Foaled in 2012, American Pharoah happens to be an American racehorse who won the Breeders’ Cup in 2015 and the American Triple Crown. American Pharoah has managed to gain a reputation for himself as one of the best racehorses the world has known. Currently, he is the 12th racehorse to win the coveted Triple Crown. He is also the first horse to have won the Thoroughbred Racing Grand Slam (or Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing). He was able to achieve this feat by winning all four races he participated in. Pharoah is one of the very few horses in the industry to have won a number of awards. In 2015, he was named the “Horse of the Year” by the Eclipse Award. He also won the three-year-old champion. You will find it interesting to know that throughout his career as a racehorse, American Pharoah was owned by Ahmed Zayat who also bred him.
The rise to fame did not come overnight for American Pharoah, he had to work to be where he is now. He came second in his debut race and won the next two races he took part in. In one of those races, American Pharoah sustained an injury which unfortunately kept him out of the Juvenile version of the Breeders’ Cup. While he was away for the cup, his two wins which he won by far margins were too good to be overlooked. He was voted the Two-Year-Old American Champion. Pharoah started his 2015 racing career on the bright start, winning the Arkansas Derby and the Rebel Stakes. In that time, he won the Kentucky Derby in 2015. It was in 2015 as well that he won the Triple Crown making him the first racehorse to win the coveted crown since Affirmed won it last in 1978. Aside from the fact that he won the crown, he became the second-fastest horse in the history of the competition. After his Triple Crown win, American Pharoah was shipped to Monmouth Park where he won the Haskell Invitational at ease. His consistent wins made sports writer Baffert to admit that he’s a great horse who keeps bringing and showing the nation while he’s the best. About three weeks after his win at Monmouth Park, he lost at the Travers Stake in the process ruining his 8 consecutive winning streak.
Two months after finishing at a close second at the Travers Stake, American Pharoah was shipped to Keeneland in time for the year’s Breeders’ Cup. In the cup, he had to race against older and experienced horses. Being a champion, American Pharoah won by 6 and a half lengths, in the process breaking the already existing track record.
In 2015, there were reports from Forbes and the New York Times that Zayat, Pharoah’s breeder has sold off breeding rights to another individual for about $13,6 million. After winning these races and taking home a number of awards, Zayat announced at the end of 2015 that American Pharoah will be retiring. Little did the racing world know at the time we would see another descendant of Secretariat by way of Justify with Bob Baffert as the trainer for an encore triple crown.
