Days before Valentine’s Day – Feb. 12 to be exact – American Pharoah had his first date with a mare named Untouched Talent at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.
"I am thrilled. The mare that is in heat and ovulating is the dam of Bodemeister, a stallion I raced and own," American Pharoah's owner Ahmed Zayat said. "Very excited. Can't wait for little Pharos.”
If all goes well, the first of them will be born 11 months from now. Meanwhile, American Pharoah has taken to his new occupation the way he once took to the track.
“They just told me the first time that they brought him for what they call a test breeding, he was just like he was on the racetrack,” Zayat said. “A champion.”
Indeed, AP seems to be the best kind of performer – competitive enough to be a winner but not so competitive to be difficult off the track. ...
Read more
Read MoreSo what’s next for the champ? The Pharoah has gone back to his home base, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, for a breather. But he may soon be back in our area.
Trainer Bob Baffert has said he’ll run two or three more times this year, possibly at the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on Aug. 2 and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in New York Aug. 29. The ultimate goal, though, is the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in October where he could meet up with our old friend California Chrome.
It’s so exciting to watch a 4-year-old like Chrome take on a 3-year-old like the Pharoah. I remember a 4-year-old Seattle Slew beating a 3-year-old Affirmed twice in the only battles of former Triple Crown winners. But then a 4-year-old Affirmed beat a 3-year-old Spectacular Bid, who should’ve won the Crown in 1979, the year after Affirmed. The superiority of a 4-year-old racehorse to a 3-year-old is sort of like Roger Federer in his prime taking on a teenage Novak Djokovic. It’s no contest. Still the Pharoah might take Chrome. ...
Read more
Read More