American Pharoah's first Australian yearlings to debut at Magic Millions

Fresh off earning the distinction as the leading freshman sire in North America for 2019, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah's first Southern Hemisphere yearlings will be offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale beginning this week.

The Gold Coast sale in Queensland, the signature sale for the Magic Millions company, runs from Wednesday, Jan. 8 through Tuesday, Jan. 14. There are 27 yearlings by American Pharoah on offer, representing his first crop as a result of shuttling to Coolmore Australia. The son of Pioneerof the Nile entered stud at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky for the 2016 Northern Hemisphere season, and did not shuttle his first year at stud before making his first appearance in Australia for the 2017 Southern Hemisphere season. He has returned each season since, accompanied in 2019 by fellow Triple Crown winner Justify.

American Pharoah showed the juvenile form and speed valued in Australia as the 2014 Eclipse Award champion 2-year-old before his classic success as a 3-year-old. Further piquing global interest in the young stallion, he has proven a solid turf sire, with his first crop including Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Four Wheel Drive, Grade 2 winner Sweet Melania, Group 3 winner Maven, and stakes winner Another Miracle on turf.

American Pharoah's draft at the Gold Coast sale includes a filly out of the Group 3-winning More Than Ready mare Vivi Veloce. Four Wheel Drive is also out of a mare by More Than Ready, who is a prolific and popular Australian shuttle sire. Several of Australia's other top families are represented in American Pharoah's yearlings, including yearlings from the immediate families of champions Alinghi and Fastnet Rock, the latter now a leading sire.

In advance of this week's sale, Magic Millions has announced a donation commitment to the recovery funds for the bushfires that have ravaged Australia in recent weeks. For every horse sold at the auction, consignors have made a pledge of $500 (all funds Australian) per horse to the funds. International polo star Nacho Figueras said that he and fellow Magic Millions ambassadors would contribute $50,000, with the contribution matched by Magic Millions' biggest sponsor, The Star Gold Coast.

“Together, all of us are going to raise something like hundreds of thousands of dollars," Magic Millions' Gerry Harvey told Racing.com. “The Thoroughbred industry has been famous for its generosity. Whenever things happen out there in the community, I think nobody responds better than the racing industry. It will help a lot of people, and we’re more than happy to do that, and on behalf of the Magic Millions family, it’s something that we should do and we will do.”