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Juvenile cot Mackinnon wins at Del Mar on Monday.
Coolmore Australia shuttler American Pharaoh (Pioneerof The Nile) recorded his 21st stakes winner on Monday when Mackinnon (2 c ex Scat Means Go by Scat Daddy) landed the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (Listed, 8f).
Trained by Doug O'Neill, the colt raced wide throughout the eight furlong contest and went on to record a length and three quarter victory over Thirty Four Coupe (Run Away And Hide) with Silver Surfer (Caravaggio) a close third. Optimising (Mehmas) finished in fourth.
"He broke his maiden in a manner that we were hoping this day would come, but you never know," O'Neill said.
"So much credit to the owners being so patient and Juan (Hernandez) being so patient with this colt. I was a little bit concerned as the race unfolded.
"I knew that Optimising was the X-factor. I knew he was in from Europe and had been working well and had great connections and was in a great spot. But when Juan called on Mackinnon and he responded I started smiling. If he stays injury free the [Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf] is the goal."
Mackinnon was bought for US$200,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase and was then passed in at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream earlier this year and later sold for US$285,000 in a private transaction.
He is the first winner out of the stakes-placed Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) mare Scat Means Go.
American Pharoah's first Australian-bred crop are now three and his fee this year is $49,500 (inc GST) who has to date produced seven juvenile stakes winners headed by his Group One winning son Van Gogh as well as Grade Two winners Four Wheel Drive and Sweet Melania.
