Majestic Prince
Encyclopedia
Majestic Prince was a Thoroughbred
racehorse
purchased by Calgary, Alberta oilman Frank McMahon
at the Keeneland yearling sale
in September 1967 for a then record price of $250,000. The California
based colt, who grew to a powerful 1,120 pounds, was trained
by another Albertan, Johnny Longden
, a longtime friend of Frank McMahon who had retired in 1966 as the winningest jockey
of all time.
Raced lightly as a 2-year-old, Majestic Prince won both of his starts in his 1968 fall campaign. Ridden by Bill Hartack
, at age three, he quickly became the dominant 3-year-old in West Coast
racing, capping it off with an eight-length victory in the most important Santa Anita Derby
. Unbeaten, Majestic Prince headed for Louisville
and the Kentucky Derby
.
colt Dike, and Paul Mellon's
Arts and Letters
was the 4th choice. The remaining four horses entered were all at very long odds.
Majestic Prince drew the last post position, which meant he started from the far outside. Arts and Letters, racing along the rail, took the lead by the time they reached the mile pole and were about to head for the stretch run. Majestic Prince ran the entire race on the outside but pulled up alongside Arts and Letters into 2nd place as they came down the homestretch, then moved ahead to win by a neck. The victory made Majestic Prince the first unbeaten Kentucky Derby
champion in 47 years. Johnny Longden became the only person in history to ever win the Derby both as a jockey and as a trainer, a feat that as of 2009 has not been matched.
, Majestic Prince again met Arts and Letters, and the two dueled to the finish with "The Prince," as the media dubbed him, winning his ninth consecutive race by a head.However, the morning after his victory, trainer Johnny Longden advised the media that Majestic Prince came out of the race with a problem in the right front tendon
. Longden stated the horse wouldn't be able to run his best in the Belmont Stakes
and therefore he was being shipped back to California to be rested until the fall. When asked by a reporter, owner Frank McMahon said he concurred with Longden's view, adding: "We want a Triple Crown, not a Crippled Crown."
That the horse with the best chance in twenty-one years to win the Triple Crown was pulling out brought a frenzy of publicity and questions, particularly because Longden had said the injury was a developing problem but Majestic Prince could still run, although not at his best. The idea that someone in those circumstances would pass up the chance to achieve American racing immortality seemed incomprehensible.
Jockey Bill Hartack told reporters: "The horse was hurting. We should never have run in [the Belmont]." Trainer Johnny Longden would later comment that Majestic Prince had what was called a check ligament in his right front [leg]. When he bore out in the Preakness, that was a warning. We never should have run him in the Belmont.” Longden said that he tried to bring Majestic Prince back to racing later in 1969 and then again the following year but could not and was sold to a racing syndication for $1.8 million. Retired to Spendthrift Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
, Majestic Prince sired thirty-three stakes
winners before he died of a heart attack
in 1981. Among his progeny was Coastal
, winner of the 1979 Belmont Stakes.
In 1988, Majestic Prince was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
and in the 2000 Blood-Horse
ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #46.
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...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
purchased by Calgary, Alberta oilman Frank McMahon
Frank M. McMahon
Frank Murray Patrick McMahon was a Canadian businessman best known as the founder and first chairman of Westcoast Transmission Co. Ltd...
at the Keeneland yearling sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
in September 1967 for a then record price of $250,000. The 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...
based colt, who grew to a powerful 1,120 pounds, was trained
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
by another Albertan, Johnny Longden
Johnny Longden
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
, a longtime friend of Frank McMahon who had retired in 1966 as the winningest jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
of all time.
Raced lightly as a 2-year-old, Majestic Prince won both of his starts in his 1968 fall campaign. Ridden by Bill Hartack
Bill Hartack
William John Hartack Jr. was a Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" during his racing career, Hartack grew up on his widowed father's farm in the Blacklick...
, at age three, he quickly became the dominant 3-year-old in West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
racing, capping it off with an eight-length victory in the most important Santa Anita Derby
Santa Anita Derby
The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...
. Unbeaten, Majestic Prince headed for Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
The Kentucky Derby
The 1969 Derby had a very strong field that deterred entries, and as such only eight horses went to the starting gate. Majestic Prince was the betting favorite, followed by Top Knight, winner of the 1968 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse. The 3rd favorite was the highly-regarded Claiborne FarmClaiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
colt Dike, and Paul Mellon's
Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon KBE was an American philanthropist, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
Arts and Letters
Arts and Letters
Arts and Letters was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.Owned and bred by American sportsman and noted philanthropist Paul Mellon, and trained by future Hall of Famer Elliott Burch, the colt began racing at age two...
was the 4th choice. The remaining four horses entered were all at very long odds.
Majestic Prince drew the last post position, which meant he started from the far outside. Arts and Letters, racing along the rail, took the lead by the time they reached the mile pole and were about to head for the stretch run. Majestic Prince ran the entire race on the outside but pulled up alongside Arts and Letters into 2nd place as they came down the homestretch, then moved ahead to win by a neck. The victory made Majestic Prince the first unbeaten Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
champion in 47 years. Johnny Longden became the only person in history to ever win the Derby both as a jockey and as a trainer, a feat that as of 2009 has not been matched.
The Preakness Stakes
The heavy favorite going into the second leg of the U.S. Triple CrownTriple 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...
, Majestic Prince again met Arts and Letters, and the two dueled to the finish with "The Prince," as the media dubbed him, winning his ninth consecutive race by a head.However, the morning after his victory, trainer Johnny Longden advised the media that Majestic Prince came out of the race with a problem in the right front tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
. Longden stated the horse wouldn't be able to run his best in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
and therefore he was being shipped back to California to be rested until the fall. When asked by a reporter, owner Frank McMahon said he concurred with Longden's view, adding: "We want a Triple Crown, not a Crippled Crown."
That the horse with the best chance in twenty-one years to win the Triple Crown was pulling out brought a frenzy of publicity and questions, particularly because Longden had said the injury was a developing problem but Majestic Prince could still run, although not at his best. The idea that someone in those circumstances would pass up the chance to achieve American racing immortality seemed incomprehensible.
The Belmont Stakes
To this day, much speculation abounds as to why owner Frank McMahon changed his mind and raced Majestic Prince in the Belmont, but the pressure from the press was intense, including Whitney Tower's article in Sports Illustrated entitled "The Prince Ducks the Big One". The decision never sat well with trainer Johnny Longden and despite his well-documented shouting match with the horse's owner in the days leading up to the race, Majestic Prince was still sent out to compete in the Belmont Stakes. The first horse in history to enter the Belmont Stakes undefeated made a valiant effort but finished second, beaten by Arts and Letters by 5½ lengths. Majestic Prince never raced again.Jockey Bill Hartack told reporters: "The horse was hurting. We should never have run in [the Belmont]." Trainer Johnny Longden would later comment that Majestic Prince had what was called a check ligament in his right front [leg]. When he bore out in the Preakness, that was a warning. We never should have run him in the Belmont.” Longden said that he tried to bring Majestic Prince back to racing later in 1969 and then again the following year but could not and was sold to a racing syndication for $1.8 million. Retired to Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
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...
, Majestic Prince sired thirty-three stakes
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...
winners before he died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1981. Among his progeny was Coastal
Coastal (horse)
Coastal was an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Majestic Prince out of the mare, Alluvial, who was in turn was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame stallion, Buckpasser. He was a half-brother, thru Alluvial, to Slew o' Gold.Owned by William...
, winner of the 1979 Belmont Stakes.
In 1988, Majestic Prince was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
and in the 2000 Blood-Horse
The Blood-Horse magazine
The Blood-Horse is an international weekly news magazine about Thoroughbred horses, horse breeding, and horseracing. It was founded in 1916, the oldest continually published North American Thoroughbred magazine. The magazine is based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World...
ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #46.