Prince Khalid bin Abdullah

Biography

Thoroughbred racing lost one of its titans when Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, founder of the acclaimed international powerhouse Juddmonte Farms, died in 2021. His impact on the sport as a breeder and owner reached a level of significance on a global level few individuals have ever achieved.

Abdullah’s accomplishments in racing are simply staggering. Five Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Breeder. Four Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Owner. Champion horses in the United States and Europe. Classic victories. Breeders’ Cup victories. Hundreds of stakes winners.

Juddmonte Farms, which Abdullah established in 1980, became an iconic brand through his visionary leadership. Under the Juddmonte banner, Abdullah won more than 500 stakes races worldwide, including 118 Grade/Group 1 victories (102 of which were with homebreds). In Europe, Abdullah’s Juddmonte runners won 21 Cartier Racing Awards, including Horse of the Year honors for Frankel (2011, 2012), Kingman (2014), and Enable (2017, 2019).

Frankel concluded his career undefeated in 14 career starts; Kingman won four Group 1s during his Horse of the Year campaign; and Enable’s 11 Grade/Group 1 victories included consecutive wins in the 2017 and 2018 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She also won the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs, making her the first horse to win the Arc and Turf in the same year.

In the United States, Juddmonte bred and raced 2001 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Flute and 2003 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Empire Maker, among others. Juddmonte sent out seven Breeders’ Cup winners under Abdullah’s ownership, including 2016 Classic (G1) winner Arrogate, who went on to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Other Breeders’ Cup winners included three in the Filly and Mare Turf (G1): Banks Hill (2001), Intercontinental (2005), and Midday (2009). In 2018, when Enable captured the Turf (G1), Juddmonte also had Mile (G1) winner Expert Eye. Rounding out the group is 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner Ventura. All but Arrogate were homebreds.

A native of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah’s introduction to racing came on a trip to Longchamp in France with friends in 1956. The Prince, however, did not get involved with the sport in an ownership capacity until the late 1970s. His purchases of yearlings at that time heralded the start of the large-scale investment in horse racing by owners from the Middle East that transformed the sport.

Abdullah earned his first win as an owner with Charming Native at Windsor in England on May 14, 1979. A month later, Abeer provided Abdullah his first victory at Royal Ascot in the Queen Mary Stakes (G1). Abdullah paid $225,000 for Known Fact, winner of the Middle Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket in England in 1979 and then, after Nureyev’s disqualification, the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) of 1980. Known Fact followed up that victory with a win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot. His score in the Two Thousand Guineas was not only Prince Khalid’s first victory in an English Classic race but also the first by any Arab owner.

In 1982, Prince Khalid had his first homebred winner with Fine Edge at Newmarket. His Juddmonte breeding operation soon produced Warning, Europe’s champion miler in 1988. Abdullah’s horses quickly became a regular presence in many of the premier races of the world. In 1985, Rainbow Quest won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1). The following year, Dancing Brave repeated that success and also won the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).

Juddmonte went on to win all five British Classic races with homebred horses: Quest For Fame, sired by Rainbow Quest, won Juddmonte’s first Epsom Derby (G1) in 1990, followed by Commander In Chief (a son of Dancing Brave) in 1993, and the fourth-generation, Juddmonte-bred Workforce, who broke the course record at Epsom with the victory in 2010. Toulon won the St. Leger  (G1) of 1991 and Zafonic won the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) two years later, as did Frankel in 2011. Reams of Verse won the Epsom Oaks (G1) in 1997. Two years later, Wince won the One Thousand Guineas (G1), followed by Special Duty’s victory in the same race in 2010.

Juddmonte also bred a clean sweep of French Classic winners. Sanglamore, won the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) in 1990; Houseproud, Zenda, and Special Duty won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) in 1990, 2002, and 2010, respectively; Jolypha and Nebraska Tornado won the Prix de Diane (G1) in 1992 and 2003, respectively; Raintrap and Sunshack were the winners of Prix Royal-Oak (G1) in 1993 and 1995, respectively; American Post took the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (G1) in 2004. Finally, there was victory for Rail Link in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) of 2006, a success repeated by Workforce in 2010 (making this horse only the sixth in history to win both the Epsom Derby and the Arc), and Enable in 2017 and 2018. Enable also won the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In Ireland, the list of Juddmonte-bred successes includes Irish Oaks (G1) winners Wemyss Bight and Bolas in 1993 and 1994, respectively.

Prince Khalid’s 78 winners in Britain and 58 winners in France made him the champion owner in both countries in 2003. He was British champion owner again in 2010, with 74 winners and earnings of more than £3 million. He took the British title a third time in 2011, when he had 63 winners and won more than £3.4 million.

In North America, Abdullah’s Eclipse Award champion mares included Ryafan (1997), Banks Hill (2001), and Intercontinental (2005). Banks Hill and Intercontintal both won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), which was also won in 2009 by Midday, a three-time winner of the Nassau Stakes (G1) at Goodwood. Juddmonte’s champion Arrogate won the 2016 Travers Stakes (G1) in record time and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), inaugural Pegasus World Cup (G1), and Dubai World Cup (G1) to retire with record earnings of $17,422,600 and earn induction into the Hall of Fame. Flintshire (Champion Male Turf Horse) joined Arrogate (Champion 3-Year-Old Male) as 2016 Eclipse Award winners.

Juddmonte’s success was keyed by the remarkable broodmare band Abdullah cultivated through decades of dedication and patience. Under Abdullah’s ownership, Juddmonte owned six horses honored as Broodmare of the Year in the America or England: 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.

The softspoken and reserved Abdullah rarely gave interviews, but in 2002 shed some light on his vibrant racing colors with Racing Post, stating, “I like to see my colors from a distance, and I have a problem with my eyes,” he said. “When I decided to buy horses, Lord Weinstock visited me and said, ‘You don’t need to find colors, these are your colors,’ and he pointed to the curtains — the green, and white, and pink. He chose the colors for me.”

“What stands out for me is the interest he took in every detail. Nobody did anything for him without him saying, ‘Yes’ or 'No,’” said Dr. John Chandler, president of Juddmonte’s American operation, after Abdullah died in 2021. “He took advice, but he made every decision on matings. He knew more about his horses individually than any owner I ever knew.”

Garrett O’Roruke, Juddmonte’s general manager in Kentucky, added, “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. 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! 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.”

Abdullah was posthumously inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame — the official Hall of Fame for British flat racing — in 2023 as a Special Contributor. He was only the second person honored in the category, following Queen Elizabeth II, who was inducted in 2021.

Achievements

Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Breeder — 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009
Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Owner — 1992, 2003, 2016, 2017

Triple Crown highlights

Won the 2003 Belmont Stakes — Empire Maker

Breeders' Cup highlights

Won the 2001 Filly and Mare Turf — Banks Hill 
Won the 2005 Filly and Mare Turf — Intercontinental 
Won the 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint — Ventura
Won the 2009 Filly and Mare Turf — Midday
Won the 2016 Classic — Arrogate
Won the 2018 Mile — Expert Eye
Won the 2018 Turf — Enable

 

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