With Saturday’s romp into retirement, American Pharoah put an emphatic stamp on a brief but legendary career. As racing’s first Grand Slam champion, his 3-year-old campaign will go down as one of the best single seasons in history and it is difficult to imagine it being replicated any time soon. So with the dust finally settled we can now begin to assess the colt’s place among the sport’s all time greats.

American Pharoah (©Horse Collaborative)

©Horse Collaborative

 

American Pharoah won 9 times in 11 career starts, banking over $8.6 million in earnings. He busted the 37-year Triple Crown drought that many believed would never be done. And yes, he put the $5,000,000 cherry on top against older rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Of all the accolades and accomplishments, the most amazing stat to me is this: American Pharoah’s 8 career Grade I wins came at 8 different racetracks in 6 different states.

That’s incredible durability and “shipability.” There are countless great horses who struggle to stay mentally and physically sound month to month, or duplicate form when shipping away from home. American Pharoah never really had a home and yet, he stayed sound and showed up focused and ready to roll every single time. For a 3-year-old colt, that is extraordinary. Trainer Bob Baffert and his team deserve a ton of credit for this of course, but much of it is ultimately on the horse. His durability is no doubt a product of that beautiful, effortless stride we’ve all come to admire.

His consistency can be explained not just by terrific conditioning, sheer talent and class, but a “wise beyond his years” temperament.

©Horse Collaborative

“Look of eagles.” ©Horse Collaborative

 

American Pharoah will likely command a $100,000-$125,000 stud fee in his first year, and although unproven as a sire, his book will stay full, at least for the first couple of seasons (Of note, AP’s sire, Pioneerof The Nile, just saw his stud fee jump from $60,000 to $125,000 for 2016). The “Pharoah rush” will be due largely to the still palpable sex appeal his progeny will boast in the sales ring, even though no one can rationally expect him to sire a comparable version of himself. There are dozens of stallions who can deliver the speed and stamina of AP, but his precocity, adaptability and soundness sets him apart.

Even while in the midst of his Triple Crown triumph, there were knocks…Sure, he was winning, but who was he beating? His speed figures and final times in the Derby and Preakness were not among the sport’s elite…Those knocks were of course muted in the Belmont Stakes, Haskell and again in the Breeders’ Cup where he produced an eye popping 120 Beyer speed figure for his 2:00.7 frolic, the highest number produced at a mile or more in North America this year, and an almost unheard of figure for a 3-year-old.

Selfishly, seeing American Pharoah as a 4-year-old in training would be something special. He’s sound, happy and clearly loves to compete. His increasing speed figures show he had yet to reach his athletic zenith, which is a truly tantalizing notion. In the end, seeing a champion go out on top and perfectly sound is hard to complain about but man…there’s so much juice left in the tank. At least the Zayats and Coolmore allowed the colt to continue his historic run after the Triple Crown. Hundreds of thousands of people were able to experience his greatness in the flesh, and the sport has undoubtedly garnered countless new fans as a result.

Hopefully, good people will continue to do good things with good horses and those new fans will stick around and support the ones who deserve it. It’s all about the horse and this horse was all about the people. It was the perfect confluence of special talent in the right hands at the right time and as a result, everyone came out a winner.

So where does he rank on the list of all time greats? Everyone brings their own opinion and emotional connection to the debate, but he’s certainly one of the greatest of the modern era. No, he didn’t break Secretariat’s Triple Crown records (and no horse will ever be as great on a single day as Big Red in the Belmont). No, he never faced rivals as brilliant as Alydar or Easy Goer. And it’s almost preposterous to compare thoroughbreds of the modern era to the likes of Man O’ War, War Admiral and Citation. It’s just not the same game, and in the view of many, not the same breed.

All we have is what we’ve seen, and I think most can agree we saw a once-in-a-generation talent. One of the best 3-year-old to hit the track since the 70’s heyday that produced Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid. Every bit as talented as Alysheba and Sunday Silence.

 

Photo by Diana Robinson (flickr/dianasch)

Photo by Diana Robinson (flickr/dianasch)

 

No matter where you think he ranks among the sport’s all time greats, there’s no question that American Pharoah was the perfect horse at the perfect time who took the world on one hell of a thrill ride that will never be forgotten.

 

Not ready to let go? Get lost in everything American Pharoah

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