Breeder Focus
Al Shahania Stud
By Pamela Burton THE BEGINNING The Al Thani family’s Arabian horse vision now extends from the deserts of Qatar across the world to the top breeding, racing and show grounds in the USA. As a bit of history, H.H. the Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani was the ruler of Qatar from 1995 until 2013. His fourth son, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani from his second wife Sheikha Moza, is now the eighth and current Amir of Qatar. Arabian horses were always a large part of the Qatari history and tradition, and in the 1980’s, another member of the ruling family, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani began the
Top: H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani accepting a trophy from Ahmed Salem Al-Ali, Director of Program Management at the social and sport contibution fund. Middle: Al Shahania trainer Julian Smart advises jockeys prior to a race. Bottom: Dean Lavy, Manager of Global Operations at Al Shahania and his wife Kelly. 26
transformation of the piece of land outside Doha that would become home to Al Shahania Stud. Hand-picked by Sheikh Mohammed, the foundation of the stud were French-bred Arabians — the mare, Akie Croix Noir, and the stallion Djendel. These lines continue a prominent position in the breeding of the farm, and Sheikh Mohammed is still totally involved with breeding and training. Al Shahania Stud today has one of the world’s leading Arabian horse racing programs, having bred and raced over 100 Arabian racing Group 1 winners globally, with a presence also in the Arabian show world, and about 20% of stock in racing Thoroughbreds.
