Littleprincessemma

Littleprincessemma (foaled Feb 27, 2006) is a Thoroughbred mare who raced twice but is notable as the dam of the American Triple Crown-winning racehorse American Pharoah. Bred by Brereton C. Jones, she sold in 2006 as a weanling filly for $135,000 ($159,000 adjusted for inflation) and then the following year, as a yearling, she was purchased by Zayat Stables for $250,000 ($286,000 adjusted for inflation).^[2] Put into training with Steve Asmussen, she raced twice^[2] and retired due to injury, then became a broodmare for Zayat stables. She was named after Ahmed Zayat's daughter, Emma.^[3] She is a chestnut with a blaze on her face, a stocking on her left hind leg and a sock on her right hind leg.^[4]

She was bred but did not produce a foal in 2010.^[5] Her first foal and first winning offspring was Xixixi, a 2011 colt by Maimonides.^[6] Her next foal was American Pharoah, foaled in 2012, who was sired by Pioneerof the Nile.^[5] In the fall of 2011 she had been consigned for sale when she was in foal carrying American Pharoah but did not go through the sales ring.^[7]

She did not produce a foal in 2013, but was bred back to Pioneerof the Nile again and produced a full sibling to American Pharoah, a filly, in 2014.^[5] She was later named American Cleopatra, and entered training in 2016. Later that year, in foal again to Pioneerof the Nile, Littleprincessemma sold for $2,100,000 to Summer Wind Farm.^[7] She produced a second full sibling to American Pharoah in 2015, a colt^[8] named Irish Pharaoh.

She was bred to Tapit in 2015 for her 2016 foal, a filly named Chasing Yesterday.

References