ARIA LA CROIXX...

A Colt Too Good To Pass Up

by THERESA CARDAMONE

When Aria La Croixx made his 3-year-old debut at the 2023 Scottsdale show, he did so in spectacular fashion, winning his class and earning the Reserve Champion Senior Stallion title. Ivan and Sheryl Osorio weren’t looking for colts for their Aspire Arabians when they first saw him as a yearling. They already had their homebred Ernando AA, a Scottsdale champion and Mid Summer Nationals Reserve Champion. Another colt the same age wasn’t in their plans. But La Croixx was unforgettable.

“He was just spectacular,” Ivan stresses. “He caught our eye and made a big impression. He has great presence and a lot of energy, and he is very correct.” Sheryl adds, “We liked him, but weren’t shopping for colts, so we didn’t buy him at first. But then Andy Sellman redirected our attention to him at the Mid Summer Nationals in Tulsa.” In fact, Aria La Croixx was named the Mid Summer National Champion Yearling Colt, placing just ahead of Ernando. “We wrote the check at the show and took him back to Scottsdale,” Sheryl confirms.

Orrion Farms’ head trainer, Andy, was intimately familiar with La Croixx’s sire, Delacroixx, who was born on his Argent Farms in Wisconsin. “I showed him as a yearling and he was Reserve National Champion Yearling Colt,” he says. “Then I showed him to the U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt title and to Arabian Breeders World Cup (ABWC) Gold Championship Junior Colt honors. He was an effervescent colt with tremendous energy and attitude all the time. At Sahara Arabians, I saw La Croixx’s mother, the Brazilian import La Belle Shawan HVP, who is absolutely to-die-for beautiful. La Croixx’s pedigree is rock solid and should make him a valuable breeding horse.”

The ABWC format has each horse shown individually, and the Aspire team decided to show both La Croixx and Ernando in the 2022 edition. Andy showed them to first and second place in their class. With Ted Carson stepping in to handle Ernando in the championship, La Croixx was the unanimous Gold Champion and Ernando was Silver. “The six ABWC championships are coveted by horsemen,” Andy explains. “Ivan and Sheryl had primarily shown performance horses and so weren’t yet recognized as part of the halter scene. There was a buzz when they won a Gold and Silver. It was quite an achievement for a small breeder to do so well at that show. I really love Ivan and Sheryl. They aren’t in the horse business for the social aspects, they are in it because they truly love their horses.”

They showed both colts again in the new Breeding Pays Futurity at the 2022 U.S. Nationals. This time, Ernando was the high-scoring colt and and La Croixx was 3rd out of the

20+ colt class. Even so, Andy decided to show La Croixx in the championship and let Ted handle Ernando again. Sure enough, La Croixx was the unanimous Breeding Pays Futurity Champion, winning $35,000. “I chose to lead him because he is the ultimate show horse. Any day of the week, he is ready to put on a show. He is an extremely beautiful animal, but he has the energy, extreme confidence, and sparkle that a winning show horse needs. A lot of colts his age negotiates with their handler constantly. This guy doesn’t do that. He bottles his energy into happy, positive, rather than combative energy. His brain puts him over the top.”

For the time being, La Croixx will rest on his laurels. “Breeding is the most exciting part of the business for me,” Ivan attests. “On the horizon is the Nationals, but obviously breeding La Croixx this year is a priority. We only have a couple of our own mares old enough to breed because we believe in letting them mature before they become mothers. We want good producers that will complement him and are securing embryo rights from some outstanding mares. It is a very convenient and effective way of breeding and seeing what he can do.” Andy concurs. “We don’t feel urgency to show during the summer. We prefer to get his breeding career going and get some mares pregnant. Then, we’ll get ready for Nationals.” ■