Harvey's Lil Goil’s became the fifth stakes winner for the stallion American Pharoah when she won the Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct.
Harvey's Lil Goil's (3 f ex Gloria S by Tapit) looks to be the latest star for Coolmore shuttler American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) when she became the fifth stakes winner for the stallion after her seven and a half length romp in the Busanda Stakes (Listed, 9f) at Aqueduct on Sunday - cementing her claim as a genuine contender for the Kentucky Oaks (Gr 1, 9f) in the process.
The Bill Mott-trained three-year-old filly broke her maiden at the second time of asking in December and despite starting awkwardly on Sunday she had already put day daylight between herself and her rivals coming into the home straight, before being able to accelerate away to beat Water White (Conveyance) in ultra impressive fashion.
"She was much the best. I was just the pilot," winning jockey Junior Alvarado said. "At the half-mile (mark), she switched gears and I let her run along there. She took over and didn't do much."
Harvey's Lil Goil is out of Gloria S (Tapit), who is herself a half-sister to Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 9f) winner I'll Have A Wonder (Flower Alley) and Grade 3 winner Golden Award (Medaglia d'Oro).
Further back this is the extended family of Grade 1-winners Beholder (Henny Hughes), Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) and Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), who also shuttles to Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley.
The Triple Crown winner's first southern hemisphere crop of yearlings have been well received in Australasian sales rings this season, with the stallion finishing inside the top five sires by average (with three or more lots sold) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with a stunning average of $338,095 and an equally impressive aggregate of $7,100,000 for the 21 lots sold.
Meanwhile, the stallion had equally encouraging figures at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale last month, finishing with an average of NZ$265,833 with the six yearlings sold by the sire realising an aggregate of NZ$1,595,000.
American Pharoah has seven lots catalogued at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, eight yearlings entered for Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and 25 yearlings set to go under the hammer at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in April.
The stallion's stakes winners are headlined by Grade 2 winners Four Wheel Drive and Sweet Melania.
