G2 Fillies’ Stakes Winner Pista Newest Star for American Pharoah
It was a tremendous day for American Pharoah on Thursday when daughter Pista (3f American Pharoah x Mohini, by Galileo) earned her first graded stakes victory in the Group II bet 365 Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes hours before his colt brought seven figures in the Fasig-Tipton sales ring.
Searching for her third straight victory – and first at the graded level – in a five and a half week span, she showed stretching out an extra sixteenth of a mile to 14½ furlongs was no worries at Doncaster in England. Pista was the back marker of the tight pack with William Buick aboard, biding her time throughout the early running
As they entered the stretch, the Joseph O’Brien trainee was piloted to the center of the track where she’d have plenty of room to make her run. Buick asked Pista for her best with two furlongs left to run and she gave it, drawing even with the leaders in the final furlong before pulling away to win by 1½ lengths.
Owned by Scott Heider and bred by Lynch Bages, the filly has won three of her four starts with her only loss coming in her debut in June.
“I thought William gave her a great ride. I was a little worried because he was a little bit further back than we’d planned for most of the way and she ran around a bit in the straight, but she’s got a big engine,” O’Brien told ITV Racing. “She’s a tall filly, so hopefully she’ll progress next season. There’s a nice fillies’ race on Arc weekend that might suit her now if she comes out of this well.”
Out of Galileo daughter Mohini, Pista’s granddam is French champion and Grade I winner Denebola, who is the dam of stakes placed Ratiocination and granddam of Grade I winner Senga, stakes winner Bolting, and Group II-placed Nous Voila.
The filly’s third dam is the great Coup de Genie, whose descendants include European champion Bago, four-time Group I winner Emollient, and dual Group I winner Maxios.
Pista is the seventh graded stakes winner for last year’s Champion Freshman Sire with American Pharoah leading all second crop sires by graded stakes winners, stakes winners, stakes horses, graded stakes horses, and Grade I horses.