Half-sister to American Pharoah born
Littleprincessemma, dam of American Pharoah, delivered a half-sister to the Triple Crown winner the night of Feb. 13 at Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Ky.
Nicole RussoFeb 15, 2016
Littleprincessemma, dam of American Pharoah, delivered a half-sister to the Triple Crown winner the night of Feb. 13 at Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Ky.
Meydan Racecourse’s switch from Tapeta to a dirt surface for the 2015 Dubai World Cup did not produce the expected result. The best available American dirt horse did run in the World Cup for the first time in three years, but California Chrome was beaten by the second-rate 8-year-old Prince Bishop, a horse with a very similar background to four of the five previous winners on Tapeta. If the results of the year’s first World Cup preps at Meydan on Feb. 2 are any indication, however, that is highly likely to change at the 2016 World Cup.
The upcoming holiday weekend marks the starting point for the next generation of Thoroughbreds, as most breeding sheds across Kentucky officially open on Feb. 15. This, of course, means Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will be launching his career at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky. American Pharoah is the only first-year sire advertised at six figures in a year that will be highly competitive for the mare population. In addition to the Triple Crown winner and Horse of the year, this year's class includes champion Honor Code, Belmont Stakes winners Palace Malice and Tonalist, and Breeders' Cup winners Bayern, Karakontie, Liam's Map, and Secret Circle, among others.
Good news for owners: Purses are still going up despite what looks like a downslide in racing. That’s because total handle has remained relatively steady, actually showing a slight uptick year over year, while the number of runners and the number of races has declined, which boosts key measures.
The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association announced its champions for racing and breeding for 2015, with its meeting and awards dinner to be held on Feb. 17 at the Pasadena Westin in Pasadena, Calif. All champions were announced on Feb. 8, except the 2015 California-bred horse of the year, which will be announced at the dinner. The three finalists for horse of the year are California Chrome, Gimme Da Lute, and Spanish Queen.
Roman Ruler and Zensational, both former residents of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky., will remain at their respective Southern Hemisphere farms in Argentina to stand at stud.
Samantha Nicole, a full sister to 2009 Horse of the Year and stakes producer Rachel Alexandra, has been retired to Stonestreet Farm in Lexington, Ky., and will be bred to Bernardini this season, hoping to capitalize on a cross that has proven successful with her family.
Prominent young sire Medaglia d'Oro enjoyed an outstanding weekend on the racetrack, with champion daughter Songbird picking up right where she left off in her 2016 debut in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita and Mshawish and Valid sweeping the exacta in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
Once known as one of the three great American lines of the early 20th century, the male line of the 19th-century imported stallion Eclipse, by Orlando, has long been on figurative life support. Since he is a gelding, Sunny Ridge, by Holy Bull, winner of last weekend’s Grade 3 Withers Stakes, can do nothing to revive the line, but he is a reminder of how valuable this uniquely American line has been to the Thoroughbred.
Even without Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the mix, the incoming group of Kentucky stallions for 2016 would have to be considered among the strongest in recent memory.