Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will shuttle to Coolmore Australia for the 2017 southern hemisphere breeding season, it was announced March 1. He will depart Kentucky in July and return to the United States at the end of the year.
"We have been overwhelmed by interest from Australasian breeders in American Pharoah ever since he retired to stud in Kentucky," said Coolmore Australia's Tom Magnier. "It's well recognized that he is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and the opportunity to bring him to Australia is an irresistible one."
The son of Pioneerof the Nile will stand the 2017 southern hemisphere season for AUS$66,000 (US$50,694). He stands for a private fee in 2017 at Coolmore's Ashford Stud near Lexington.
American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, when he swept the 2015 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (G1), and the Belmont Stakes Presented DraftKings (G1).
"I was at Belmont Park the day he won the third leg of the Triple Crown and I can honestly say I have never seen a racehorse like him in my life," Magnier said. "He is a faultless physical specimen and free of Danehill blood, so is a perfect complement to our own band of Fastnet Rock and Danehill mares. We will be supporting him with our own quality mares and we already have had a number of top breeders approach us with the intention of supporting him heavily."
The Zayat Stables homebred, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, won his eight grade 1 races by a combined margin of 38 lengths and capped his career with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
"He excelled in everything he was ever asked to do," Magnier said. "He won a grade one over 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) on his second start and was nothing short of a phenomenon from that point onwards. I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of offering him to Australian breeders and can't wait for people to have the opportunity to see him in the spring."