Juddmonte colours will continue to grace the racing world

PA Sport Reporters
January 16, 2021 5:45 pm

Remarkable legacy of Prince Khalid Abdullah to be carried forward.

Juddmonte Farms is to operate as normal after the death of its founder Khalid Abdullah.

The Saudi prince owned and bred some of the greatest equine names the sport has ever seen – with his famous green, pink and white silks carried by the likes of Frankel, Dancing Brave and dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable.

Abdullah’s colours have been carried to victory by more than 500 stakes winners, of which he bred over 440 – including 118 Group or Grade One winners, breeding 102 of them.

Abdullah had stud farms in the UK, Ireland and North America and has been a major force in the breeding and racing industry for over 40 years.

And Douglas Erskine Crum, chief executive of the Juddmonte Group, said the family were committed to keep the operation going despite Abdullah’s death on Tuesday at the age of 83.

“No change. The family has been for some time and still is very committed to keeping Juddmonte as it is, going, focusing on the broodmare band, focusing on the home-bred operation,” he told ITV Racing.

“One of the last decisions in which the prince was involved was the matings for this year, in other words where his 200-odd broodmares are going to go. Whether they are going to go to Frankel, Kingman or some of the great stallions across the world.

Enable was another Juddmonte flag-bearer (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

“And those horses will be born next year and will race as three-year-olds in 2025 so if we have a champion in 2025 you will be able to say the prince was actually involved directly in the decision making.

“Juddmonte will continue. Continuity is key for any breeding and racing operation.

“Of course things change and indeed the prince made some fairly substantial changes in the number of broodmares six or seven years ago, but those changes are necessary to keep the business running and also necessary to make sure that essential continuity of the broodmare is enhanced.”