American Pharoah

Bio:
American Pharoah (born February 2, 2012 in Winchester, Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred horse. The son of Pioneerof the Nile and Littleprincessemma. When Pharoah was only a year old, he was put on the auction market, but no one would buy him for more than the minimum bid. His owner, Ahmed Zayat, essentially bought his back his own horse, knowing that Pharoah had something special. Phatoah made his track debut in August 2014. Though he started off strong, he finished fifth. After that initial stumble, American Pharoah never lost a race. He was voted the American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse in the 2014 Eclipse awards. His success continued in 2015, where he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Ahmed Zayat has stated the expected to retire American Pharoah to retire at the end of 2015. His breeding rights were sold to the Ashford Stud company. Prior to the sale, Pharoah’s breeding rights reportedly exceeded $20 million.

Best Known For:
American Pharoah is best known as an American racing horse who won the 2015 Kentucky Derby and the 2015 Preakness Stakes. On June 6, 2015, American Pharoah won the Bellmont Stakes and became the 12th Triple Crown winner — the first since 1978.

Personal Life:
American Pharoah is known for his distinctively long stride, and a faint star on his forehead. He also has a short tail, which was reportedly chewed off by another horse, Mr. Z. American’s misspelled name is in honor of Ahmed Zayat’s Egyptian-American background. When submitting the horse’s name to the Jockey Club, his son, Justin, entered the incorrect name on the electronic form.