Beginning of an Empire?

Juddmonte Farms announced the birth of the first foal by Empire Maker (Unbridled); it's a girl, out of Dokki (Northern Dancer – Alluvial, by Buckpasser) and she's a half sister to Grade 1 winner Aptitude. (And Dokki is a half-sister to Coastal and Slew O'Gold. [Thoroughbred Times]

Empire Maker won four times in only eight starts. "We weren't within 10 lengths of seeing this horse's best race," bragged Bobby Frankel. We'll not know if that was the case. He stands for $100,000, and if he serviced, say, 100 mares....

This page from Juddmonte Farms lists some of the other Grade 1 winners that have been sent to Empire Maker for his special brand of love. If you have the right player and browser, you can watch stretch runs of his wins in the Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes on this site. As Empire Maker prepares for his second go-round in the breeding shed, Funny Cide, whose Triple Crown bid was ruined in the Belmont, prepares for his 5 year old season in Florida. "The tentative plan is to have Funny Cide make his first start on March 5 in the Grade II, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap. Run for 3-year-olds and up, the distance is a mile and three-sixteenths." [Saratogian]