Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, known the world over for his powerhouse Juddmonte Farms breeding and racing operation, has died at age 83. Juddmonte issued news of his death Tuesday morning, with plans for the future of his Thoroughbred holdings not immediately disclosed. “The whole of Juddmonte feels a huge sense of loss,” Juddmonte CEO Douglas Erskine Crum said in a release. “Prince Khalid will always be remembered as a quiet, dignified, benevolent family man, whose horses spoke for him. “He leaves a legacy that will stand the test of time. His contribution to the development of the Thoroughbred will have long-lasting effects.” Reactions to Prince Khalid’s death rippled through the racing world on Tuesday from Europe, where the outfit is headquartered at Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket, to Juddmonte Farm located near Lexington, Ky. “I have happily worked for Prince Khalid at Juddmonte for half my life, and there are many in our U.S. management hierarchy that are here longer,” noted Garrett O’Rourke, manager for Juddmonte in the U.S. “Our pride in working for such a gentleman was only equaled by the collective pleasure we all took from cheering his great horses over the years in some of the sport’s great races. “I always said Prince Khalid’s tastes were simple – he was satisfied with the best!” O’Rourke continued. “He was reserved and polite, yet he had a subtle way of communicating that he expected to win. His passion for and enjoyment of the breeding and racing of Thoroughbreds was unending. The standards he kept were the highest and he made it easy to revere him. We are very proud to have been allowed to be participants in his success. Our admiration of the man and his achievements will live forever with us.” Prince Khalid – who often styled himself simply as “Mr. Abdullah” – entered Thoroughbred ownership in 1977. He earned his first Group 1 victory with the juvenile Known Fact just two years later, and shortly thereafter, his first classic victory when Known Fact took the 1980 English 2000 Guineas on the disqualification of Nureyev. Other top horses campaigned by Juddmonte in its early years included Dancing Brave, honored as the 1986 British Horse of the Year when his major victories included the 2000 Guineas and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales “His racing empire was his great love,” Dancing Brave’s trainer, Guy Harwood, told Racing Post. “It was his creation. He liked to be involved in every facet. He bought good horses, he then started his studs – he bred the best to the best and had great success.” According to Juddmonte, Prince Khalid’s colors were carried to victory by more than 500 stakes winners worldwide, the majority of them homebreds. Those figures include 118 Grade/Group 1 winners, of which 102 are homebreds. Among a slew of accolades and leading owner titles, Juddmonte is responsible for 16 Eclipse Award championships in North America, including titles as outstanding breeder in 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2009, and outstanding owner in 1992, 2003, 2016, and 2017. In Europe, Juddmonte runners have accounted for 21 Cartier Racing Award titles, including Horse of the Year honors for Frankel, Kingman, and Enable. Juddmonte was honored with the Cartier Award of Merit in 2002, and “Team Frankel” earned that award in 2012. Juddmonte homebred Frankel was honored as Horse of the Year in 2011 and 2012 as he went unbeaten in 14 career starts, including 10 Group 1 victories. Five years later, homebred Enable came along, honored as Horse of the Year in 2017 and 2019. Her 11 Grade/Group 1 victories included consecutive wins in the 2017-18 Arc de Triomphe, and the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, making her the only horse to ever win those races in the same year. Enable retired with 15 wins from 19 starts, and will be bred to Kingman, the 2014 Horse of the Year, in her first season as a broodmare. In the U.S., Juddmonte is known for breeding and campaigning runners such as 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, who went on to notoriety as the grandsire of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah; 2001 Kentucky Oaks winner Flute; and scores of other multiple Grade 1 winners. “The contributions of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah to the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry over the past 40 years will be felt for generations to come,” Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family and the entire Juddmonte Farms team.” Juddmonte sent out seven Breeders’ Cup winners, including 2016 Classic winner Arrogate and three winners of the Filly and Mare Turf in Banks Hill (2001), Intercontinental (2005), and Midday (2009). In 2018, when Enable captured the Turf, Juddmonte also had Mile winner Expert Eye. Rounding out the group is 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint winner Ventura. All but Arrogate were homebreds. Juddmonte is the Breeders’ Cup’s leading owner and breeder by money won. “We are grateful for your participation in both our racing and nomination programs and for your enduring legacy in the industry,” Dora Delgado, executive vice president and chief racing officer for Breeders’ Cup, posted Tuesday on Twitter. Juddmonte’s name in the U.S. for many years was synonymous with the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, who conditioned Empire Maker, Flute, Banks Hill, Intercontinental, and Ventura. More recently, Juddmonte tapped Bob Baffert to lead a California division, and made select auction purchases to fit his operation and target major dirt races. One of those selections was Eclipse Award champion Arrogate, who, with victories in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the following year’s Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup, retired as North America’s leading money winner. Juddmonte’s current U.S. trainers include Chad Brown, Brad Cox, and Bill Mott. Brown, a former assistant to Frankel, campaigned Flintshire to a championship for Juddmonte, and last year campaigned Grade 1 winner Viadera. “Prince Khalid was the definition of class and sportsmanship,” Brown said in an online post. “It was one of the greatest honors of my life to be asked to train horses for him . . . the phone call every trainer has dreamed of getting. He raised the bar to unthinkable heights, always putting the horse first.” In addition to Viadera, Juddmonte in 2020 also campaigned U.S. graded stakes winners Bonny South, Juliet Foxtrot, and Tacitus. The operation appeared poised for a solid 2021 season, with the majority of its accomplished runners returning to training in addition to several rising young stars. Brad Cox, who trains Bonny South and Juliet Foxtrot, has the unbeaten 3-year-old colt Mandaloun entered in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and the promising filly Sun Path in the Silverbulletday. “It’s a tremendous loss to the horse racing industry throughout the entire world,” Cox said. Juddmonte stands five stallions, including Frankel and Kingman, at Banstead Manor Stud. In the U.S., the stalwart Mizzen Mast is alone in the stallion complex after the untimely death of Arrogate last year. Juddmonte’s hopes on the track this year include its first homebred juveniles by Arrogate. Perhaps more than its stallions, Juddmonte is revered for its outstanding broodmare bands, many cultivated by Prince Khalid through decades. Juddmonte has owned six horses honored as Broodmare of the Year in the U.S. or Britain: Slightly Dangerous, dam of Commander in Chief, Warning, Yashmak, Dushyantor, and Jibe; Hasili, dam of Dansili, Banks Hill, Intercontinental, Heat Haze, Cacique, and Champs Elysees; Toussaud, dam of Empire Maker, Chester House, Honest Lady, Chiselling, and Decarchy; Arrive, dam of Visit and Promising Lead; Binche, dam of Byword and Proviso; and Concentric, dam of Enable. – additional reporting by Marcus Hersh