Empire Glory (foaled April 8, 1981) was a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who was sold for a world record price as a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

in 1982. He proved to be just short of top class in a brief racing career, winning the

Royal Whip Stakes The Royal Whip Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) ...

and finishing second in the

Irish St Leger The Irish St Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it i ...

. He made little impact as a breeding stallion.

Background

Empire Glory was a bay or brown horse bred in Kentucky by Mortin Levy & Myron Rosenthal's Glencoe Farm. His dam Spearfish had won the

Hollywood Oaks The Summertime Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in June at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race on dirt at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles. ...

in 1966 and had produced the leading North American racehorse

King's Bishop King's Bishop (1969–1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background King's Bishop was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Warner L. Jones, Jr. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Round Table. He was out of the mare Sp ...

and the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Gaily. Through Gaily, she was also the ancestor of Pilsudski. Empire Glory was sired by the Triple Crown winner Nijinsky. In 1982 he was consigned by Glencoe Farm to the

Keeneland Sales Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene. A division of ...

where he was sold for a record-setting $4.25 million ($ million inflation adjusted) to the bloodstock agents BBA (Ireland) on behalf of the British businessman Robert Sangster after a prolonged bidding battle with representatives of

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

. The colt was sent to Europe and was trained by Vincent O'Brien at

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current train ...

Racing career

Empire Glory raced only as a three-year-old in the 1984 season. After refusing to enter the

starting stalls A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing. History Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...

on his first racecourse appearance he finished second in his first completed race and then won a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

by six

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

. He was then stepped up in class for the Grade Three Royal Whip Stakes over one and a half miles at the

Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare. History T ...

in July. Ridden by Pat Eddery, he won by three quarters of a length from

Sondrio Sondrio (; lmo, Sùndri; rm, Sunder; archaic german: Sünders or ; la, Sundrium) is an Italian city and ''comune'' and Provincial Capital located in the heart of the Valtellina. , Sondrio counts approximately 21,876 inhabitants (2015) and it is ...

and Yawa. In his two remaining races, Empire Glory was equipped with blinkers. He finished third to Arctic Lord in the

Beresford Stakes The Beresford Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

and then produced his best effort when finishing second, a neck behind the filly Opale, in the Group One Irish St Leger.

Stud record

Empire Glory stood as a breeding stallion in the USA. He sired several minor winners but nothing of top class. He died in 2001.

Pedigree

*Empire Glory was inbred 4 × 4 to Nearco, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{s-end 1981 racehorse births 2001 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 11