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American Pharoah’s First Foal is Born

He’s less than a day old, but expectations are already high for a little bay colt at Brookdale Farm in Kentucky.



The foal is believed to be the first born of American Pharoah’s first foal crop. With a sire who achieved the rare feat of winning Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, and then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, racing fans are eager to see what this colt and his cohorts will do on the track in a few years.



Brookdale Farm announced the colt’s birth on Facebook, stating that he was born at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3. The currently unnamed colt is a first for not just his sire but his dam, too. He’s the first foal for his mother, Kakadu.

He won’t be alone for long, though. The Jockey Club reports that American Pharoah was bred to 208 mares in 2016.

Fred Seitz Jr., General Manager of Brookdale Farm, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the son of Pharoah looks to be healthy and strong. He’s already active and curious, not unlike his dad.

“This guy will come walking right up to you,” Seitz said about the colt. “He was chewing on my hand a little while ago.”

Like his dad, the colt is bay, but he’s got some chrome–white socks and a wide blaze. American Pharoah’s only white marking is a tiny white star.

No word yet on a name for the colt. If you’ve got an inspired idea, share it in the comments below.


Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. She aspires to meet American Pharoah one day, and maybe take his picture. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

View Comments

  • So exciting!I think Pharaoh's colt should be named Memphis. "The rulers of Egypt were usually the sons or declared heirs of the preceding pharaoh, born of the Great Wife (pharaoh’s chief consort) or sometimes a lesser-ranked wife whom the pharaoh favored. Early on, the rulers married female aristocrats in an effort to establish the legitimacy of their dynasty by linking it to the upper classes of Memphis, which was then Egypt’s capital."-Joshua J.Park 9/2/2009
    I always loved the name and then found this article that ties both American Pharaoh and the great horse racing state of Tennessee together.

  • So exciting!I think Pharaoh's colt should be named Memphis. "The rulers of Egypt were usually the sons or declared heirs of the preceding pharaoh, born of the Great Wife (pharaoh’s chief consort) or sometimes a lesser-ranked wife whom the pharaoh favored. Early on, the rulers married female aristocrats in an effort to establish the legitimacy of their dynasty by linking it to the upper classes of Memphis, which was then Egypt’s capital."-Joshua J.Park 9/2/2009
    I always loved the name and then found this article that ties both American Pharaoh and the great horse racing state of Tennessee together.

  • This is fantastic. He looks like Pharoah. Considering names-
    Pharoah's Star
    Prince of Thebes
    Little Egypt

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