Dam of 2015 Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah
Littleprincessemma is one of the most famous broodmares in modern racing history, the dam of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. She was foaled in 2006 and was bred by Joe and Anne McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, the family operation in upstate New York. Her sire was Yankee Gentleman, a son of Storm Cat, and her dam was Exclusive Rosette, a daughter of Ecliptical. She was a beautiful chestnut mare with a striking white blaze that she would pass on to her famous son.
Littleprincessemma had a very short racing career. She started just twice and won one race, with no major stakes accomplishments to her name. Her real legacy was always going to be in the breeding shed, not on the track. Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables bought her and bred her to Pioneerof the Nile, the second place finisher in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and one of the rising young sires at WinStar Farm. The result was a foal who would change racing history forever.
That foal was American Pharoah, who in 2015 became the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, sweeping the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes before adding the Breeders Cup Classic to complete the Grand Slam of American racing. American Pharoah was named the 2015 Horse of the Year and rocketed his dam to instant fame. Suddenly Littleprincessemma was one of the most valuable mares in the world.
She has continued to produce foals, all by Pioneerof the Nile in many cases, including a colt named St Patrick's Day (originally called Irish Pharaoh) who is a full brother to American Pharoah and a filly named American Cleopatra. She lives at Summer Wind Farm in Kentucky, owned by Jane Lyon, and is treated as the queen she is. Littleprincessemma is remembered not for what she did on the racetrack but for the gift she gave the racing world, the most beloved Triple Crown winner of the modern era.
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