American Pharoah

A fortnight after Harvey's Lil Goil provided American Pharoah with a first top-level triumph as a sire in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, there was another landmark in his remarkable story as Van Gogh supplied him with a first in that grade in Europe in Saturday's Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. Highly tried by Aidan O'Brien this term, the son of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) had been second in Leopardstown's G3 Tyros S. and G2 Champions Juvenile S. and in the Oct. 10 G3 Autumn...

Leading Coolmore's Ashford Stud's 2021 roster is North America's leading sire by graded stakes winners, Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), who will stand for $175,000 in 2021 after being priced at $125,000 for 2020. The Eclipse winner had 19 black-type winner so far this season, led by Girl Daddy, Harvest Moon, Yaupon, Bast. Ashford's two Triple Crown winners, Justify (Scat Daddy), whose first foals are weanlings, and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who leads the second-crop sire list by graded stakes winners, will stand for $125,000 and $100,000, respectively. Justify stood...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for Sunday running at Tokyo and Kyoto Racecourse, the latter of which plays host to the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger), where the uber-talented Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) looks to follow in his sire's footsteps in completing the Triple Crown: Sunday, October 25,...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for a busy Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourse, including a pair by American Pharoah and the stakes debut of the exciting Vanishing Point. Sunday's runners will feature in Saturday's TDN: Saturday, October 24, 2020 4th-KYO, ¥13,400,000 ($128k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m RUSSIAN SAMOVAR (f,...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 9th-KEE, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 5:30 p.m. ET A number of juveniles with strong established form take on some well-bred newcomers in a salty Keeneland finale Thursday. Juddmonte homebred American Patrol (American Pharoah) will be sent out by Bill Mott, who trained his half-sister Emollient (Empire Maker) to local all-weather wins in the 2013 GI Central Bank Ashland S. and GI Juddmonte Spinster S. as well as a pair of highest-level victories going 10 panels on the grass. Emollient has already produced...

There is a lot of African geography in the background of 2-year-old Khartoum (Pioneerof the Nile-Up (Ire), by Galileo {Ire}). Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is where the Blue Nile (from Lake Tana in Ethiopia) and the White Nile (from Lake Victoria) meet and unite, forming a greater river. "From there [Khartoum], the Nile continues to flow north towards Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea," states Wikipedia. The Nile is maybe the longest river in the world (the Amazon has a similar claim) and has always been very important to the...

Both the dam of and weanling half-brother to unbeaten leading juvenile colt Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) have been supplemented to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, it was announced Sunday--one day after the Steve Asmussen pupil further solidified himself as the favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a 5 1/2-length romp in Saturday's GI Champagne S. at Belmont. Dam Unicorn Girl (A. P. Five Hundred) will be offered in foal to leading sire Into Mischief; her weanling colt is by American Pharoah. Both will be consigned by Beau...

Versatile Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) turned the tables on Micheline (Bernardini)--who defeated her by a neck last time in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs--to become the first Grade I winner for Triple Crown-winning sire American Pharoah in Saturday's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland. Off at 7-2 bidding to become Hall of Famer Bill Mott's second winner in this prestigious event, the grey employed her good cruising speed to chase Sweet Melania (American Pharoah) through honest enough fractions of :23.89, :47.75 and 1:12.16. She...

Keeneland has cataloged 3,777 horses for the 2020 November Breeding Stock Sale, which opens Monday, Nov. 9, two days after Keeneland hosts the Breeders' Cup World Championships for the second time. Buyers will be able to participate in the auction remotely through online and telephone bidding options successfully introduced at the September Yearling Sale, while the new bidding location at the Show Barn next to the Sales Pavilion again will be available to allow for proper social distancing. Keeneland's COVID-19 protocols for the November Sale will be similar to those...

Café Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah) dispatched his elders with deceptive ease when taking Saturday's 1900-metre G3 Sirius S. at Chukyo. Pounded down to 70 cents on the dollar, the son of 2015 American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was taking his second Japanese group race. The favourite settled in midfield while Chimera Verite (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) opened up several lengths on the chasing pack. Still eighth on the far turn, Café Pharoah swung wide into the homestretch. Fanned out to the centre of the track for the stretch drive, the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PAIR OF BLUE-BLOODS DEBUT IN NY 4th-BEL, $63K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 2:30p.m. Regally bred Godolphin homebred TACTICAL MOVE (First Defence) debuts for Bill Mott in this test off of a string of bullet works, most recently breezing a best-of-30 half-mile in :49 flat on Saratoga's Oklahoma track Sept. 21. He is out of Grade I winner Game Face (Menifee), who is also responsible for GSP Coliseum (Tapit). Chad Brown also unveils a well-bred runner in Juddmonte homebred Starfront (Malibu Moon), a half to GSP Eloquent...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Insights features the MGSP Van Gogh (American Pharoah). 1.25 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT VAN GOGH (American Pharoah) reverts to maiden company after runner-up placings in the G3 Tyros S. and G2 Champions Juvenile at Leopardstown and should be able to make his class tell. Among the unraced...