The sire of 12 Group I winners and best known as grandsire of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Empire Maker died at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky last weekend.
He passed away at age 20 following a battle with a rare disease that had affected his immune system.
Bred and raced by Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farm and trained by Bobby Frankel, Empire Maker was second in the Kentucky Derby and won three other Group I races at three, the Belmont Stakes, Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial.
By Unbridled from Group 1 winning blue hen Toussaud, he began his stud career the following year at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington.
His Group I stars included Bodemeister, Royal Delta, and Pioneerof the Nile, sire of American Pharoah, before being sold to the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association in November 2010.
Empire Maker stood at the Shizunai Stallion Station until 2015, when he was brought back from Japan by Gainesway and Don Alberto.
"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, CEO of Gainesway.
"It's a huge honour and privilege to stand Empire Maker at Gainesway with our partners Don Alberto. He was the epitome of class and quality. I've 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'll be missed by all of us at Gainesway."
