Majesty's Prince (foaled 1979 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, euthanized in 2009) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

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 and ...

, he was out of the mare Pied Princess, a daughter of 1953

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

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 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champi ...

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

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

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 continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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 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 (2023) champion is Fra ...

. 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 The Laurel Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late September at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Run over a distance of miles on turf, at one time it was a Grade I stakes race on dirt, and one of the rich ...

at Maryland's

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American 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" for several decades un ...

. 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 held over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles run on dirt each February at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. As of 2024, it offers a p ...

. Then, after finishing ninth in the

, 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 is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

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

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

. 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 spr ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

and the

Lamplighter Handicap The Lamplighter Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of May at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf over a distance of miles (8.5 furlon ...

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 track ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n and

an entrants. Following his Canadian victory, the three-year-old colt ran second to

April Run {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = April Run , image = , caption = , sire = Run the Gantlet , grandsire = Tom Rolfe , dam = April Fancy , damsire = No Argument , sex = mare , foaled = 1978-{{death date and age, 1994, 1978 , country = ...

in the next two legs of a series: the October 23 Turf Classic at New York's

and the November 7 Washington, D.C. International Stakes at

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

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

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade II 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 grass, turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Be ...

and

Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap The Sword Dancer Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses, aged three and up, run annually in mid August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A prep for the Breeders' Cup Turf, it is set at a distance of one and one-hal ...

. He ran third to the great

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred mare that was foaled and trained in France. She was one of the top European fillies since World War II. While she mostly raced in Europe, the filly also won top-le ...

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 John Henry most commonly refers to: *John Henry (folklore) John Henry may also refer to: People Artists and entertainers * John Henry (actor) (1738–1794), Irish and early American actor *Seán Ó hEinirí (1915–1998), known in English as John ...

in the Turf Classic. He also ran sixth to winner Lashkari in the inaugural running of the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

in 1984.

Stud record

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to: 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 bar in San Francisco * ...

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 broo ...

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

Beau Pere ''Beau Pere'' (), 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-old pianist who has a ...

, 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 Phara ...

, mffm =

Alcibiades Alcibiades (; 450–404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently ...

, 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