As another season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) draws to a close, we take a look back at the new emergence of UAE breeding horses that have seen their foals take a firm position in the rose-garlanded winner’s circle.
For many years now, the UAE has been the country that has shone its spotlight on the evolution of the, as we now know it, ‘show horse’. With blood from some of the world’s greatest and strongest breeding programmes gelling together to infuse the type of the next generation of superstars, the UAE draws people from around the globe to just glimpse the next level in statuesque yearlings. For it seems it is the yearlings that create the path of promise to sell a stallion’s semen worldwide at vastly inflated fees when you take into comparison the overall average price of an Arabian today. With a worldwide decline in registered foals every year, the UAE is, as always, bucking the trend and going from strength to unwavering strength, all in the search to create that perfect ‘one’.
Over the past twenty-five years of my time in this country, the show horses have changed dramatically. The Late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the famed Royal Stables strongly laid out beliefs that his ideal Arabian horse should be as proud as a lion for his stallions and as delicate as a gazelle with regards to his treasured mares. One story in particular comes to mind: following the importation of a notable racing stallion that had broken track records, he was led around the corner. With bated breath, the entourage and team waiting for a smile to crack His Highness’ face. The stallion quietly walked past the congregation, and it was heard that he should indeed “keep on walking”. The lion was merely a pussycat, and this particular horse was no longer held in esteem from that time on. Now this fashion seems to be the norm, dainty stallions with fine fragile bone structures and while chased with plastic bags to enter show arenas to rapturous applause and bellows from their own teams, the self-carriage exuberance of the macho stallions of times past seems to be for many merely a distant memory. Is this the reason that the fertility of some of these top horses comes into question?
I digress… The start and the end of the season saw the crowning of the first flurry of Exagon OS (Cyclone OS x Strastya OS) foals in the country with Albidayer Stud’s homebred Ajeebah Albidayer (ex Afnan Albidayer by Psyrasic) taking Gold. This filly, like most of the Exagon’s, has that wonderful explosive expression that can transform a filly in a nanosecond. I think we are so conditioned to see horses with artificial charisma that when we see it so naturally, we all get super excited.
Another of the sires that made a quiet impact was that of AJ Redan, a tall exotic son of D Seraj (FA el Rasheem x Ladi Veronika), a stallion himself who is infused with a double cross to Versace (Fame VF x Precious as Gold), and out of the Vervaldee (Versace x Giavanna) daughter AJ Brwaz, thus bringing in another dose of Versace into the mix. The special element for me is the added bonus of having Panaera by Palawan (WH Justice x Palawan) as his granny. With a heritage such as this, it’s clear to see why this stallion is starting to path his own road to success for owner and breeder, Ajman Stud. His worthy son Redan al Sadeem (ex J Areeb by SG Labib) was winning Gold and continuing with consistent placings for his local breeder, Mohammed Abduljabbar Alali. This colt didn’t go unnoticed and was bought towards the end of the season by Al Zobair Stud as a future show and breeding horse. Time will tell us more in a few years if this was an astute decision; I think it was.
Another of the Ajman stallion progeny to trickle into the championships via his American leased tour offspring is that of AJ Radman. This long-legged chestnut has a very strong look from both his sire and dam. Sired by the ever-popular AJ Mardan, a son of Vervaldee out of the alabaster beauty, Felicia RLC (ex Camelia K), a daughter of a much important breeding ingredient, Shael Dream Desert (Ansata Shamis x Elettra). Radman’s dam is the superb Ajman Moniscione (WH Justice x Anthea Moniscione) daughter AJ Rahifa (ex Thee Rahiba), further proving the blood of Padron (Patron x Odessa) keeps giving. His daughter, Vivia SB (ex Verastrella) featured in the Gold medal awards, an exotic filly imported with great success for Albidayer Stud and one of the most amazing owners, Sheikh Mohammed Saud Al Qasimi, but we still haven’t seen any more siblings here in the UAE.
SQ Wasim was another name that echoed from the commentator’s lips as another new upcoming sire. Bred by Saqran Stud this six-year-old stallion is actually CA affected but is still capable of siring some wonderful foals. A pedigree of champions with a proven cross of the Marwan/Shanghai formula, this stallion is a generation removed but still as potent being by Shanghai EA’s most successful son, the spectacular Excalibur EA (ex Essence of Marwan EA). Wasim’s dam is a notable mare of merit and a wise buy from one of the Schoukens Training Center auctions many years ago, the glorious Marajj (Marwan al Shaqab x RGA Kouress) daughter My Fair Rose-D, of course bred by Martine Van-Hee and from the Padron heritage bred mare WH Marissa Rose (Magnum Psyche x WH Takara Bey), further cementing that classic type.
Another young stallion is M Munther, bred and owned by Mansour Saeed Hamad Azzan al Mazrouei. Sired by Exxalt (Excalibur EA x Vesperra) out of the Emerald J (QR Marc x Emandoria) daughter Dhai Alsakab (ex WA Ppriscilla), he has been a consistent entry in the top ten line ups this season. His son, the very mature and bold moving Sharar AlManhal (ex Shams AlManhal) who after featuring in a few championship line ups early on in the season, was snapped up after his Global Champion Arabians Tour (GCAT) win in Ajman and went on to further glory before heading off to Europe to follow the GCAT dream.
With the quality ever higher, the youngstock classes are deep and vibrant. Lana al Firas was a filly that made her mark this season for the ever present Al Firas Stud in Abu Dhabi. She is the daughter of another Vervaldee descendant, his grandson AJ Marzan (AJ Portofino x Hed AB Maria), who is currently on lease to Ariela stud in Isreal. This huge-moving filly is the crowd’s darling and is out of one of Marajj’s finest daughters, Lubna al Firas (ex SS Lady Diana), herself an Aachen winner and now the cornerstone of the breeding barn. With access to so many horses of undeniable quality, the small breeders are now starting to give the Sheikh-owned farms a real run for their money. In the Quran, it is written that the owner of a stallion should help his neighbours to upgrade their own stock with the use of his stallions; this sadly is not followed by some of the bigger stables, whose stallions are not available to the everyday owner or at a vast fee that isn’t realistic for many of us to afford. However, Albidayer Stud is one of the exceptions and some local small breeders have wisely used this blood with great results and, in turn, now have an increasing arsenal of broodmare power as evidenced by Lubna al Firas and her family.
As this article shows, a relatively small gene pool of stallion has been used to great effect, and this can lead to a downfall in that many horses have much the same look. If the head is more exaggerated than the others, then that is what people clamour to breed – and then what the judges award with a sea of 20s for type and head and neck. The times of waiting for eyes to pop out and jowls to grow in seem to be over for so many as people’s patience decreases combined with an increased urgency for instant gratification. The popular stallions of FA el Rasheem (FA el Shawan x Virtuosa MLR), D Seraj, Marajj, SMA Magic One (Psytadel x Majidah Bint Pacha) and Shanghai EA to name a few that have lasted the test of time are still ever present, and these set a benchmark for us all to follow.
We are now waiting for the new season’s jewels to be displayed in the spotlight glamour of the arenas of the UAE. This is our time to be patient wait, as always, for the next superstar to emerge.
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