Mahmoud Fustuq (1936 – 8 February 2006) was a Lebanese businessman who had various companies in Saudi Arabia. He was known for being brother-in-law of former Saudi Arabian ruler King Abdullah and for his involvement in the horse business.

Biography

Fustuq was born in Lebanon in 1936. His family is from Palestine. He was the eldest of nine siblings. He attended the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

in the late 1950s and received a degree in petroleum engineering. His sister,

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

, married King Abdullah. Fustuq had varied businesses in Saudi Arabia. He acquired the Buckram Oak Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1978 which he sold in 2005. He also owned other farms in Ocala, Florida, and Kentucky where he had race horses, including Star Gallant who won the

Illinois Derby The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses for three year olds run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the dirt at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago in early April each year. ...

in 1982 and Silver Train, who won a

Breeder's Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

race. His other prominent horses were Najran, Silver Hawk Siberian Summer and Green Forest. He died in Pompano Beach, Florida, on 8 February 2006 in a traffic accident. He was buried in Saudi Arabia.

Controversy

In the 1970s Fustuq acquired a commission from

British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...

following the sale of a fleet of Land Rovers by the company to the Saudi Arabian National Guard headed by Prince Abdullah, later King Abdullah. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' reported that after this transaction he bought the farms in the USA and a mansion in near

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department **US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missou ...

, France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fustuq, Mahmoud 20th-century Lebanese businesspeople 21st-century Lebanese businesspeople 1936 births 2006 deaths Racehorse owners and breeders University of Oklahoma alumni Road incident deaths in Florida Owners of a Breeders' Cup winner Lebanese engineers Petroleum engineers