THE death of Empire Maker from a rare disease that affected his immune system is a great disappointment for Gainesway Farm where he was due to stand this season for $85,000. This price put him among the top tier of stallions in the USA, though the journey to the top was not straightforward.

He spent a number of years in Japan, but his success with his US runners meant that he was repatriated and picked up where he left off, his first crop back in the States, born in 2017, containing Eight Rings. He won the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last September. That race is named in honour of Empire Maker’s Triple Crown winning grandson.