Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Cafe Pharoah

Cafe Pharoah

American Pharoah – Mary’s Follies, by More Than Ready

Bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa ($475,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. 2-year-old purchase by Narvick International, for Koichi Nishikawa)

This strong class of first-crop sires continued to stand in the spotlight at the Belmont Stakes, as Tiz the Law proved victorious for leading sophomore sire Constitution, with Max Player, from the first crop by champion Honor Code, checking in third. But Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who led this class by earnings in 2019, has continued on in strong fashion as well. The internationally popular young stallion is the sire of Japan’s leading Kentucky Derby contender Cafe Pharoah, who appears on Derby Watch after remaining unbeaten with a five-length win in last weekend’s Group 3 Unicorn Stakes on the Tokyo Racecourse dirt. He earlier won the Hyacinth Stakes.

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American Pharoah never raced on turf, but the son of Pioneerof the Nile was a Grade 1 winner on synthetic as a juvenile. He has proven a multi-surface talent as a sire, with his 2019 season highlighted by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Four Wheel Drive. Like Cafe Pharoah, Four Wheel Drive is out of a mare by the versatile sire More Than Ready.

American Pharoah also is the sire of multiple graded stakes winner Sweet Melania; Group 3 winner Maven; stakes winners Another Miracle, Harvey’s Lil Goil, and Ocean Atlantique; Grade/Group 1-placed American Theorem and Monarch of Egypt; graded stakes-placed Merneith, Princesa Caroline, Royal Act, and Skygaze; and stakes-placed Danon Pharoah, Envied, Homeland, Prince of Pharoahs, Saggara King, and Turned Aside.

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The dam of Cafe Pharoah, Mary’s Follies, is the only stakes winner produced by either of her first two dams. She won the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park, both at 1 1/16 miles on turf. She is the dam of four winners from five starters, including turf graded stakes winners Night Prowler and Regal Glory. Both are by multi-surface stallions in Giant’s Causeway and Animal Kingdom, respectively.