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Multiple Grade 1 winner Empire Maker died at Gainesway Farm in Lexington at the age of 20.
Multiple Grade 1 winner and successful sire Empire Maker (Unbridled) died at Gainesway Farm in Lexington on Saturday after a battle with a rare disease that compromised his immune system. He was 20-years-old.
Bred and raced by Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farm and trained by Bobby Frankel, Empire Maker was the only three-year-old colt of his generation to win three elite level races: the Belmont Stakes (Gr 1, 12f), Florida Derby (Gr 1, 9f), and the Wood Memorial (Gr 1, 9f).
Empire Maker began his career at stud in 2004 at Juddmonte Farms in Kentucky and produced Grade 1 winners Bodemeister, Royal Delta, and Pioneerof the Nile - the sire of Triple Crown winner and now Coolmore shuttler American Pharoah. In November, 2010, he was sold to the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association and stood at the Shizunai Stallion Station.
In 2015, he was repatriated from Japan by Gainesway and Don Alberto, and his first crop back in the US resulted in Grade 1 winner Eight Rings and at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale one of his daughters realised US$2,000,000 .
To date he has produced 62 stakes winners headed by 12 top-flight 1 winners.
"The passing of Empire Maker will leave a tremendous void not only in the breeding industry as we know it, but in the hearts of all of us who worked with him, every day," said Antony Beck, the Chief Executive Officer of Gainesway.
"It was a huge honor and privilege to stand Empire Maker at Gainesway with our partners Don Alberto. He was the epitome of class and quality. I have never been involved with a stallion that possessed a better disposition. His impact on the breed has been significant, particularly producing very sound stock. He will be missed by all of us at Gainesway.
Carlos Heller, the owner of Don Alberto, said: "We are heartbroken that he won't be with us anymore. He was such a special horse to our family in so many ways and was our first major stallion interest since the establishment of Don Alberto Farm in the US. It is a huge loss not only for our family and our friends at Gainesway but also for our breed. We will always remember him as such a generous horse, always giving his best at every stage of his life.
"We can say that he was aptly named and indeed made an empire that keeps growing every day through his progeny. We were fortunate to have been involved in a small part of his life. An incredibly intelligent and kind horse that will be sorely missed by everyone. We hope that his last few crops here in the US will make his name shine even brighter in years to come."
