$1.2 Million Keeneland September Filly for American Pharoah

Demand for the progeny of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah was strong at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Book 1 with a stunning filly from Modification selling for $1.2 million to Mike G. Rutherford.

The sixth most expensive of the session, the filly had a major update when her half-brother by Uncle Mo, Yaupon, won the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes two weeks ago.

She is also a half-sister to Grade II-placed Sawyer’s Hill and was sold by Betz Thoroughbreds for breeders Betz, J. Betz, CoCo Equine, Magers and Burns. The filly’s dam Modification is a Grade I-placed daughter of stakes winner and strong producer Swift Alliance.

“She is beautiful, gorgeous,” Rutherford told Thoroughbred Daily News. “Best filly I have seen. Let’s hope she can run.”

American Pharoah had a total of 11 youngsters sell in Book 1 for a gross of $4,115,000 and an average of $373,091.

On the first day of selling, he had an $475,000 filly purchased by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds out of stakes placed Easy Living from breeder Stonehaven Steadings to top his first session offerings. That price was matched mid-session two when an American Pharaoh colt out of Refugee bred by Barronstown Stud sold for $475,000 to Three Amigos.

A proven source of 10 stakes-winners in the Northern Hemisphere, American Pharoah is about to move forward with a new phase of his career with his first Australian bred two year-olds to race in the Southern Hemisphere this season.

He stands in Australia this spring at a fee of $55,000.