This weekend saw American Pharoah sign off his career in style, winning the $5 million Breeders Classic Cup at Keeneland (Fort Knox – Kentucky).
Pharoah was already the toast of US racing having completed the first Triple Crown in 32 years winning US grand slams’ at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and The Belmont Stakes.
However Saturday’s ‘Fort Knox’ victory has placed the three year old stud in a leagues of his own, as an enthralled US media crowned American Pharoah as a ‘once in a lifetime horse’ and the ‘Grand Slam King’.
Pharoah’s delighted owner Ahmed Zayat commented on the horses legendary achievements
“What could you say? I mean, what a horse. The kindest, friendliest, happiest, easiest, most brilliant horse I’ve ever seen in my life. We’ve been very privileged. We owe American Pharoah everything!”
“Pharoah has ran so hard and so brilliantly for a very long, taxing time. I doubt that we’ll ever — hopefully we will, but I doubt we’ll ever see a horse who is able to really take what he’s done in terms of shipping in and out and going to seven or eight different tracks. Doesn’t care about the surface, doesn’t care about where he’s sitting. He just does it all. He runs with his heart. He is kind. He’s brilliantly fast. He’s just a different kind of animal”.
Having finished his last race, Pharoah will now begin his new career as a gold stallion at the Zayat Stables in Hackensack New Jersey.