About Time First Stakes Winner of Year for American Pharoah

American Pharoah kicked off 2024 on a high note New Year’s Day when daughter About Time (3f American Pharoah x Romantic Time, by Fastnet Rock) won the Group II Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes in New Zealand.

Covering just over 1 ¼ miles on the turf, the Cambridge Stud homebred was one of the back markers for much of the race and had to pass the entire field coming into the stretch. Racing down the inside, About Time took command of the race with a furlong left to run and held off other late closers to win by three quarters of a length.

“I thought 2000m would be right up her alley, I would switch her off and ride the last half of the race, which mapped out perfectly,” jockey Warren Kennedy said. “She shot through very nicely, she hit a bit of a flat spot once she got through, but she had enough guns on her to power on to the line.”

This was the second victory for the Lance Noble-trained 3-year-old, who has only been off the board once in her five-race career.

She is a half-sister to the multiple Grade I-placed Young Werther and stakes placed Romantic Lady with the trio three of four winners out of Fastnet Rock daughter Romantic Time. That mare is a half-sister to Grade II winner Amelia’s Dream and two other stakes performers.

About Time’s New Year’s Day stakes victory follows up a 2023 that saw American Pharoah sire 13 worldwide stakes winners and 27 stakes performers, led by Grade I winners in Australia and the U.S. and graded stakes winners in four countries overall.