LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 28, 2026) — Cre Run Farm announced today that First Classs, the richest U.S.-bred Arabian racehorse in history and winner of the 2026 $2 million Group 1 Obaiyah Arabian Classic on Saudi Cup Day, will retire to the Kentucky Horse Park.
“First Classs had an unmatched career and his addition to the Hall of Champions is a testament to his accomplishments on the track,” said Kentucky Horse Park President Lee Carter. “We are grateful to Cre Run Farm for allowing us to be a part of his story. Our visitors will get to experience what fans of First Classs already know, that beyond his racing record, he has an engaging personality and loves to meet people!”
Bred and owned by Deborah Mihaloff of Cre Run Farm in Doswell, Virginia, First Classs (Dahess—Toppoftheclass, by Genuine Monarch) will become the first Arabian racehorse to reside in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions.
The nine-year-old gelding’s record-setting career began with a dominant three-year-old campaign. He won his first graded stakes race at Lone Star Park in the United States and earned the prestigious Darley Award from the Arabian Racing Cup.
First Classs then traveled the globe as an elite racehorse. He placed in Group 1 stakes in France and Great Britain, then scored Group 1 stakes victories on both turf and dirt surfaces in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2022, First Classs won the Group 1 Jewel Crown at Abu Dhabi Turf Club, the Group 2 Al Mneefah Cup in Saudi Arabia and the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic in Dubai while racing under a lease agreement to a Qatari owner, in partnership with Ms. Mihaloff.
Campaigned by Deborah Mihaloff, trained by Doug Watson, and partnered with jockey Connor Beasley since 2023, First Classs showed top form in recent years when he won the prestigious Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic for the second time, the Group 1 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup and the Group 1 Obaiyah Arabian Classic. In 2025, he was crowned the UAE Arabian Horse of the Year.
With earnings of $4,769,125, he retires as the highest-earning U.S.-bred Arabian racehorse in history. In 41 starts, First Classs compiled 10 wins, eight second-place finishes and six third-place finishes. He won five Group 1 races on both turf and dirt at distances ranging from 2,000 to 2,200 meters (approximately 10 to 11 furlongs).
“As a breeder and owner of Arabian racehorses for over 40 years, I am honored to have First Classs in the Hall of Champions,” said Deborah Mihaloff, breeder and owner of Cre Run Farm. “First Classs is a horse of a lifetime, and I credit his whole team, who has been instrumental in his success and contributed to his outstanding career. To be showcased alongside Thoroughbred and Standardbred champions is an honor, and he will be a true ambassador for the lineage of all racing athletes—the Arabian horse. This is a dream realized, and I look forward to visitors at the Kentucky Horse Park meeting him and learning more about our very special horse.”
First Classs will reside at the Hall of Champions Barn alongside Thoroughbreds Accelerate, Roy H and Andi’amu; Standardbred pacer Won the West; and Standardbred trotters Mr. Muscleman and Marion Marauder.