Daughter of American Pharoah scores first Graded win
The William Mott-trained Harvey's Lil Goil (3 f American Pharoah - Gloria S by Tapit) landed her first Graded victory when she took out the Regret Stakes (Gr 2, 9f) at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
The three-year-old landed the Busanda Stakes (Listed, 9f) on her seasonal reappearance in February, but was last seen producing a lack-lustre display in the Fantasy Stakes (Gr 2, 8.5f) in May.
However, racing back on turf for the first time since her debut as a two-year-old, she bounced back to beat Crystal Cliffs (Canford Cliffs) by a head with another length and a half back to In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper) in third.
"I thought we were in a little bit of trouble when Johnny (Velazquez) dove to the rail," said Mott's assistant Kenny McCarthy. "However, when she got to her late in the stretch, she was able to fight back. She's a very classy filly and now sports multiple stakes wins on both the dirt and the turf."
Harvey's Lil Goil is out of Gloria S (Tapit), who is herself a half-sister to 2012 Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 9f) winner I'll Have Another (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 shuttled to Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley for one season in 2019.
American Pharoah will have his first runners in Australia next season and he will stand at Jerry's Plains in the Hunter Valley for a fee of $55,000 (inc GST) in 2020. His first yearlings in Australia went through the ring, with 55 yearlings making an aggregate of $13,800,543 selling at an average of $250,918.
