Empery's dam Peruvian Triple Crown racemare Pamplona II,[2] who had previously produced the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Pampered Miss.

[3] On his three-year-old debut, Empery finished fourth behind Red Lord in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and then ran poorly when unplaced in the Prix Daphnis.

He then produced his best performance to date when finishing third to his stable companion Youth (also owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt) and Arctic Tern in the Group One Prix Lupin at Longchamp.

He was then sent to England to contest the Derby, with Lester Piggott who had ridden six previous winners of the race being engaged to ride the colt at Epsom.

[5] Piggott's seventh win in the race enabled him to surpass the previous record of six, which he had jointly held alongside Jem Robinson and Steve Donoghue.

[6] In the Irish Derby at the Curragh a month later, Empery started 5/4 favourite but finished second, beaten two and a half lengths by another French colt, the François Boutin-trained Malacate.

Standing at Hunt's Bluegrass Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, he notably sired Blue Finn, the 1986 Canadian Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, plus U.S. multiple stakes winner, Barbery.