American Pharoah Strikes Gold as a Stud, Garnering a $200,000 Breeding Fee Per Foal
As a rule, every racehorse in America had a birthday last Friday, New Year’s Day. The best in the land, American Pharoah, turned four, but his racing career is finished. It was short and spectacular, over in fewer than 15 months. We got to see him in 11 races. He lost twice. In 2015, the bay colt earned $8,288,800, a single-season record as he became the first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1978. Ahmed Zayat, his Egyptian-American Orthodox-Jewish owner, finished the year as the leading owner ranked by earnings. And he’s about to become richer during Pharoah’s second career—as a stud.
American Pharoah’s remarkable run—in particular those seven triumphant months between his Kentucky Derby victory and runaway romp in the Breeders’ Cup Classic—set him up for a longer calling beyond the track. In a few weeks, American Pharoah’s stallion duties will begin where he was born and raised, in the Kentucky bluegrass between Churchill Downs, the Derby home, and Keeneland Racecourse, where he won the $5 million Classic.