Monday, September 25, 2006

Comair Crash: Mill Ridge Farm, Saudi Royals, Five Star Trust, RNC & Votescam, Terrorism, etc.

MILL RIDGE FARM
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691293/posts

Kentucky Horse Industry Impacted by Sunday Plane Crash

The Blood-horse | 8/28/2006 | Blood-horse staff

08/28/2006 7:29:11 AM

The Central Kentucky horse industry was reeling Sunday after several prominent members of the equine community and others were among the 49 people killed in the crash of a commuter jet shortly after takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.

... listed among the deceased by the Lexington Herald-Leader was 25-year-old Washington, D.C., resident Marcie Thomason, whose father, Bill Thomason, is financial and administrative manager of MILL RIDGE FARM in Lexington...
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More about Prince Ahmed:

Bio with stats from NTRA
Mill Ridge Farm - where most of his broodmares were kept
Thoroughbred Corporation - his racing syndicate

From: http://www.horse-races.net/library/
aa072202.htm
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http://reverereport.blogspot.com/
2004_11_01_reverereport_archive.html

$29M Paid To Throw US Election?

The money to rig the election in favor of Bush reportedly came from an entity called Five Star Trust, largely based in Houston but a worldwide entity that is directly tied to the Saudi Royal Family. Five Star Trust was termed "a well-protected vehicle" that has been used to support both Bush and Osama bin Laden in the US and around the world.
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MILL RIDGE FARM's Saudi Terrorism Connection

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/
f-news/1691293/posts

Amid allegations, horsemen, Saudi royals rise to defend late racing magnate Prince Ahmed
By John Eisenberg

Two years ago, the Preakness Stakes spotlight shone brightly on Prince Ahmed bin Salman, an affable, highly Westernized member of the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.

A familiar face in thoroughbred racing circles, he was in Baltimore as the owner of War Emblem, winner of the Kentucky Derby. He stayed at the Harbor Court Hotel, attended the post position draw at the ESPN Zone and went to Pimlico Race Course to watch his horse gallop.

"He was as genuinely excited and enthusiastic as any Preakness owner I've ever seen," Pimlico president and chief executive officer Joe De Francis said.

Some six weeks earlier, a high-ranking al-Qaida operative captured in Pakistan reportedly had named him as a go-between linking the terrorist organization and the Saudi royal family.

...

Three weeks later, War Emblem disappointed in a bid to win the Triple Crown, finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes. The prince was strangely absent, on business in Saudi Arabia, his racing associates said.

A month after that, the prince was dead at age 43. News accounts said he succumbed to a heart attack in Saudi Arabia.

....

http://www.saudi-american-forum.org/Newsletters2004/SAF...

....

He was on the bin Laden evacuation flight, after he concluded his business buying horses on 9/12/01 in KY. But I don't see direct links to Farish or the above horse farm. Bet we know where he banked however.

....

Somebody quoting Posner:

THE ABU ZUBAYDAH CASE. Abu Zubaydah was one of the most wanted Al Qaeda operatives. According to Gerald Posner (Why America Slept), the CIA, FBI, and United States leaders missed numerous clues over 10 years to nab Zubaydah before the September 11 terrorist attacks. Zubaydah was wanted for the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000 as well as the 9-11 attacks.

According to Posner, “two government (unnamed) sources,” Zubaydah was captured on March 28, 2002, American military team stormed a Pakistan safe house and arrested Zubaydah along with 62 other suspects. United States interrogators used drugs, including Sodium Pentothal, to coerce him to talk. But the Americans were stalled. They flew Zubaydah to an Afghan complex that resembled a Saudi jail chamber, where “two Arab-Americans, now with Special Forces,” pretending to be Saudi inquisitors, used drugs and threats to scare him into more confessions.

According to Posner, the American ploy backfired. When Zubaydah was confronted by American interrogators posing as Saudis, “his reaction was not fear, but utter relief.” Zubaydah was happy to see the “Saudis” and gave them telephone numbers for a senior member of the royal family who would, said “tell you what to do.” One such member was Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a Westernized nephew of King Fahd. Aziz’s horse had won the Kentucky Derby in 2002. Not only did the phone numbers provided by Zubaydah prove to be true, but he also provided the Americans the Saudi-Pakistani-bin Laden triangle. (Gerald Posner, Why America Slept)

Zubaydah said the Saudi connection ran through Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom’s longtime intelligence chief. Zubaydah said Bin Laden “personally” told him of a 1991 meeting at which Turki agreed to let Bin Laden leave Saudi Arabia and to provide him with secret funds as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting jihad in the kingdom. Zubaydah also implicated the Pakistanis. He said he had attended a meeting with Pakistan’s high-ranking air force officer Mushaf Ali Mir in 1996.

Saudi horseracing connection: Farish involved in syndicates

with the late Prince Fahd Salman and Prince Ahmed Salman (nephews of King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz al-Saud) who both died unexpectedly in 2001 and 2002 respectively: Salman accused of terrorism and some conspiracy specialists reckon he was murdered. His father is Governor of Riyadh and a full brother to King Fahd.

Official Obit:
07/25/2001
Prince Fahd bin Salman bin Abdulaziz dies in Riyadh

The Royal Court today announced the death of His Royal Highness Prince Fahd bin Salman bin Abdulaziz of heart failure. He was 46. Prince Fahd is the son of the Governor of Riyadh Province Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. Funeral prayers will be held at the Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh following regular afternoon prayer today. Prince Salman will receive condolences at his palace at Al-Maazar district in Riyadh.

After graduating from King Saud University in Riyadh, Prince Fahd studied business administration in the United States. On his return to the Kingdom, he joined the Ministry of Interior, and served as Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province from 1406-1412 H <1986 to 1991>. From then until his death he was in private business, and also served as Secretary-General of the charitable association for kidney failure patients.

from:
http://www.saudiembassy.net/2001News/News/OthDetail.asp...

Salman with his brothers owned Thoroughbred Racing Corporation and along with Farish chummy Paul Mellon (also RIP) invested in Far East breeding syndicates, selling mostly to Japan, Argentina and Canada.

Fahd Salman murdered? Check this:

There was a lot of news about Prince Salman (Thoroughbred Corporation) being involved in terrorism---one report says one of Al Qaeda gave up two memorized phone numbers, and both were for cell phones belonging to the Prince. He was only 45, and the news reports says he died of a heart attack, even though he did not have a history of this kind. Anybody around the tracks hear anything about this, or if this is being covered up?

I believe the worst of bin Salman's offenses was passively allowing the papers he owned to be sympathetic to anti-americanism, nothing more. No one has produced any documents of substance linking him to terrorism, he has a brother who is currently working hard to clear bin Salman's name

More:

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ ...

Prince Ahmed Salman, Fahd's younger brother, also died unexpectedly early in 2002:

Ahmed's Obit:

Prince Ahmed bin Salman 1958 - 2002

Date: 07/22/02

On Monday, July 22, 2002, the racing world was stunned by the announcement of the death of 43-year-old Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the principal partner of the Thoroughbred Corporation, from a heart attack. His green and white striped silks are well-recognized worldwide, most recently in his four consecutive Triple Crown victories with Point Given taking the Preakness and Belmont last year and War Emblem capturing the Kentucky Derby and Preakness this year.

The nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd was born on November 17, 1958. After studying in both the military and the University of California at Irvine he went into business, eventually becoming chairman of Saudi Arabia's Research and Marketing Group, a publishing company with offices in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and also in London, England.

With his college friend Richard Mulhall as trainer, he got into the racing business initially as Universal Stable. In 1994 when the operation resurfaced as The Thoroughbred Corporation, with Mulhall retiring as a trainer and taking on the job of racing manager. Mulhall is currently the president of the operation.

Prince Ahmed celebrates War Emblem's win in the Preakness
The pair would go on to racing greatness, both with sales purchases and homebreds. The Thoroughbred Corp.'s roster reads like a who's who of racing in the past decade, with such greats as Sharp Cat, Lear Fan, Jewel Princess, Windsharp, Military, Royal Anthem, Anees, Officer, Habibti, Spain, 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given, and this year's dual classic winner War Emblem. The Prince also had success in Europe, starting with his very first horse, Hays, who won the Mill Reef Stakes and Oath who won the Epsom Derby. Currently Thoroughbred Corp. has approximately 60 horses in training mostly stabled with Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, and John Shireffs, along with 45 broodmares, mostly at Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington.

His name will always be associated with War Emblem, his one Kentucky Derby winner, which he quipped was "one of the best investments I ever made in my life, besides buying oil in Saudi Arabia," after he won the Preakness. He bought a 90% share in the colt just three weeks before the Derby, and with the win, became the first Arab owner to capture the Roses.

Bob Baffert, who trained Point Given and War Emblem, said, "When you go through a Triple Crown together you get really close. He was like family. His passion for horses was incredible -- he lived and breathed them." Point Given's regular rider Gary Stevens said, "We were very close friends outside of racing. He was a guy who loved to laugh and loved a good time. He had major flair and loved the game and was continuing to grow in the sport. At 43, everybody was looking forward to him having a long, long career in the industry and he was definitely a boost to thoroughbred racing." Churchill Downs president Tom Meeker said, "The horses he campaigned proved themselves champions on and off the track, and their star power generated much positive attention for our sport. The prince's commitment to racing was unwavering, and his infectious enthusiasm for the game will be greatly missed. Prince Salman held the Kentucky Derby in the highest esteem -- he loved and appreciated the Derby's legacy as much as we do. Churchill Downs -- and all of racing -- has lost a remarkable horsemen and true fan." He is survived by his wife Princess Lamia, four daughters, and one son.

Prince Ahmed with Spain after she won the Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap to become the richest mare in history.
War Emblem winning the Kentucky Derby.

Point Given won the Preakness, Belmont, Haskell, and Travers but didn't run well in the Kentucky Derby.
Prince Ahmed's first Breeders' Cup winner, Jewel Princess in the 1996 Distaff.

Sharp Cat, who Prince Ahmed referred to as his other daughter, won over $2 million in her career.
Anees was an upset winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Prince Ahmed.

Habibti was a top 2-year-old filly and has had some success as a 3-year-old this year, finishing second in the Kentucky Oaks.
Officer was another brilliant 2-year-old trained by Bob Baffert for Prince Ahmed.