BK Latif is our cover star for Volume V Issue I of our coffee-table book The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine – read on to learn more about this beautiful straight Egyptian stallion.
Al Shiraa Arabians in the United Arab Emirates is home to some truly beautiful Arabian horses. The femininity of their mares is breath-taking, while the power of their stallion collection mesmerises. Each newborn foal is the result of a carefully considered breeding, with a lot of thought going into deciding which stallion to put with which mare.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner and founder of Al Shiraa Arabians, has a long and rich history with the Arabian horse, being the granddaughter of the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan. A dedicated horsewoman all her life, Sheikha Fatima has clear and distinct breeding programmes at her farm – for straight Egyptians, for Spanish lines, and for show horses. And lest we forget, the show horse programme includes the incredible mare Eralda (Emerald J x Enezja by Marajj), a Silver Junior Female World Champion who is already proving herself to be a broodmare of significance.
Central to the straight Egyptian programme is a group of incredible mares and Al Shiraa have added two sons of the straight Egyptian stallion Nader al Jamal (Ansata Sinan x Savannah CC by Thee Desperado) to their programme. The first is the Egyptian-sired Mahder al Jamal (ex Mahity el Jamaal by Dakar el Jamaal out of Mackenzie), and the second is BK Latif. Originally leased to Al Shiraa for the 2020 breeding season, BK Latif made such an impression on Sheikha Fatima and the team – along with his first foals born for Al Shiraa – that they decided that this gentle, typey grey stallion should call this farm home.
Foaled in 2010, BK Latif’s pedigree is rich with Egyptian heritage. His sire, Nader el Jamaal, was bred by Two Silos Farm in the United States and is a son of the legendary stallion Ansata Sinan (ex Ansata Nefara by Ansata Halim Shah out of Ansata Sudarra), an Arabian horse that combines the bloodlines of his sire Prince Fa Moniet (The Egyptian Prince x Fa Moniet by Ibn Moniet el Nefous) with Ansata Halim Shah (Ansata Ibn Halima x Ansata Rosetta by Ansata Shah Zaman), two of the heavyweights of modern Egyptian breeding. Nader el Jamal’s dam is Savannah CC, by Thee Desperado (The Minstril x AK Amiri Asmarr by The Egyptian Prince) and out of Miss Maggie Mae (The Minstril x Bint Magidaa by Khofo), who goes back to Ruminaja Ali (Shaikh al Badi x Bint Magidaa) on both sides of her pedigree.
If BK Latif’s sireline is classical, old lines, his damline brings in some modern Egyptian breeding through her sire thanks to the might of Ariela Arabians’ straight Egyptian programme. Latifah AA is sired by Al Maraam, a son of the significant Egyptian sire Imperial Imdal (Ansata Imperial x Dalia by Morafic) and out of the legendary mare The Vision HG (Thee Desperado x Belle Staar by The Minstril), a true dam of significance. Latifah AA is out of the Imperial Stud-bred Imperial Kalatifa, by Imperial al Kamar (El Hilal x Imperialsonbesjul by Hossny) and out of AK Latifa (Ibn Moniet el Nefous x Siralima by Ansata Ibn Halima).
The blend of Ansata, Imperial, and Ariela lines crafted together to create a truly magical Arabian stallion in BK Latif. He is incredibly beautiful, if that is a word you can use with a stallion, very typey and correct. Bred by BK Arabians in Germany, he first came to prominence as a three-year old colt when he took titles not only at Egyptian shows, but also in open competition – no small feat for a straight Egyptian Arabian.
In 2013, he was named Silver Junior Male Champion at the Egyptian Event Europe as well as taking the Best Head Trophy. He also took the Junior Male Championship at the German National Championships, Silver Junior Male Champion at the Berlin Cup, and was named Bronze Junior Male Champion at the Arabian Breeders’ Cup in Chantilly. As a stallion, BK Latif repeated his success at the German Nationals, this time taking the Gold Senior Male Championship in 2018.
On his arrival at Al Shiraa Arabians, the stud’s manager Antonia Bautista, said: “We love the look that Nader el Jamal gives to his progeny, and we all fell for Madher el Jamal as soon as he arrived with us. It was an easy decision for us to add BK Latif for the 2020 season, as we want to be able to breed straight Egyptian progeny to develop this side of the programme further. Both are wonderful horses, and we are excited to have them standing side by side.”
Sheikha Fatima says that it was inevitable that BK Latif would stay at Al Shiraa Arabians, explaining: “His first foal for us was an extraordinary filly out of Tamara Ismail (Taymour Sakr x Roeyah Albadeia by Nasr Albadeia). We had already fallen in love with BK Latif, but when this filly arrived, we just knew that he had to stay.
Filly by BK Latif out of Tamara Ismail
“His prepotency and his bloodlines are so valuable in the modern breeding world, and we are lucky to be able to have him here at Al Shiraa. BK Latif will be available to a limited number of breeders each year, and we are excited to see how he continues to cross not only over our straight Egyptian mares, but over our broodmares as a whole.”
There is no doubt that, even as we enter a new decade, the power of a Egyptian stallion continues to captivate Arabian breeders the world over, and BK Latif truly is no exception.
The majestic BK Latif is the cover star of Volume V Issue I of The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine. Order your copy here.
You can read more of The Arabian Magazine & The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine cover star stories here.
