American Pharoah

Hip 237, the only quarter-mile breezer to stop the clock in :20 2/5 during last week's under-tack previews, brought a current sale-leading bid of $650,000 during Tuesday's opening session of the OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The bay filly was purchased by Japan's Katsumi Yoshida, who also scooped up a $420,000 Medaglia d'Oro colt (hip 65) earlier in the session. Hip 237, a $70,000 KEENOV weanling and $165,000 KEESEP yearling, was consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, Inc.

A filly by American Pharoah breezed the fastest quarter-mile of :20 2/5 Friday, while seven juveniles tied for the quickest eighth-of-a-mile breeze of :9 4/5 during the second of three under-tack shows ahead of next Tuesday and Wednesday's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The American Pharoah filly is consigned to the sale by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, Inc. as hip 237. The half-sister to MSP My Sweet Stella (Eskendereya) was a $70,000 KEENOV weanling and $165,000 KEESEP yearling. The following horses breezed in :9 4/5: Hip...

Judge Kim Bunnell ruled to dismiss the claims brought by the MGG Investment Group against Yeomanstown Stud in which they sought the return of the stallion El Kabeir in Fayette County (Ky.) Circuit Court Friday morning. Yeomanstown purchased the stallion from Ahmed Zayat's Zayat Stables Sept. 20, 2017, for $500,000. MGG was attempting to acquire the horse as part of its suits seeking the return of horses and breeding shares sold by the Zayats which had been pledged as collateral for $30 million in loans. Yeomanstown had moved to discuss...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-GP, $44K, Msw, (S), 3yo, 1m, 3:03p.m. WinStar Farm and China Horse Club's $600,000 KEESEP purchase FREEDOM FORCE (American Pharoah) makes his career bow against fellow Florida-breds in this spot. The chestnut is a half-brother to MGISW millionaire Iotapa (Afleet Alex) and SW & GSP Saintly Joan (Northern Afleet). The Rodolphe Brisset trainee enters off a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 flat (1/8) at Palm Meadows Feb. 19. Todd Pletcher saddles another intriguing runner in this test in Mathis homebred Roman Empire (Empire Maker). Off...

The catalogue for the Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze Up Sale, featuring a Kodiac (GB) half-brother to GI Manhattan S. victor Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) (lot 154) from Grove Stud, is now online. A total of 165 juveniles will aim to follow in the hoofsteps of 2019 Royal Ascot scorer A'Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) who saluted in the G2 Norfolk S. and last year's £450,000 sale topper Al Raya (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), who went on to claim the G3 Prix d'Arenberg at Chantilly in August. The breeze-up portion of the...

Making his first start since a towering 10-length graduation over nine furlongs on his Dec. 14 debut at Nakayama, Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), one of six winners from seven Japanese runners for his Triple Crown-winning stallion, bombed the start of Sunday's Listed Hyacinth S. at Tokyo, but gradually worked his way into contention and sprinted hard in the final furlong to score by 1 1/4 lengths. He is the sixth first-crop stakes winner for American Pharoah. Favored at just over even money, the $475,000 OBS March acquisition by Emmanuel de...

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 this weekend running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses, featuring the 4-year-old debut of the extremely talented Mont Perdu (Cairo Prince) Saturday, February 22, 2020 1st-KYO, ¥9,680,000 ($87k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m ABUL HAUL (c, 3, American Pharoah--Kitten's Dumplings, by Kitten's Joy), the first foal from...

Submitting an initial report to the Fayette County (Ky) Circuit Court, lawyers for Elizabeth Woodward, who was appointed the receiver for Zayat Stable, claimed that Zayat has not turned over financial information necessary for her to catalogue the assets of the stable. "The Receiver has made considerable progress, but initial set-up of the receivership accounts and the collection and sales process was hampered by the Receiver's lack of accounting information," the filing read. "Despite the language of the Order granting the Receiver possession and control of the Property, her personal...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-BRED TAPIT FILLY DEBUTS AT GP 4th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 5fT, 2:31p.m. Gary Barber's TAPITLIKEITSHOT (Tapit) makes her career bow in this spot for trainer Mark Casse. Out of MGSW millionaire Gold Mover (Gold Fever), the $400,000 KEESEP buy is a half to Sws Maleeh (Indian Charlie) and Giant Mover (Giant's Causeway), who is the dam of MGSW Family Tree (Smart Strike) and GSW & GISP Liora (Candy Ride {Arg}). She is also a half to the dam of SW & GSP 'TDN Rising...

A total of 347 3-year-olds, headed by juvenile champion and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court (Court Vision), were nominated to this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 25. All of the newly-turned 3-year-olds were nominated with a $600 payment to run in this season's GI Kentucky Derby May 2; GI Preakness S. May 16; and the GI Belmont S. June 6. The total decreased 4.1% (15 horses) from last year's 362 that were nominated at this stage. Leading the fray is Exline-Border...

After surveying the four intakes since, each still safely immune from judgement on the track itself, today we finally reach the first group of stallions who have actually tested their ability to replicate the talent that first earned them--however marginally, in some cases--a place at stud. Their first juveniles, last year, at least permitted some initial response to any erosion of their reputations, through the notoriously jittery and impressionable consensus of the yearling market. Yet there are few more instructive indices of the odds against them than the contrast between...

Harvey's Lil Goil started a bit slowly, but finished fast to dominate Sunday's Busanda S. at Aqueduct and become the fifth black-type winner for her Triple Crown-winning champion first-crop sire--on his birthday no less. A debut fourth on the local lawn Nov. 9, the grey broke through by an emphatic six-length margin going a mile over this good main track Dec. 12 and was heavily supported to see out a additional furlong for this. Away last, Harvey's Lil Goil was hung very wide while trying to make up some ground...