Saratoga Has First Empire Maker Foals Since U.S. Return

Empire Maker  left the continent in 2009 to continue his stud career at JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan, but the champion and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner never left America's racing consciousness.

How could he, when the son of Unbridled created a parade of elite runners?

Royal Delta strung together three championship seasons in 2011-13, Emollient won four grade 1 stakes in 2013-14, and Bodemeister  romped through the 2012 Arkansas Derby (G1) before delivering runner-up finishes in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1). 

Then an Empire Maker son pushed his way to the forefront as a stallion when Pioneerof the Nile , himself a two-time grade 1 winner and classic-placed, sired 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah .

Carlos Heller's Don Alberto launched the initiative to bring Empire Maker back to the States in 2015 and found an eager partner in Antony Beck's Gainesway, where the stallion now stands for $85,000. 

Those first foals sired by Empire Maker since his return are now making their appearance at the summer yearling sales, with three of five initially cataloged to be offered Aug. 6-7 at The Saratoga Sale.

"They are horses that progress physically," said Gainesway's Michael Hernon of Empire Maker's 2017 foals. "He gets plenty of size and scope. We are seeing a uniformity of that, and the great temperament that was significant in allowing him to become the racehorse he was and have success as a stallion."

Fasig-Tipton's sale of select yearlings includes:

• Hip 38, a colt out of the graded stakes-producing Storm Cat daughter Miles of Style, who is a full sister to both grade 1 winner Mr. Sidney  and stakes-placed winner Save Big Money . Miles of Style's dam is multiple grade 1 winner Tomisue's Delight (A.P. Indy), a full sister to 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft . Timber Town, as agent, is the colt's consignor.
• Hip 115, a filly consigned by Bluewater Sales and a half sister to multiple stakes winner Awesome Speed (Awesome Again ). The sale filly's dam, Speedy Escape (Aptitude), is a half sister to grade 1-placed black-type winner Just Call Me Carl (Strawberry Road) and stakes producers Let's Escape (Ogygian) and Escape the Storm (Storm Cat), who produced grade 1 winner Unfurl the Flag (Bertrando).
• Hip 183, a colt bred by Don Alberto and consigned by Gainesway. He is the third foal out of the Irish-bred Sharmardal mare Burren Trail, who is a full sister to grade 3 winner Oregon Lady. Burren Trail's dam, Oregon Trail, is out of Oscillate (Seattle Slew), who is a winning half sister to champion Rhythm and grade 3 winner Get Lucky, who produced grade 1 winner and sire Girolamo and graded stakes winners Daydreaming and Accelerator.

Meg Levy with Bluewater Sales said the filly in her Saratoga consignment is typical of other Empire Maker daughters she's been associated with over the years.

"The first time I saw this filly, I recognized all the common attributes," Levy said. "They are long-legged, elegant, fluid, and beautiful movers. They don't have heavy bodies. Empire Maker's fillies, I think, are really consistent."

Levy and her team at Bluewater have had their hands on some exceptional Empire Maker daughters. 

Bluewater sold Grace Hall (out of Season's Greetings, by Ezzoud) as a yearling for $95,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September Yearling Sale to trainer Tony Dutrow. She went on to win the Spinaway Stakes (G1) and three other graded stakes before being sold to Alpha Delta Stables for $3.2 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The consignor also sold In Lingerie (out of Cat Chat, Storm Cat) for $2.4 million to Shadai Farm at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Bluewater has on its farm near Lexington the winning Empire Maker daughter Shehadmefromhello, who is the dam of Klaravich Stables' grade 1 winner Separationofpowers (Candy Ride ), who is entered in the Aug. 4 Longines Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

"For whatever reason, we have been close to a lot of the greatness coming out of the Empire Maker line," Levy said.

From Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister—sire of 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming in his first crop—Empire Maker has already earned the title "sire of sires." Hernon, however, said buyers and breeders should not overlook Empire Maker's growing potential as a broodmare sire.

To date, Empire Maker daughters have produced 22 black-type winners, of which 10 are graded/group winners. Maraud, a son of Blame , is Empire Maker's top earner so far in 2018 as a broodmare sire, having won the American Turf Stakes Presented by Ram Trucks (G2T) and the Palm Beach Stakes (G3T). Out of Unbridled Empire, Maraud is a half brother to Arklow (by Blame's sire, Arch), who won the 2017 edition of the American Turf Stakes. Separationofpowers, who won the Frizette Stakes (G1) last year, is Empire Maker's highest-earning juvenile so far as a broodmare sire.

"Empire Maker is out of a mare that was a Broodmare of the Year (Toussaud), and he is getting bred to very good mares, so they will be out of high-class families," Hernon said. "They will be well-positioned to achieve on the racecourse, and when they are finished racing, they will become influential producers."