Four Wheel Drive First Breeders’ Cup Winner for American Pharoah
It was a perfect start for the brilliant freshman sire American Pharoah at the Breeders’ Cup when the stallion’s Four Wheel Drive (2c American Pharoah x Funfair, by More Than Ready) led home an American Pharoah 1st – 3rd finish in the Grade II Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to stay undefeated for his sire.
Going off as the favorite, the Wesley Ward trainee broke sharply under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and quickly took over the lead. The colt pulled away to lead by a few lengths in the five furlong turf contest around the far turn before giving up that margin a bit as they turned into the stretch.
As he continued to lead to the wire, American Pharoah’s Another Miracle (2c American Pharoah x Retraceable, by Medaglia d’Oro) slipped through a hole to take third behind the winner. In the end, Four Wheel Drive won by three quarters of a length for Breeze Easy LLC with Another Miracle 1 1/2 lengths back in third.
“He's a very, very talented colt,” said Ward. “He's done nothing wrong so far, he's 3 for 3, he's got a big, big future next year as a three-year-old. We're all real excited. It's always nervous jitters when you're coming through here trying to get here and trying to get something done, and to actually do it with an American Pharoah is the first crop of - everybody's got such high expectations for him, and to get it done on the big stage like this in the Breeders' Cup is just unbelievable.
Bred by Glenvale Stud, Four Wheel Drive sold to Hartley/DeRenzo as a yearling for $525,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale from the Paramount Sales consignment before RNAing earlier this year at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training sale for $825,000. He prepared for this victory with a win the Grade III Futurity Stakes in early October by 3¼ lengths after breaking his maiden on debut in the Listed Rosies Stakes in August. He is the third foal out of Listed winning Funfair, who has two winners from two to run. The mare returned to American Pharoah this year.
Three races later, American Pharoah's top first Breeders' Cup continued when his Grade II winning daughter Sweet Melania (2f American Pharaoh x Sweet N Discreet, by Discreet Cat) finished third in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Triple Crown hero American Pharoah has sired four stakes winners and nine stakes horses to lead all Freshmen sires with 20 winners overall for a stellar start to his stallion career.