American Pharoah stands alone.
The three-year-old thoroughbred won the Breeders' Cup Classic in dominating fashion Saturday, becoming the first to complete horse racing's Grand Slam: A Triple Crown, and a Classic victory.
Jockeyed by Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah finished the final race of his career in 1:35.47, setting a Keeneland track record by more than five seconds. He won the race by more than six lengths.
The race was held in Lexington, Ky., where American Pharoah was born, and he'll now head into retirement in his home state at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky. American Pharoah goes into the record books having won nine of the 11 races he competed in.
Saturday's win was worth $5 million for Pharoah's owner, Ahmed Zayat.
Zayat spoke about his horse with immense pride after the race.
"What a horse. The kindest, friendliest, happiest, easiest, most brilliant horse I've ever seen in my life," he said. "(I'm) very privileged. We owe American Pharoah everything. He is just once in a lifetime.
"I said it more than once: This race was only about American Pharoah. We wanted him to go out a winner. He ran so hard and so brilliantly for a very long, taxing time. He runs with his heart. He's just a different kind of animal."
Trainer Bob Baffert echoed Zayat's sentiments.
"You know what, I'm so proud of the horse. (It's) a sense of relief. When he's right, you saw what he can do," Baffert said. "I think that American Pharoah has brought so much to racing and it's been a privilege to train (him), a privilege to watch him train. I just have never seen anything like him, trained anything like him. I'm just so ... he is a gift from God.
"I'm just glad that the Pharoah, he goes out the champ that he is. It's going to be sad to see him go but, you know, I think he's done enough, he's proved enough."
Espinoza kept it simple.
"American Pharoah is one of the best horses that I'm probably ever going to ride," he said.
And one of the best horses the sport will probably ever see.
