Triple Crown winner American Pharoah easily won the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky, becoming the first horse in history to win the Grand Slam of horse racing.
Once again, jockey Victor Espinoza rode the 3-year-old colt to victory, with Effinex ridden by Mike Smith finishing second, and Honor Code coming in third. Pharoah ran 1 1/4 miles in a track-record 2:00.07 as the sentimental 3-5 favorite among the crowd.
American Pharoah has won nine of his 11 career starts, including the first sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont since Affirmed in 1978.
His total earnings to date exceed $8.6 million for Egyptian-born owner Ahmed Zayat.
As a Triple Crown winner though, his value is expected to skyrocket to as much as $100 million over the next few years.
Espinoza has become a celebrity himself since making history at the Belmont in June and was a contestant on Season 21 of “Dancing With the Stars, despite being the second person voted off.
“I have never ridden a horse like American Pharoah before,” he recently told TheWrap. “The first time I saw him he was insane — everything was wrong. Then when I rode him, from one race to the next, something changed and he became a different horse.
“He is the sweetest and nicest animal you can ever been around, he’s like a pet,” the 43-year-old jockey added.