American Pharoah’s children are now for sale. Buyers are spending big.

The November horse sales in Lexington were a bit of a coming-out party for American Pharoah: weanlings from his first crop as a stallion went through sales rings at Fasig-Tipton and at Keeneland this week.

And so far buyers have liked their first looks at his babies, paying a quarter-million and up. Way up.

On Monday night, a weanling filly by American Pharoah out of a mare named Untouched Talent sold for $1 million.

Why so much? Because the filly is also a half-sister to Bodemeister, who was second in the Kentucky Derby and sired this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming.

Four other American Pharoah weanlings sold on Monday for prices ranging from $250,000 to $525,000. Two more sold on Tuesday at the Keeneland auction for $500,000 and $400,000, while two failed to meets their reserve prices.

Two more are scheduled to go into the auction ring at Keeneland on Wednesday.

Even broodmares in foal to the Triple Crown winner were drawing big money: celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay bought one named Life Well Lived for $1.25 million on Tuesday.

American Pharoah stands at stud in Versailles at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud; his first year, 2016, his stud fee was a reported $200,000.

His first foals were born this year, after he covered at least 208 mares in North America in 2016, according to The Jockey Club. In 2017, he covered 214, putting him again among the top five busiest stallions.

But the American Pharoah babies weren’t the biggest draws at the sales; those were the racemares. On Monday, two-time champion Songbird, who retired for breeding, sold for $9.5 million and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tepin, now pregnant to Curlin, sold for $8 million. On Tuesday, Kentucky Oaks winner Stellar Wind sold for $6 million.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "American Pharoah’s children are now for sale. Buyers are spending big.."