The Thoroughbred Corp.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Thoroughbred Corporation is a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established in 1994 by principal partner Prince Ahmed bin Salman of the Saudi Arabian royal family. It was based at an 18-acre facility at Bradbury Estates, in Bradbury, California.
Educated at the University of California, Irvine, Prince Ahmed and college friend Richard Mulhall teamed up to go into Thoroughbred flat racing. Initially, Mulhall served as horse trainer but eventually became manger of racing operations. The Prince invested millions of dollars and succeeded in building a quality stable that was an important part of American and European racing.
The Thoroughbred Corp. won four American Classic Races, four Breeders' Cups, and is one of only four owners to have ever raced both a Kentucky Derby winner and an Epsom Derby winner. The others are John Galbreath, Michael Tabor, and Paul Mellon.
Some of the notable horses raced by The Thoroughbred Corp. include:
Based in the United States:
- Jewel Princess - (in partnership with Richard and Martha Stephen), won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Distaff and was voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Female Horse
- Anees - won the 1999 Breeders' Cup Juvenile; voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse
- Spain - won the 2000 Breeders' Cup Distaff; retired as the richest mare in North American racing history
- Point Given - won the 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes; voted United States Horse of the Year
- Johar - won the 2002 Hollywood Derby and the 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf
- War Emblem - won the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse
Based in Europe:
- Dr Fong - in 1998 won the Prix Eugene Adam, St. James's Palace Stakes
- Royal Anthem - won the 1998 Canadian International Stakes and 1999 Juddmonte International
- Oath - won the 1999 Epsom Derby
- Ramruma - in 1999 won the Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks
- Elusive City - won the 2002 Prix Morny, voted Champion 2-Year-Old in France
Prince Ahmed bin Salman died unexpected at age 43 of heat failure in Riyadh. The family appointed his brother, Prince Faisal, to oversee The Thoroughbred Corp.'s affairs. In March of 2004, the bulk of the operation's horses were dispersed at a southern California auction. Limited primarily to an involvement in foal-sharing arrangements, The Thoroughbred Corp. still maintains shares in five stallions standing at stud in various locations.
