Empery
Encyclopedia
Empery was a British racehorse best known for winning the Epsom Derby
. Bred and raced by Texas
oilman
, Nelson Bunker Hunt
,
his dam was the Peruvian
Triple Crown
racemare Pamplona II. Empery's sire was Vaguely Noble
, the winner of the 1968 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
who also sired Hunt's great racing mare, Dahlia
. Grandsire Vienna was owned and raced by Sir Winston Churchill
.
Trained in France by Maurice Zilber
, on June 2, 1976, Empery won the only stakes race of his career when he captured England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby
. Sent off as a 10:1 longshot, jockey Lester Piggott
guided the colt to victory for his record setting seventh Derby win. That year, Empery also ran second in the Irish Derby Stakes
, and third in France's Prix Lupin
.
. Standing at Hunt's Bluegrass Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
, he notably sired Blue Finn, the1986 Canadian Champion 2-Year-Old Colt
, plus U.S. multiple stakes winner, Barbery. Empery is the damsire of Star Over The Bay
, a multiple Graded stakes race
winner in California
. At age eleven, Empery was sent to a breeding operation in Japan
.
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
. Bred and raced by Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
oilman
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, Nelson Bunker Hunt
Nelson Bunker Hunt
Nelson Bunker Hunt is an American oil company executive. He is best known as a former billionaire whose fortune collapsed after he and his brother William Herbert Hunt tried but failed to corner the world market in silver. He is also a successful thoroughbred horse breeder.-Personal:Hunt was born...
,
his dam was the Peruvian
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
racemare Pamplona II. Empery's sire was Vaguely Noble
Vaguely Noble
Vaguely Noble was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and France. The colt is best known as the winner of the 1968 Group one Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe when he defeated the best horses from England, France, Ireland and Italy...
, the winner of the 1968 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
who also sired Hunt's great racing mare, Dahlia
Dahlia (horse)
Dahlia was an American-bred Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racemare who won major races in France, England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States...
. Grandsire Vienna was owned and raced by Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Trained in France by Maurice Zilber
Maurice Zilber
Maurice Zilber was a thoroughbred horse trainer born and raised in Cairo, Egypt to a Turkish mother and a French-Hungarian father...
, on June 2, 1976, Empery won the only stakes race of his career when he captured England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
. Sent off as a 10:1 longshot, jockey Lester Piggott
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
guided the colt to victory for his record setting seventh Derby win. That year, Empery also ran second in the Irish Derby Stakes
Irish Derby Stakes
The Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.It is Ireland's equivalent of the Epsom Derby,...
, and third in France's Prix Lupin
Prix Lupin
The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France which was open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in May....
.
At stud
Empery met with modest success at studStud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
. Standing at Hunt's Bluegrass Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, he notably sired Blue Finn, the1986 Canadian Champion 2-Year-Old Colt
Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male Horse
The Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Coltis a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top 2-Year-Old male Thoroughbred horse competing in Canada.Past winners: -References:*...
, plus U.S. multiple stakes winner, Barbery. Empery is the damsire of Star Over The Bay
Star Over The Bay
Star Over The Bay was a Thoroughbred racehorse who rose from the claimer ranks for $80,000. Once he began winning his races, he earned more than $700,000...
, a multiple Graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winner in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. At age eleven, Empery was sent to a breeding operation in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.