PRINCE KHALID DIES AT 83
CHAMPION trainer John Gosden led the tributes to Prince Khalid Abdullah, whose death was announced yesterday. He was 83.
The familiar pink, green and white silks of the Saudi Arabian prince, one of the most successful owner-breeders in the world, were carried by a clutch of iconic horses led by unbeaten Frankel, 1986 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner Dancing Brave and, most recently, by Gosden’s 11-time Group One winning mare and dual Arc winner Enable.
Gosden said: ‘Prince Khalid first enjoyed going racing in the 1950s as a young man in Paris. This sparked his bold plan to establish an international breeding operation in the late 1970s and was an illustration of his brilliant mind.
‘In a period of 20 years he established himself as a European and American champion breeder. His charming, urbane and humorous manner was coupled with a great strategic approach both in business and in his breeding and horseracing operations.’ Abdullah was a first cousin to the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The first winner he owned in Britain was Jeremy Tree-trained Charming Native at Windsor in May 1979. Abdullah (below) went on to establish the Juddmonte Farms operation with bases in Britain, Ireland and the US. He won all five British Classics which included three successes in the Derby with Roger Charltontrained Quest For Fame (1990), Sir Henry Cecil’s Commander in Chief (1993) and Sir Michael Stoute’s Workforce (2010). He won the Arc six times and in all he had 118 Group One victories, 102 with horses he bred. Douglas Erskine Crum, CEO of Juddmonte, said: ‘Prince Khalid leaves a legacy that will stand the test of time.’