Jiddah, Saudi Arabia ? Ahmed bin Salman was racing’s prince charming whether he was kissing the nose of his horse in the winner’s circle, joking with jockeys about how famous he’d make them, or bantering with other owners as he outbid them for another prospect.

On Monday, the genial owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem died of a heart attack at age 43, shocking the thoroughbred racing world from boardrooms to barns.

A member of the Saudi royal family, Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz was a nephew of King Fahd and head of a publishing empire.

But horses were his lifelong passion, and War Emblem’s wire-to-wire victory at the Kentucky Derby in May made Ahmed the first Arab to win America’s most famous thoroughbred race.

His gregarious spirit and frequent laughter made him popular among jockeys and trainers, including Bob Baffert, who trained War Emblem and 2001 horse of the year Point Given for the prince.

“I’m in shock,” Baffert told the industry publication The Blood Horse. “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.”

Ahmed became known for buying the top horses at the annual sales in Kentucky. He did not attend this summer’s yearling sales due to what sale officials said were business demands in Riyadh.

Although Ahmed said he didn’t bet on his horses, he was known to gamble with his thoroughbred purchases. He bought War Emblem for $900,000 just 11 days before the Kentucky Derby, despite the fact that other owners and trainers were scared off because the colt had bone chips.

“It’s been my dream,” Ahmed said after War Emblem won at Churchill Downs. “I love you guys in America.”

War Emblem won the Derby, the Preakness and then stumbled as the heavy favorite at the start of the Belmont Stakes, denying racing its first Triple Crown winner in 24 years.

Point Given, though, was perhaps his finest horse, winning the 2001 Preakness and Belmont and being named horse of the year. Point Given had finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m shocked and saddened,” said jockey Gary Stevens, who rode Point Given to victories in the Preakness and Belmont stakes in 2001. “We were very close friends outside of racing. He was a guy who loved to laugh and loved a good time.”