American Pharoah's first weanlings well received at sales

It isn’t often that a first-crop weanling sire, with only gawky, fuzzy youngsters on his résumé and no progeny accomplishments to speak of, breaks out with a seven-figure sale in this discerning market. But it’s not often that a Triple Crown winner comes to stud, prompting even hardened professionals to dare to dream.

A $1 million filly led the results for American Pharoah as he came to another measuring post in his stallion career, making a smashing debut with his first weanlings offered at public auction. He averaged $467,857 from seven weanlings sold between the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale and the elite Book 1 portion of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

“They’re selling great,” said M.V. Magnier of the Coolmore partnership, which stands American Pharoah. “They’re all great movers. They seem to move very much like him.”

Aisling Duignan, Coolmore’s director of bloodstock, joined Magnier to inspect the youngsters in recent weeks and noted that they inherited the efficiency of movement that powered American Pharoah to eight Grade 1 wins, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont by a combined 13 1/2 lengths, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic by 6 1/2 lengths.

“We had gone around and looked at all the foals, and we really liked all the ones we saw,” Duignan said. “The one thing they all seemed to have in common is they all have incredible mechanics, which he did as well. They are all beautiful movers, and they move just the way that he did. They are all from wonderful female families, so you really couldn’t be surprised that they would be as impressive as they were.”

Emmanuel de Seroux’s Narvick International appeared on the sales ticket for the $1 million American Pharoah filly out of Untouched Talent, tying a Fasig-Tipton record weanling price. Narvick purchased the filly on behalf of the Ito family’s Grand Farm of Japan.

“We loved her as a type, but obviously her pedigree is outstanding,” de Seroux said. “Mr. Ito is a breeder, so he will keep her to breed [after her racing career].”

Untouched Talent, a Grade 3-winning and Grade 1-placed daughter of Storm Cat, was a $5 million purchase by Coolmore out of the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The mare is the dam of dual classic-placed Grade 1 winner Bodemeister and multiple Grade 1-placed juvenile Fascinating. Bodemeister, the sire of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming in his first crop, is by Empire Maker, the grandsire of American Pharoah.

The filly was consigned by Eaton Sales.

“I’m going to tell you, these American Pharoahs are going to blow through the roof,” Eaton’s Reiley McDonald said. “The ones I’ve seen are outstanding, and he’s stamping them. They’ve got huge shoulders and great hip, good length and scope, so this is just the beginning.”

American Pharoah also had a pair of weanlings top the half-million mark at the premier sales. A half-brother to multiple Grade 1/Group 1-placed stakes winner Giovanni Boldini sold for $525,000 to Oussama Aboughazale’s International Equities Holdings at Fasig-Tipton. A day later, the young stallion was represented by a $500,000 filly out of multiple Grade 1 winner Life At Ten. Gainesway’s Brian Graves signed the ticket on behalf of the pinhooking partnership Blue Sky Stables.

“We thought she was a beautiful, balanced filly,” Graves said. “The sky’s the limit. He’s a Triple Crown winner, so we just bought something by a Triple Crown winner out of a Grade 1 winner. We can’t be that wrong.”

Peter O’Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm also signed for a pair of American Pharoah weanlings as pinhook prospects, including a $400,000 colt out of Grade 2-placed Kindle. The interest from pinhookers indicates that professionals believe his youngsters will develop well.

“We’ll know if the price is worth it next September when we come back here,” O’Callaghan said. “American Pharoah is [producing] great stock. They all have tremendous action and great presence. You’ve got to like what you’ve seen so far.”

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