Moneigh Record Falls as American Pharoah Boosts Current Auction

The American Pharoah Moneigh up for auction. (Photo courtesy of Rerun/Kathy Maher)
Zenyatta’s painting set the record in 2011 for the most expensive Moneigh sold when the Horse of the Year’s painting was purchased for $5,000. But only a few hours after the auction for his Moneigh opened, American Pharoah broke that recordand as of Tuesday morning has a bid $5,300 for his painting.
The 2015 Triple Crown winner appears on track to significantly add to the record by the time the auction closes next weekend.
First created in 2002 for Rerun Thoroughbred Adoption, Moneighs have been painted by more than 200 racehorses.
“Over 200 stallions, horses in training and broodmares have now painted a Moneigh for Rerun with over 1500 original pieces created and sold to benefit the program,” said Lisa Molloy, Rerun’s program director. “In addition, paintings are often paired with halters, shoes and various other one of a kind memorabilia. In addition, we also produce prints of the more popular Moneighs, which allows more racing and Thoroughbred fans the opportunity to acquire one by their favorite horse at the fraction of the cost of an original.”
While Moneigh prices usually fluctuate based upon the popularity of the horse, bringing anywhere from $200 to a few thousand dollars, Moneighs from some horses always bring high prices. Rerun can count on Moneighs from horses like Mine That Bird, A.P. Indy and Zenyatta to consistently bring high prices no matter the auction.
Fans looking for a Mine That Bird Moneigh don’t have to look far. He has a Moneigh available in the same auction in which American Pharoah established the new record, making that two Kentucky Derby winners with paintings available this auction. There are also two Breeders’ Cup winners included, helping to raise money, with two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow’s Moneigh currently having a bid of $305 and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red having a high bid of $380.
TIZNOW PAINTING HIS MONEIGH

Photo by Melissa Bauer-Herzog
In all, 15 Kentucky Derby winners, 10 Preakness winners and eight Belmont Stakes winners have taken part in the painting of Moneighs throughout the years, but American Pharoah is the crown jewel of that collection as the first Triple Crown winner to create a Moneigh.
It took a group effort between new Moneigh partner After the Finish Line, TVG, Rerun and trainer Bob Baffert to get American Pharoah’s Moneigh planned, but the hard work has proved to be worth the effort.
“Dawn, myself and the Moneigh volunteers came up with our dream team of horses that we would like to have paint, and of course American Pharoah was at the top of everyone’s list, along with California Chrome. We then received a phone call from TVG saying they would like to do a feature piece about Moneighs and it just steamrolled from there,” Molloy said.
“Baffert very graciously agreed to allow American Pharoah to paint and, with Dawn already present on the West Coast, an appointment was booked with the artist and with much good humor, [American Pharoah] created his own signature painting, which TVG was on hand to capture. It was not only a memorable day for everyone at Rerun, it was the day Dawn Mellan got a Triple Crown winner to paint a Moneigh — truly the opportunity of a lifetime — and we are so grateful to all his connections and TVG for making this happen!”
THE MAKING OF AMERICAN PHAROAH'S MONEIGH

Slideshow photos by Ally Irons Morris unless otherwise noted
With the new partnership with After The Finish Line, the money from the Moneighs sold will benefit more than just Rerun-connected horses with the proceeds being split 50-50.
“All proceeds go to benefit the horses – 50 percent will go to After The Finish Line and will be distributed as emergency funds to rescues and programs that successfully complete an application. The remaining 50 percent goes to horses in the Rerun Thoroughbred Adoption program and is allocated for care and vet expenses. Horses that have previously benefited include Breeders’ Cup contender Radiohead, stakes winner Artie Luvsto Party and [the] winner of the NYTB award for best turf horse male in 2007: Dave, who calls Rerun NY his permanent home,” Molloy said.
Paintings from this Moneigh auction can be found on Rerun’s Ebay profile. The auctions for all of the paintings end on Sunday, with some at 6 p.m. ET and others at 7 p.m. Three-year-old colts seem to have taken over this auction, with Kentucky Derby runners American Pharoah, Ocho Ocho Ocho and Firing Line doing well, however stallions standing at stud are also making their presence known with Distorted Humor and Justin Phillip represented in addition to pensioned 33-year-old stallion Turkoman.
DISTORTED HUMOR CHECKING OUT HIS MONEIGH

Photo by Melissa Bauer-Herzog
“We have always been very fortunate to have the support of many of the major farms and trainers,” Molloy said. “WinStar and Darley have always been extremely generous and welcoming. Without the support of the owners, trainers and farms, there would be no program, and by opening their doors to the Moneigh program they really are aiding Thoroughbred retirement.”
For those who don’t take home a Moneigh, you can still support Rerun if you are in New York. The program is holding “An Evening for the Equines” at 4 p.m. ET at Upstate Medical Center in Schuylerville, N.Y. on Aug. 18.
For more information see the flyer below.