Mulawa Arabian Stud is our premier sponsor for 2025, and we are honoured to share their history of their fifty-plus years breeding programme through TheArabianMagazine.Com. This month, we celebrate their incredible stallion, Klass, who died in May. In part two of this feature, we look at Klass, the super sire. For part one, click here.
The very first Klass foals had arrived with great expectation in the 2008-2009 foaling season, while Klass was prepping for his final year as a halter horse, resulting in three purebred fillies and one Arabian pony colt. Among the trio of promising fillies was the superbly conformed Klassic Harmony MI (ex Fames Harmony), a natural show horse and athlete who affirmed the wisdom of mating Klass with the Fame Maker R (Fame VF x Inschallah El Shaklan by El Shaklan) daughters. Not only was the alluringly complete Klassic Harmony the very first Klass progeny to be honoured with an Australian National Champion title, that of Reserve Champion Yearling Filly in 2010, but she would also become the first Klass daughter to gain notoriety from foreign breeders, catching the eye of Al Shaqab Stud in Qatar, to whom she was exported in 2011. Acting as the catalyst for increased demand over the next decade and half, Klassic Harmony was followed, most impressively, by sixteen other exportations of Klass daughters worldwide to destinations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Thailand, China and Malaysia, including the most recent export of Klassical Chance MI (ex Chance To Dance by Magnum Forty Four) to Sarah Hamilton’s Arohanui Arabians in New Zealand.
The other transformational filly from the very first foal crop was Klassical Dream MI (ex Mustang’s Magnum), the trendsetter responsible for what became the Golden Cross of the new millennium at Mulawa, that of Klass with the daughters of Magnum Forty Four (Magnum Psyche x WH Nashahna by Bey Shah). A next level show horse of uncompromising beauty and presence, Klassical Dream was the singular superstar unequivocally responsible for the recognition of Klass as a serious global sire of importance, while simultaneously elevating Mulawa’s status as breeders of significance. A trailblazer on multiple fronts, Klassical Dream was the first Klass progeny to win a major show-ring accolade, honoured as East Coast Champion Yearling Filly in 2010. Her inaugural Australian National Championship, and the first for Klass as a sire, was that of Champion Junior Filly in 2011, the same year Klass took his final famous turn as National Champion Working Stock Horse. Three years later, Klassical Dream would set the stage for an unprecedented, and yet unchallenged, run for Klass daughters by claiming the ultimate honour of Australian National Champion Mare by unanimous decision. This wildly popular win brought great satisfaction to her new owners, Al Khalediah Stud from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as to Christine Jamar of Jadem Arabians in Belgium, who had astutely brokered the acquisition and was unquestionably one of the mare’s biggest fans.
Soon after, Dream would depart on a world tour as a show horse, claiming titles on no less than four continents over several seasons, the pinnacle of which was Gold Champion Mare at the All Mediterranean and Arab Countries Championship in Menton, France. As international banner carrier extraordinaire, Klassical Dream not only made the world sit up and take notice of Mulawa and the Australian Arabian horse, but she made Klass daughters a sought-after commodity for leading breeders all around the globe. Recently acquired by Sheikh Khaled’s younger brother HRH Prince Abdulmajeed bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his Akmal Stud, Klassical Dream now enjoys renewed hope as a broodmare of enduring influence, buoyed all the more recently by the success of her daughter TL Yasmine (by Ghaith Al Zobair) as 2025 Qassim Arabian Horse Show Gold Champion Yearling Filly.
Klassical Dream’s triumph as Australian National Champion Mare in 2014 was made even more spectacular by the accomplishments of her stablemates Klassical Devotion MI (ex Mulawa Kiara by Magnum Psyche) and Klassical Presence MI (ex Parada by Magnum Forty Four), each of whom were honoured as Australian National Champion Yearling Filly and Junior Female, respectively. In another record-shattering clean sweep, Mulawa was not only the proud breeder of all three Australian National Champion Females, but the programme also raised the bar of achievement with the recognition of Klass as the sire of every single newly crowned National Champion Mare and Filly, an unforgettable moment captured in time post-show by the incomparable talent of Stuart Vesty. From this singular moment on, the fates of Klassical Devotion and Klassical Presence were inextricably intertwined, the pair showing twice more together at Aussies: in 2015 with Presence repeating her win as Australian National Champion Junior Female and Devotion just behind in reserve; and again in 2016 with Devotion winning the very first Australian National Gold Champion Junior Female title, and Presence victorious as unanimous Australian National Gold Champion Mare, securing her status as one of the greatest show horses in Australian history by becoming the first undefeated three-time successive Australian National Champion female. Soon after their gold standard triumphs in 2016, both Klassical Devotion and Klassical Presence were exported to Schoukens Training Center in Belgium, where they soon caught the eye of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani. In a fortunate turn of events, both mares were acquired by Sheikh Abdullah for his Al Zobair Stud in the United Arab Emirates, where they both continue to flourish and have produced a number of champion descendants.
The third of Klass’ Australian National Champion Females was MI Klassic Fantasy, the younger full sister to the iconic Klassical Dream MI, born two seasons later in 2010. Having followed faithfully in the footsteps of her older, immensely famous, sister as East Coast Champion Yearling Filly in 2012, Fantasy was bested by stablemate MI Harmony (Guiliano x Fames Harmony by Fame Maker R) at the Australian National Championships in the same division, taking home the title of Australian National Reserve Champion Yearling Filly at her very first Aussies. She would return five years later, following a very successful career as a matron in the Mulawa broodmare band, to elevate her sire’s status once again as 2017 Australian National Gold Champion Mare, triumphing alongside Mulawa-bred full sisters Venecia MI and Venice MI (Allegiance MI x Valentine MI by DA Valentino) in another clean sweep of the Arabian mare and filly divisions at the Aussies. In 2022, Klassic Fantasy was acquired by Steve and Christina Poore of Orrion Farms in the United States, residing now at their breeding operation in Ellensburg, Washington, where she is cherished among the elite broodmares and continues to produce champion progeny of world-class appeal.
The show career of the fourth Klass daughter to claim the title of Australian National Champion Mare was well underway when MI Klassic Fantasy concluded her stellar show career at Aussies. As a two-year-old the following season, Klassical Fame MI (ex Forever Fame by Fame Maker R) had matured into a formidable contender, winning her first unanimous Australian National Gold Championship in 2018 alongside fellow Mulawa-bred superstars A Vision MI (Allegiance MI x Always Valentine MI by DA Valetino) as National Gold Champion Yearling Filly, and Romance MI (Magnum Forty Four x Rimaraa by Marwan Al Shaqab) as National Gold Champion Mare. Most remarkably, Klassical Fame returned in 2019 to claim the same title, again by unanimous consent, as part of the clean-sweep Mulawa-bred trio of Venecia MI as National Gold Champion Mare, and paternal sister Klassical Tiara MI, the younger full sister to Klassical Dream MI and MI Klassic Fantasy, as National Gold Champion Yearling Filly. Klassical Fame’s final performance at the Australian National Championships in 2020 became a monumental triumph for several reasons, firstly and foremostly by becoming the fourth Australian National Champion Mare sired by Klass, and in the process elevating to him to unchallenged status as the all-time leading sire of Australian National Champions in the mare and filly divisions at the event. Like three-quarter sister Klassical Presence MI before her, Klassical Fame also became only the second mare to ‘three-peat’ at the Australian National Championships, winning successively as a Gold Champion Filly in 2018 and 2019, and as a Gold Champion Mare in 2020. Klassical Fame also happened to be lucky number ten, the tenth Mulawa-bred mare in succession to be, most astoundingly, named Australian National Champion Mare, an unprecedented record of achievement that now extends to fourteen mares in total from 1984 to 2025, including the most – four – sired by any single sire: Klass.
In total, Klass was the sire of thirty-eight purebred daughters, all honoured, with the exception of two, with some variation of his namesake, prefaced with Klassic, Klassical or Klassically. These mares have been the heart and soul of the Mulawa breeding programme for over a decade and are responsible for the greatest number of promising breeding females of the newest generation. Just seven invaluable Klass daughters remain at Mulawa – the aforementioned Klassical Fame MI and Klassical Tiara MI, Klassical Symphony MI (ex Fames Harmony), Klassical Jewel MI (ex Mustang’s Magnum), Klassically Adored MI (ex Mulawa Aspiring by Magnum Forty Four), Klassical Praise MI (ex Parada) and Klassical Cherish MI (ex of Chance To Dance). A number of other precious Klass daughters are prized matrons for breeders all across Australia and New Zealand, including full sisters Klassical Finesse MI and Klassical Fascination MI (ex Forever Fame), Klassic Elegance MI (ex Mulawa Kiara), Klassical Aspiration MI (ex Mulawa Aspiring), MI Klassic Splendour (ex Fames Harmony), Klassical Paige MI (ex Parada), Klassical Faith MI (ex Karess by Magnum Forty Four), Klassical Giselle MI (ex Glamour MI by Gazal al Shaqab), Klassical Desire MI (ex Mulawa Dark Angel by Magnum Psyche), and his youngest, Klassical Treasure MI (ex Mustang’s Magnum), born in 2018. Several of the most athletic Klass daughters have been exported to Thailand and Malaysia, where all enjoy incredibly successful careers in endurance and performance pursuits, while four others have found fortune as broodmares for aspiring breeding programmes in China. Along with the exported Klass daughters already mentioned who are excelling as matrons for their new owners, two others are worthy of notable mention: Klassical Enchantment MI (ex Chance To Dance) at Akmal Stud, Saudi Arabia; and Klassical Inspiration MI (ex Aspired by Parkview Audacious) for Xin Wang’s Xinda Bohan Stud in China, whose daughter XI Wa Na (by Gaudi J) was named Gold Champion Filly, and granddaughter AI Mi Li (Gaudi J x Linggan by Allegiance MI) was named Gold Champion Yearling Filly at the 2025 China Breeders Cup Arabians Tour in April.
“We tend to think of the Klass daughters as a whole,” Jane explains, “for as a group they are so homogenous and similar in phenotype. Unlike the Magnum Forty Four and Allegiance MI progeny, who tend to predictably develop as mini versions of themselves from youngsters, the Klass progeny require patience and time, becoming drier, more refined, more coordinated and more impressive with each passing year. The patience we have learned to develop for the Klass progeny has always been well rewarded.”
Julie often finds the best of her beloved Karmaa in the Klass daughters, keenly appreciating “their ethereal femininity with a soft turn to the throat, long lean elegant necks, vascular capacious nostrils, and large black liquid eyes that look straight into your soul”. Greg is “especially proud of the Klass daughters and all they have achieved as both show horses and broodmares. Some of his very best daughters remain prized matrons at many of the leading stud farms around the world, and no other horse has been more responsible for establishing the respect and reputation Mulawa now enjoys on the global stage than Klass. Although my expectations for Klass as a sire were most certainly high, he has exceeded all of them multiple times over. He has left an indelible mark on the Mulawa programme, and even more rewardingly, continues to do so within the greater Arabian breed worldwide.”
While the Klass daughters receive much of the well-deserved attention that have attributed to their sire’s acclaim, Klass sons are no less worthy of recognition and respect. Of the thirty-two purebred sons sired by Klass, six found fortune as sires in Australia, including Australian National Reserve Champion Konfidence MI (ex Karess by Magnum Forty Four), later exported to Thailand where he enjoys a very successful tenure as a sire of elite level endurance horses. Of all the Klass sons that have enjoyed careers as sires, none has been more successful than MI Klassique, current Mulawa chief sire who is responsible for a growing number of champion progeny with just twenty-six foals to his credit. With the size, substance, structure and imposing masculinity of both Klass and TS al Malik, Klassique is advancing his tail-male heritage with an added dose of type and elegance, courtesy of his incomparable dam Mustang’s Magnum (Magnum Forty Four x Sahtarah by Sahjat). The leading dam of champions in Australian Arabian history, ‘Maggie’, as she is affectionately known, has produced more foals by Klass – eight in total, including five daughters and three sons – than any other mare. The four of these full siblings that have been shown are all Australian National Champions, while MI Klassique looks to extend the triumphant inclination of his family to its greatest levels of achievement.
Like the Klass daughters of the previous generation, the Klassique daughters of the present generation continue to raise the standard of excellence at Mulawa. “We recently weaned a colt foal out of twice Australasian International Gold Champion and two-time Australian National Champion Ballet MI (ex Bree MI by Allegiance MI),” Greg illuminates, “one of our very best MI Klassique daughters, in her maiden season in the programme. Sired by Dominic M (Da Vinci FM x Rosa La Valentina by DA Valentino), this great grandson of Klass possesses so many of the same qualities we appreciated about his famous ancestor at the same age – the size, structure, poise and commanding charisma that makes you feel as if you are in the presence of something special. Given the name Baroque MI, this promising prospect is, in my opinion, the finest colt foal produced at Mulawa in over a decade.” Even amid the grief of losing Klass too prematurely, hope continues to spring eternal generations on, reinforcing the Mulawa mantra of ‘advancing equine excellence’ with all the essential elements of its invaluable past.
For twenty-five of the other Klass sons, those whose destinies were defined as geldings, the stories of their successes as both show horses and equine athletes serve only to advance the legend of Klass as a sire. An impressive fourteen of these geldings have earned championship honours in the show-ring, many in both halter and performance divisions, as one might expect as direct descendants of the archetypal beautiful athlete. A few of the most accomplished deserve special mention, including Australian National Champions Krusade MI (ex DM Marcedes True Love by RHR Marcedes), Khrome MI (ex Fames Harmony), Kasper MI (ex Chance to Dance), Kourage MI (ex Mustang’s Magnum), Master Klass (ex Mystic Fame by Fame Maker R), Krown MI (ex Love Potion M by Padrons Psyche), and Parlance MI (ex Parada), the last in this no means exhaustive list a three-time successive Australian National Gold Champion who has amassed one of the most impressive show records of any gelding in Australia. Klass’s oldest gelding son, the phenomenally talented Mystere MI (ex Mystic Fame), has been, in true Klass style, a trailblazer in the broader equestrian world around Australia, competing very successfully with his owner/rider Stephanie Debaecker as an open show hunter and ridden hack. His recent outing at the Australasian Arabian International Championships in 2025 resulted in a clean sweep of all divisions entered, finishing as undefeated Gold Champion Ridden Arabian Gelding as well as Arabian Show Hunter in both the open and non-professional divisions. Joining several other Klass sons in endurance, an Olympic discipline in which his descendants continue to thrive and excel, are former Australian National Champion show horses Kane MI (ex Parada) and Archangel MI (ex Mulawa Dark Angel), both of whom are now pursuing endurance careers in the UAE.
The lifetime total of foals for Klass, who never stood at public stud, was just seventy purebreds, with an additional two Arabian derivatives to his credit. To have accomplished all he did as a sire with just a fraction of the foals so many of the other leading sires around the world enjoy as their legacy is an awe-inspiring achievement in and of itself. To realise further that all of the Klass progeny were the product of a single breeding vision – that of the Farrell Family at Mulawa Arabian Stud – makes the enduring legacy of Klass, the sire, one of the most extraordinary and impressive success stories of the Arabian breed in the new millennium.
We will conclude our in-depth tribute to Klass later this week.
