American Pharoah to stand for $200,000

Photo courtesy of Keeneland/Coady Photography.

Triple Crown champion American Pharoah will begin his stud career at a fee of $200,000, Coolmore announced Friday.

A sensational winner of the October 31 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in his final career start, the Zayat Stables homebred made the short journey from Keeneland to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, near Versailles, Kentucky, on Monday morning.

American Pharoah has developed quite a fan base thanks to his historic sweep of the Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1), becoming the first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Ashford asks those interested in visiting American Pharoah to book requests through this process.

Hailing from the Mr. Prospector male line via Fappiano, Unbridled, and Empire Maker, American Pharoah is by Pioneerof the Nile. His maternal half is heavily speed-oriented, but descending from a family cultivated by Fred Hooper. His dam, Littleprincessemma, was bred by Brereton C. Jones.

Aside from being a moral certainty for Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old colt honors, as well as the Hall of Fame, American Pharoah also claims the title of the champion two-year-old male of 2014. He thus becomes the fifth straight juvenile champion colt to enter stud at Ashford – skipping the obvious exception of Shared Belief (2013), who’s a gelding. Lookin at Lucky (2009), top freshman sire Uncle Mo (2010), Hansen (2011, who’s since been exported to Korea) and Shanghai Bobby (2012) are the others in the sequence.

Speaking of Uncle Mo, Ashford has boosted his 2016 fee to $75,000, tripling his previous fee of $25,000. That increase was warranted by the excellent showing from his first crop of runners, led by presumptive champion two-year-old male Nyquist, who emulated Uncle Mo by capping a perfect season in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). But Nyquist won’t be going to Ashford at the end of his racing days; it was announced Monday that Coolmore’s global rival, Darley, has already snapped him up to stand eventually under their banner.

Uncle Mo has registered 20 winners already, with his other leading performers including Alcibiades (G1) heroine Gomo; Sanford (G3) scorer Uncle Vinny; stakes winners Forevamo, Uncle Brennie and Mo Tom (who just landed Sunday’s Street Sense at Churchill Downs); and Thrilled, the near-miss second in the grassy Miss Grillo (G3).

Another Ashford resident getting a significant boost is Scat Daddy, whose fee is rising from $35,000 to $100,000. The 11-year-old son of Johannesburg has had a memorable year, highlighted by his smashing two-year-old filly Acapulco, winner of the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot and second versus older horses in the Nunthorpe (G1). Among his leading North American juveniles are Frizette (G1) victress Nickname; Matron (G2) and Sorrento (G2) queen Pretty N Cool; With Anticipation (G2) winner Azar and fellow turf performers Harmonize and Conquest Daddyo; New York-bred Get Jets; and Anoakia winner Surfside Tiara. Moreover, Scat Daddy’s Chilean champion Dacita has transferred her game to these shores with a dynamic victory in the Ballston Spa (G2).

Ashford has also doubled Munnings’ fee from $12,500 to $25,000. Currently at the top of the second-crop sire standings, the nine-year-old Speightstown stallion has fielded a couple of headliners in Grade 1-winning millionaire I’m a Chatterbox and multiple Grade 2 turf winner Om. Ironically, until his turf success, Om was better known as the horse who romped in the Del Mar maiden race that American Pharoah lost in his career debut.

Here's the complete list released by Coolmore: