Majesty's Prince (foaled 1979 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, euthanized in 2009) was an American

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 ...

racehorse.

Background

Bred at John D. Marsh's farm in

Gainesville, Virginia Gainesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 17,287 in the 2020 census. History Gainesville was once a changing point for stagecoach horses on the Fauquier & Alexa ...

, he was out of the mare Pied Princess, a daughter of 1953 American Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Tom Fool Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champion racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam. B ...

. He was sired by His Majesty, who also sired the 1981 Kentucky Derby and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

winner,

Pleasant Colony Pleasant Colony (May 4, 1978 – December 31, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and was named the 1981 American Champion Three-Year-Old. Background A big, gangly horse stan ...

. Grandsire Ribot was a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an superstar runner who went undefeated in sixteen career starts, including back-to-back wins in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

, and was a three-time

Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who ...

. He was trained by Joe Cantey.

Racing career

At age two, Majesty's Prince earned his best result when he finished third in the then-Grade I Laurel Futurity Stakes at Maryland's

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...

. As a three-year-old, in March 1982, he ran second in the

Rebel Stakes The Rebel Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently off ...

. Then, after finishing ninth in the Kentucky Derby, he did not run in the remaining two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown series. With Majesty's Prince unsuccessful on dirt, his handlers decided to try him on

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

. Eleven days after the Kentucky Derby, he debuted on grass with a win in the Hill Prince Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. He later won the

Lexington Stakes The Lexington Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in April during at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky during their s ...

at Belmont Park and the Lamplighter Handicap at

Monmouth Park Racetrack Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

. On October 17, 1982, Majesty's Prince won the first major event of his career, the

Rothmans International Rothmans International plc was a British tobacco manufacturer. Its brands included Rothmans, Player's and Dunhill. Its international headquarters were in Hill Street, London and its international operations were run from Denham Place in Denham ...

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The race was the last leg of a series of three turf races that featured top North American and

an entrants. Following his Canadian victory, the three-year-old colt ran second to April Run in the next two legs of a series: the October 23 Turf Classic at New York's Belmont Park and the November 7 Washington, D.C. International Stakes at

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

. Racing at age four in 1983, Majesty's Prince won the

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and older. It is run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New Yo ...

and Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap. He ran third to the great filly

All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare that was foaled in France. She was one of the top fillies of the last part of the 20th century, racing mostly in Europe. All Along was named into the Nationa ...

in the Rothmans International and the Washington D.C. International Stakes. In 1984, Majesty's Prince earned his second consecutive win in both the Man o' War Handicap and Sword Dancer Handicap. He won his second Rothmans International and was third to John Henry in the Turf Classic. He also ran sixth to winner Lashkari in the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Turf in 1984.

Stud record

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

duty, Majesty's Prince met with limited success. Among his racing offspring, he notably sired 1993

Bowling Green Handicap The Bowling Green Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. History The i ...

winner Dr. Kiernan. Majesty's Prince was euthanized at age 30 due to the infirmities of old age.

Pedigree

{{Pedigree , name = Majesty's Prince, chestnut stallion, 1979 , f = His Majesty , m = Pied Princess , ff = Ribot , fm = Flower Bowl , mf =

, mm = Melanie's Girl , fff =

Tenerani Tenerani (foaled April 14, 1944 in Italy) was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in Italy and in England. Bred by Lydia & Federico Tesio, he was named for the Italian sculptor, Pietro Tenerani. His dam was Tofanella, a foundation bro ...

, ffm = Romanella , fmf = Alibhai , fmm = Flower Bed , mff =

Menow Menow (1935–1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won several important races in 1937, when he was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse. Background Bred and raced by Hal Price Headley, Menow was foaled on May 19, late ...

, mfm = Gaga , mmf =

Nashua Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places In Australia: * Nashua, New South Wales In the United States: * Nashua, California * Nashua, Iowa * Nashua, Minnesota * Nashua, Kansas City ...

, mmm = Nebroda , ffff = Bellini , fffm = Tofanella , ffmf = El Greco , ffmm = Barbara Burrini , fmff = Hyperion , fmfm = Teresina , fmmf =

Beau Pere ''Beau Pere'' (french: Beau-père), also known as ''Stepfather'', is a 1981 French comedy-drama film directed by Bertrand Blier, based on his novel of the same name. It stars Patrick Dewaere, Ariel Besse and Maurice Ronet and is about a 30-year ...

, fmmm = Boudoir , mfff =

Pharamond Pharamond, also spelled Faramund, is a legendary early king of the Franks, first referred to in the anonymous 8th-century ''Liber Historiae Francorum'', which depicts him as the first king of the Franks. Historical sources and scholarship Pharam ...

, mffm = Alcibiades , mfmf = Bull Dog , mfmm = Alpoise , mmff = Nasrullah , mmfm = Segula , mmmf =

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by '' Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

, mmmm = Stafaralla (family: 14-b)

References

Majesty's Prince's pedigree and partial racing stats

1979 racehorse births 2009 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 14-b