughlin was born in an area of the country where horse r ...
and D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...
backed Baffert's strategy; the former said, "I don't think it matters for American Pharoah. He could probably run down a street over broken glass." Appearing unperturbed but curious about a small crowd of well-wishers, American Pharoah arrived at Long Island MacArthur Airport on June 2, having traveled from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, on a customized Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller air ...
dubbed "Air Horse One".
Three days before the race, American Pharoah's connections drew the number five post position. Pundits noted it was the same slot from which Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the tenth winner of the American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only two horses to have won the Triple Crown while being undefeated in ...
had won the 1977 Belmont and the Triple Crown, and that 14 other Belmont winners had started from the position. American Pharoah was the 3–5 morning line
Glossary of North American horse racing:
Additional glossaries at:
*Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
*Glossary of equestrian terms
This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...
favorite in an eight-horse field that included Tale of Verve, as well as five rivals from the Kentucky Derby who had skipped the Preakness, and one horse, Madefromlucky, who had not run either of the previous Triple Crown races, but, like Tonalist
Tonalist (foaled February 11, 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2014 Belmont Stakes, beating the favored California Chrome, who was attempting to win the Triple Crown. Tonalist won the Peter Pan Stakes in M ...
the previous year, had instead won the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. American Pharoah had previously defeated every horse entered, but he was also the only horse to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown and had run four races in the preceding eight weeks.
American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes on June 6, becoming the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since 1978, ending a "drought" of 37 years. The horse was leaning back in the starting gate
A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing.
History
Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...
when it opened and was a touch late at the start, but he soon pulled out to an early lead, which he maintained for a gate-to-wire win. He steadily increased his lead throughout the race. He was challenged by Materiality until the top of the stretch when Materiality faded, ultimately finishing last, and Frosted held second although starting to fade at the sixteenth pole. Keen Ice ran in the middle of the pack until a late rally brought him into third over Mubtaahij, who was fourth. American Pharoah crossed the finish line leading by lengths
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...
, with a winning time of 2:26.65 for the race. His margin of victory was the fourth-largest ever for a Triple Crown winner at the Belmont.
Of the victory, Baffert said, "This little horse deserves it. There's something about this horse that he just brought it every time. He's a joy to be around." In a post-race interview, Zayat said that the colt's racing schedule for the remainder of the year would be decided by Baffert, and that the needs of the horse would come first. He also acknowledged the need for horse racing to have "stars" and for them to race as long as they could. Though American Pharoah's stud rights had been sold with plans to retire the horse at the end of 2015, Zayat expressed hope that the horse would continue racing as long as he was healthy and "has it in him". His winning time of 2:26.65 was the sixth-fastest in Belmont history, the second-fastest for a Triple Crown winner, and his closing quarter-mile was run in 24.32 seconds, which was over a half-second faster than Secretariat's final quarter-mile time of 25.00 when the 1973 winner set a world record and won by 31 lengths.
The following morning, the colt came out of the race tired but in good shape. When Baffert brought American Pharoah out of the Belmont Park barn, he invited the assembled media to come over and pet the horse. "I wanted to share him with everybody and show everybody how kind and sweet he is", said Baffert, while the group of about 30 people touched and even kissed the horse. The horse then posed quietly with Baffert and Espinoza to tape a segment for ''The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'', standing between the two men who were seated in folding director's chairs.
An estimated 22 million U.S. television viewers watched the live Belmont race broadcast. Of 94,237 winning $2 tickets sold at Belmont Park, each with a yield of $3.50 for American Pharoah's first-place finish, some 90,128 remained unredeemed several days after the race, most likely kept as race-day souvenirs or to be offered for sale at a premium by their purchasers.
Haskell Stakes
After the Belmont Stakes, American Pharoah returned to Churchill Downs to rest, beginning to jog on the track the following Friday. On June 13, the day of theStephen Foster Handicap
The Stephen Foster Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is named in ...
, American Pharoah was paraded on the track between races. A crowd of 30,000 people showed up to see him as he was hand-walked for about 45 minutes in front of the grandstand and in the paddock. Zayat, Baffert, and Espinoza were also given their permanent keepsake Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown trophies in a ceremony that evening. American Pharoah's popularity was so high that his win made the cover of ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'', he was photographed for ''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', and during the NBA Playoffs, the coach of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
, Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...
, suggested that American Pharoah was the only athlete better than LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
.
American Pharoah's next race was the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...
, New Jersey on August 2. Zayat wanted the horse's first race back be an easy race against other 3-year-olds, he wanted to race the horse in Zayat's home state of New Jersey, and he wanted to race on a Sunday to avoid a clash with the Jewish Sabbath
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical st ...
. Zayat explained, "He can run anywhere ... as long as he's happy and healthy ... I told onmouthnbsp;... 'I want to do it for the sport and not worry about the money and stuff." Nonetheless, Monmouth Park raised the purse money
A purse is a small bag that may refer to:
* Coin purse, small pouch made for carrying coins
* Handbag, in American English
* Money bag
* Wallet
Purse may also refer to:
* Purse (horse racing), the total amount of money paid out to the owners of ...
for the race from $1 million to $1.75 million. Zayat had previously won the Haskell with Paynter in 2012, and Baffert already held the record for the most Haskell wins, having seven previous victories. Over 60,000 people showed up at Monmouth Park, which featured the Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
song "Born to Run
''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number three ...
" in the post parade. Viewed as being in even better physical condition than in the Belmont, American Pharoah took the lead in the far turn and easily opened up a five-length lead over the six other horses in the race before Espinoza eased him back as second-place finisher Keen Ice made a strong finishing push. He won the race by lengths with a time of 1:47.95 for the 9-furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...
distance. Espinoza quipped, "He was having fun, and so was I." Baffert said, "He just keeps bringing it; he's a great horse."
Travers Stakes defeat
American Pharoah's next start was theTravers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internati ...
at Saratoga on August 29. While Zayat wanted to enter the race, Baffert was reluctant. The race marked the second time in under a month that American Pharoah, training with Baffert in California, had flown across the country, raising concerns that the extensive air travel was taking a toll on the horse. The only previous Triple Crown winner to win the Travers was Whirlaway in 1941, and two others, Gallant Fox and Affirmed
Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...
, had been defeated there, helping give the track its nickname 'The Graveyard of Champions.' In five previous attempts, Baffert had one Travers win with Point Given
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Point ...
in 2001. With American Pharoah training well, Baffert stated, "I've been looking for an excuse not to come (to the Travers), and I can't find one."
American Pharoah faced a field of 10 horses, most of whom, including Keen Ice, he had previously defeated. Espinoza had concerns at the starting gate when he noticed that his mount was already sweating, even though the weather was not particularly hot. While the horse led for much of the race, he was hard-pressed throughout by Frosted, a change from Frosted's previous stalking style, attributed to a rider change less than an hour before the race, when Jose Lezcano
Jose Lezcano (born April 20, 1985 in Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rides in New York in the spring, summer and fall and spends the winter in Florida. His big break came in 2008 when he won a Breeders' Cup race.
Ca ...
replaced an injured Joel Rosario
Joel Rosario (born January 14, 1985) is a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the space of five weeks in 2013 he rode the winners of the Dubai World Cup and the Kentucky Derby. More rec ...
, altering the complexion of the race. The unexpected tactics of Lezcano may have been decisive. Espinoza stated that he "knew he was in trouble" by the half-mile pole because American Pharoah did not pull away from his rival and lacked his usual energy. Frosted challenged American Pharoah for the lead at the far turn, and the horses bumped several times, but American Pharoah dug in and fought back when Frosted took a very brief lead. While American Pharoah fended off the challenge from Frosted, Keen Ice was coming up on the outside, also under a new jockey, Javier Castellano
Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977, in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.
Castellano began his riding career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 ...
. They overtook American Pharoah at the sixteenth pole, going on to defeat him by three-quarters of a length. Once again the Saratoga track lived up to its reputation.
After the race, Espinoza said, "He's OK ... Maybe it was just a little too much for him those three weeks, flying back and forth. He was running pretty comfortable there, but not like he used to." Baffert was proud of the horse's fighting effort, stating "It was just guts." Though Zayat talked of retiring the horse, Baffert said, "We knew we were doing the impossible, shipping him back and forth." The following day, Baffert said that American Pharoah was healthy and came out of the race in good shape. He said he had no regrets, stating, "I'm glad I brought him. Racing needed something like this. He almost pulled it off." Regarding Zayat's talk of retiring the horse, Baffert said, "Mr. Zayat is a very emotional man. We were all pretty disappointed ... I know (Zayat) will be going back and forth ... He's a sportsman for bringing him up here." Five days later, Zayat announced that the horse would be kept in training with the goal to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic, stating, "I believe there were a combination of factors that prevented American Pharoah from running his absolute best ... I have every confidence that he can run to his best again, and he deserves the chance to do so."
Breeders' Cup Classic
By winning theBreeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
at Keeneland on October 31, American Pharoah became the first horse in history to complete the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing
The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing is an informal name for the winning of four major Thoroughbred horse races in one season in the United States. The term has been applied to at least two different configurations of races, both of which includ ...
: The Triple Crown plus the Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
. He also set a track record with a time of 2:00.07;
and breaking the track record by more than five seconds. Challenging older horses such as Tonalist
Tonalist (foaled February 11, 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2014 Belmont Stakes, beating the favored California Chrome, who was attempting to win the Triple Crown. Tonalist won the Peter Pan Stakes in M ...
and Honor Code for the first time in his career, as well as previous rivals Keen Ice and Frosted, American Pharoah led from gate-to-wire, challenged only by Effinex, racing at 33–1 odds, who placed lengths behind the winner. Although American Pharoah's decisive victory secured a $2.75 million check for his win, Zayat had long insisted his horse continued to race only for the benefit of the sport and the pleasure of fans; "this horse owes us nothing", his son Justin Zayat said on the eve of the race. Joe Drape of ''The New York Times'' described American Pharoah's Keeneland win as "sealing his legacy as a horse for the ages".
American Pharoah finished 2015 having set a single season record for race earnings, winning $8,288,800. He broke the previous single season record of $7,563,535 set by Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes.
Background
Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was ...
in 2004, and that record had included a $5 million bonus that is no longer awarded. His lifetime career earnings were $8,650,300. His Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 138 was the highest of any American horse since the Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of ...
began the system in 1988, topping that of previous U.S. record-holders Ghostzapper and Cigar
A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
. Only two horses worldwide had ever achieved higher ratings, Frankel
Frankel is the surname of:
* Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer
* Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality
* Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize ...
at 143, and Dubai Millennium, with 139, both doing so as more mature four-year-olds. He was rated the number one horse in the world in 2015 by the World's Best Racehorse Rankings.
Awards
At the conclusion of the season, American Pharoah's accomplishments were named the top sports story of the year by theAssociated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
. He and his connections also swept most of the horse-racing world's year-end awards. At the 2015 Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
s, he was the unanimous choice for American Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, " ...
and Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. His win marked only the second time that an American Horse of the Year had been unanimously selected, the first being John Henry in 1981. He was named the winner of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award The Secretariat Vox Populi Award, also known as the "Voice of the People" award, was established in 2010 by Penny Chenery
Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery (January 27, 1922 – September 16, 2017) (married names: Penny Tweedy until 1974 and later Penn ...
, and his Belmont win was declared the NTRA Moment of the Year The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year award, first awarded in 1999, celebrates or honors one moment that occurred during a given year that most thoroughly exemplifies the spirit and ethos of the sport of Thoroughbred hors ...
. His connections were given the Big Sport of Turfdom Award, an honor for people who "enhance coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists." In addition, Baffert won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and Zayat Stables took home the Eclipse awards for Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder. Acknowledging owner Ahmed Zayat's record of philanthropy to Jewish causes, the ''Jewish Daily Forward
''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
'' in November 2015 named American Pharoah its "plus one" on its annual list of 50 most influential American Jews. The major award that the horse did not win was the Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
Sportsman of the Year. In spite of being the public's overwhelming favorite, earning 47% of the vote out of eleven candidates in online voting, topping the Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.
An eight-ti ...
, and Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. ...
, the editors of the magazine gave the award to Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...
.
Statistics
Retirement
On May 20, 2015, The New York Times reported that Zayat had sold American Pharoah's breeding rights to Ashford Stud, a division of Ireland'sCoolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...
, though he retained control over the colt and his racing career. Before the announcement, offers for American Pharoah's breeding rights had reportedly exceeded $20 million. After the Belmont, ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine reported that Zayat had actually sold the breeding rights to Ashford in late 2014, long before he began his Triple Crown run, and that Zayat retained 100% of the racing rights. ''Forbes'' went on to estimate that if American Pharoah stood for a $100,000 stud fee
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species (stallion, bull, rooster, etc.) usually imply that the animal is intact—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offsp ...
, he could be worth $50 million. More conservative estimates placed his potential stud fee at $75,000 and his potential value at about $25 to $36 million. The ''New York Times'' said that breeding rights had been sold for $13.8 million: $9.8 million with an additional $4 million incentive if American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nickname ...
. Zayat retained an undisclosed percentage in the colt's breeding career, and explained that American Pharoah would retire from racing at the end of 2015.
American Pharoah shipped to Ashford Stud on November 2, 2015, where he was housed in the stall once occupied by Grand Slam. He was pastured each morning next to the 23-year-old Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch, who was chosen for his calming influence on the young energetic stallion. Ashford Stud set his initial stud fee for 2016 at $200,000, the second-highest stud fee in the United States, behind that of the $300,000 fee for Tapit
Tapit (foaled February 27, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three of his six races, including the Wood Memorial Stakes, then a Grade I event. He was an immediate success after retiring to stud, becoming the le ...
. Sire the Nile's stud fee of $60,000 in 2015 was raised to $125,000 for 2016.
Stud career
American Pharoah officially began breeding mares in February 2016, and was first bred to Untouched Talent, an 11-year-oldmare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...
owned by Coolmore, dam of Zayat's Bodemeister
Bodemeister (foaled April 28, 2009) is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the 2012 Arkansas Derby and finished second to I'll Have Another in the 2012 Kentucky Derby and 2012 Preakness Stakess. He went on to become the sire of 2017 Ken ...
. Within the first two months of his breeding career, American Pharoah had about 80 mares in foal after about 100 breeding sessions. Notably, he has retained his kind disposition even as a breeding stallion.
On January 3, 2017, American Pharoah's first foal was born at Brookdale Farms. It was a bay colt out of the Tizway
Tizway (foaled on February 17, 2005) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2011 Whitney Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap.
Racing career Early career
Tizway's debut came in a 2-year-old maiden special weight at Aqueduct Racecours ...
mare, Kakadu. The foal was described as having his sire's calm but bold personality. On January 15 at Coolmore Stud, the mare Untouched Talent produced his first filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
. In March, Coolmore announced that the stallion would shuttle to stand at Coolmore Australia for the breeding season in the southern hemisphere, which begins in July, then return to America at the end of the year.
American Pharoah's first crop of foals sold well at the November 2017 Fasig-Tipton
The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryla ...
and Keeneland Sales Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene. A division of ...
, including a weanling filly who brought $1 million. Purchasers commented that his offspring at the sale inherited his efficiency of movement.
On April 13, 2019, Monarch of Egypt became American Pharoah's first winner, taking a maiden race at Naas Racecourse
Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there.
The Naas Races Company w ...
in Ireland. On April 19, Maven was American Pharoah's first North American winner. Maven then shipped to Europe, where he became the first stakes winner for his sire by taking the Prix du Bois at Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris.
Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main ...
. American Pharoah sired three entries in the 2019 Breeders' Cup
The 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships was the 36th edition of the premier event of the North American thoroughbred horse racing year. The 14 races, all but one of which were Grade I, took place on November 1 and 2 at Santa Anita Park in Ar ...
, with Four Wheel Drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...
winning the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Harvey's Lil Goil became his first Grade I winner when she won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf held annually in October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentuck ...
at Keeneland in October 2020, and later that month Van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
won the Criterium International to give the stallion his first Group 1 winner in Europe. American Pharoah had a Grade 1 winner in Japan on February 21, 2021, when Cafe Pharoah
Cafe Pharoah ( ja, カフェファラオ, link=no foaled 3 March 2017) is an American-bred, Japanese-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2019, he established himself as a top-class dirt performer in the following year, winning t ...
won the February Stakes.
In 2022 Coolmore announced that American Pharoah would not shuttle to Australia.
Notable progeny
''c = colt, f =filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
, g = gelding
A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, mak ...
''
Legacy and honors
In 2016, Oaklawn president Charles Cella commissioned Philadelphia sculptor James Peniston to create a life-sized bronze sculpture of American Pharoah and jockey Victor Espinoza. In preparation for sculpting, Peniston visited and photographed the horse with the permission of trainer Bob Baffert. The sculpture was cast in 2017 at Laran Bronze outside Philadelphia and installed on January 11, 2018, at the Oaklawn racetrack inHot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...
. One newspaper wrote, "James Peniston's full-scale, full-stride statue of American Pharoah sa perfect duplicate — down to its bulging muscles and veins — of the 3-year-old colt as he carried himself and jockey Victor Espinoza in the winter and spring of 2015 toward Triple Crown glory."
In 2021, American Pharoah was inducted into the US Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Pedigree
American Pharoah's pedigree includes horses adept at classic race distances on his sire's side and endowed with speed on his dam's side. Sire the Nile won theSanta Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is one ...
and ran second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby
The 2009 Kentucky Derby was the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. The value of the race was $2,177,000 in stakes. The race was sponsored by Yum! Brands and hence officially was called ''Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.'' The race took p ...
, with all of his wins at distances of miles or more. Prior to American Pharoah, Pioneerof the Nile had sired five other winners of stakes races of a mile or more in his relatively new career as a stallion. Trainer Bob Baffert observed that Pioneerof the Nile also raced with "a big, long stride" and had "that same springing motion as American Pharoah, whose acceleration is pretty remarkable." He also praised Pioneerof the Nile's dam, Star of Goshen: "She was a freaky filly, really, really fast." To Baffert, American Pharoah's bloodline is a source of fascination: "Every time I work him, I go back and look at the pedigree, and I go, What is going on here?"
Pioneerof the Nile's sire is Empire Maker
Empire Maker (April 27, 2000 - January 18, 2020)Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nickname ...
. This makes American Pharoah a great-grandson of Unbridled
Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic.
He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 start ...
, who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby
The 1990 Kentucky Derby was the 116th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 5, 1990, with 128,257 people in attendance.
Full results
Payout
* $2 Exacta: (7-11) Paid $65.80
References
1990
Kentucky Derby
Derby
Kentuck ...
and the Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
. He carries lines to Grade I champions Toussaud
Toussaud (May 6, 1989 – January 5, 2009) was a bay mare bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms. Sired by El Gran Senor out of an In Reality mare, Image of Reality, Toussaud achieved much on the track and in the breeding shed.
Race career
Toussa ...
and Fappiano, and to the top-rated European two- and three-year-old colt of 1983 and 1984, El Gran Senor
El Gran Senor (21 April 1981 – 18 October 2006) was a champion American-bred Thoroughbred race horse, foaled at Windfields Farm (Maryland). He was the best horse of his generation in Europe at both two and three years of age, ahead of an ...
. He is also descended from Northern Dancer, Buckpasser
Buckpasser (1963–1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1966 Horse of the Year. His other achievements include 1965 Champion Two-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Three-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Handicap Horse, and 1967 Champi ...
, and Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, inc ...
—whose descendants have won 43 Triple Crown races, all via Empire Maker. Ultimately, via Unbridled and his ancestors, American Pharoah's sire line traces to the Darley Arabian
The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, ...
.
Although Littleprincessemma, American Pharoah's dam, is the half-sister to graded stakes winner Storm Wolf, and to Misty Rosette, winner of the Old Hat Stakes in 2006, her own undistinguished racing career, combined with the modest record of her sire, Yankee Gentleman, dampened initial public expectations for her second-born foal. Yet American Pharoah's maternal bloodline includes Storm Cat
Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...
, a Grade I winner retired early due to injury, Northern Dancer, a Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, and Terlingua
Terlingua ( ) is a mining district and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas, as well as the Mexican state o ...
, a celebrated broodmare, through whom he is a fifth-generation descendant of Secretariat
Secretariat may refer to:
* Secretariat (administrative office)
* Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...
. He is also descended through his dam from Flying Paster, a Grade I champion who was 1978 California Horse of the Year
The California Horse of the Year is an American horse racing honor awarded annually since 1973 by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) to a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the state of California.
Winners
*2021 - Lieutenant Dan ...
, and Exclusive Native
Exclusive Native (April 17, 1965 – May 10, 1983) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Sanford Stakes and Arlington Classic. He is best known as the sire of Triple Crown winner Affirmed, who helped Exclusive Native become the lead ...
(sire of Affirmed
Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...
and Genuine Risk
Genuine Risk (February 15, 1977 – August 18, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the 1980 Kentucky Derby.
Background
Genuine Risk was a chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Sally Humphrey. She ...
). Through both sire and dam, American Pharoah is a fifth- and sixth-generation descendant of Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 11, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign that included wins in the Preakness Stakes and Trenton Handicap, in whic ...
, as well as a sixth- and seventh-generation descendant of Tom Fool
Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champion racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam.
Back ...
, one of the top thoroughbreds of the last century. His tail-female line traces back to The Oldfield Mare, foaled circa 1695.
Figuring prominently and repeatedly in American Pharoah's deep lineage is an earlier generation of champions, including Nasrullah, Native Dancer
Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...
, Nearco
Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...
, Princequillo
Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire.
Background
His sire, Prince Rose, stood at the Haras de Chef ...
, War Admiral
War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...
and Man o' War
Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...
.
Notes
References
External links
{{Authority control 2012 racehorse births American Grade 1 Stakes winners Belmont Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners Kentucky Derby winners Preakness Stakes winners Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Horse racing track record setters Thoroughbred family 14 Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Breeders' Cup Classic winners American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Articles containing video clips Horse monuments