Multiple Japanese Group 1 Winner Cafe Pharoah Retired

Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah–Mary's Follies, by More Than Ready), a two-time winner of the G1 February S. at Tokyo, has been retired from racing and will stand the 2024 breeding season at Arrow Stud on the island of Hokkaido.

Bred in Kentucky by the late Paul Pompa, Cafe Pharoah was consigned by Eddie Woods to the 2019 OBS March Sale and was hammered down to Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International for $475,000. Trained by Noriyuki Hori for owner Koichi Nishikawa, Cafe Pharoah made an immediate impact, winning his maiden by 10 lengths at first asking in a single start at two, the Listed Hyacinth S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby in February 2020 and the G3 Unicorn S. that June.

The 3/4-length winner of the 2021 February S. in his 4-year-old debut, he defended his title handily last February and made last October's Listed Mile Championship S. the final of his seven career victories, six at stakes level. He was third to Japan's Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in this year's G1 Saudi Cup and retires with earnings of better than $5.4 million.

Japan's champion dirt horse of 2022, Cafe Pharoah is the year-younger half-brother to champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and MGSW Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway). A few months after Pompa's untimely passing in October 2020, Regal Glory was purchased by Peter Brant for a joint-priciest $925,000 at the Keeneland January Sale, while Mary's Follies was knocked down to the BBA Ireland for $500,000 from the same dispersal. The dam of a yearling full-brother to Cafe Pharoah, Mary's Follies foaled a colt by Into Mischief this past April and was covered by Gun Runner this season.

Also standing at Arrow Stud are American expats California Chrome, Firenze Fire, fellow February S. winner Mozu Ascot, Shanghai Bobby and top Japanese dirt sire Sinister Minister.