Truest

NATIONAL CHAMPION

by

Jeffrey Wintersteen

Previous page and at right: Truest (Trussardi x Marlene Dietrich), was crowned 2015 U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt with the highest score for any male at the show, and then went on to win unanimous U.S. National Champion Junior Stallion, owned

by Truest Partners, LLC.

“Truest”

is an appropriate name for the bay colt who dominated U.S. Nationals in Tulsa this fall, earning the highest score for any male at the show and a unanimous decision for U.S. National Champion Junior Stallion by all five judges. Bred by Robert Williams and John Brown of Rojo Arabians in Port Orange, Florida, Truest was recognized as special since the day he was foaled.

“After 30 plus years of breeding, both Robert and I have developed an eye for spotting special foals,” says John. “Truest was certainly one that caught our eye the moment he was born. He had all the parts to be a great show horse, it was just a matter of the parts all coming together.”

Truest was a product of sire Trussardi and the mare Marlene Dietrich by *Marwan Al Shaqab — both bred Rojo Arabians. Knowing that they had a future superstar on their hands, John was careful in choosing a name. “When I have a special horse I always try to come up with a fitting name and try to use something relating to the dam,” explains John. “So as I was trying to come up with a colt name that tied in with Marlene Dietrich, and I started to think of ways to describe Marlene Dietrich the person. That is when I thought 138 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

of how her voice was so authentic and genuine, but that did not fit with Trussardi until I looked for adjectives and came up with “truest.’ It was a perfect fit: a genuine, authentic representation of an Arabian.”

Truest was originally purchased as a yearling by Merrilee Lyons on the advice of Cathy Vincent. He was shown sparingly as a yearling and into his two-year-old year, but it was not without being noticed by some astute horseman. As Jeff Sloan of Aria Arabians explains, “In July 2014 I got a call from Keith Krichke who said, ‘I think there is one you should know about.’

I am always on the lookout for the next great horse and constantly have my feelers out to people accordingly. I generally let them talk and then follow up with some probing questions. I may ask the same question ten different ways, trying to see how everything lines up in terms of impression of the horse. Keith obviously knows a good horse and this horse was interesting from Keith’s description right away. There were other interested parties so we needed to move quickly. I was on vacation with my family at the time, but I knew I needed to get on a plane and go see this horse.”

While Jeff does own horses outright, he also has a great deal of success with creating partnerships that compete and win at the top of the industry. “I line up a good group of people who want to be part of this at the highest level;

we are always ready to make a purchase when something really special comes along,” explains Jeff.

One gentleman who had already contacted Jeff about being involved in a future partnership was Tony Shooshani. “Tony is relatively new and got into Arabians through Phillip Del Pozzo and Brent Stone of Enzo Ltd.,” remembers Jeff. “Tony had approached me at the 2014 Las Vegas show and asked me to keep him me in mind if I found something special.” Tony was particularly interested in a stallion, and consequently, he was the first call Jeff made. In these situations, Jeff feels it is imperative to have a high caliber trainer on board, in this case Greg Gallún. “I called Greg because it is not just about the horse, but the vision of how you are going to execute down the road and what you need to get done to have the horse be all he can be. Having a triple A handler who is interested and invested in the horse is important to the

ultimate outcome.”

Greg, for his part, did a little research before jumping on the plane. “I called the judges who had judged the colt because theirs were opinions that I respected: Donnie Bullock and Jeremy Harper,” says Greg. “They both gave Truest glowing reports. Donnie went so far as to say, ‘Not only do I love him, but I judged a lot that year and he was the best I saw.’ I knew then that we were going to see something quite special.”

The trio arrived a day later on the east coast and traveled to Cathy Vincent’s Adandy Farm where the colt was currently residing. As Jeff 139 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

Truest

recounts, “Immediately you could see the kind of qualities that are abundant in the horse now. What struck me most about Truest was his potential as a breeding stallion. He is one of the rare individuals with a beautiful shoulder and neck that at the same time is really pretty. He is the ultimate version of what his pedigree indicated he should be, a perfect blend of phenotype that embodies his genotype. I knew the horse was legitimate, and I wanted a horse that had staying power, to be a contributor to the breed.”

From first sight, it was no question in Jeff ’s mind what he wanted to do. And he credits John Brown with not only breeding the colt, but also taking his time finding the right name. “I loved the horse right away and I was committed to moving forward” says Jeff. “Even his name was perfect. I know you don’t buy a horse because of his name, 140 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

*Gazal Al Shaqab Stival Paloma De Jamaal Trussardi *El Shaklan Precious As Gold Autumn In Gold

Truest *Gazal Al Shaqab *Marwan Al Shaqab Little Liza Fame Marlene Dietrich Bey Shah Bey Fireeshah Bint Miss Fire

Anaza El Farid Kajora *Soho Carol Palomara Shaker El Masri *Estopa Classy McCoy Julieann Anaza El Farid Kajora Fame VF Katahza Bay El Bey Star Of Ofir Gdansk Miss Fire

Truest in center ring at the 2015 U.S. Nationals with Greg Gallún.

but I thought from a marketing standpoint it was the icing on the cake given that the fundamentals were in place. He really fits his name well; he is a very ‘honest’ horse.”

After the visit, the purchase took place quickly. Soon thereafter, Norm Pappas, Jamie Jacob, and Neil Braverman, were brought into the partnership with Jeff and Tony. With a dynamic ownership team in place, Truest began a serious show campaign that started in Scottsdale with a unanimous Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. A few months later he went Silver Champion Junior Stallion at the Breeders World Cup at Las Vegas.

While these laurels would be enough to crown a successful show career, the team was confidant that much more was in store for their charge.

“Everybody wants a stallion to be great,” explains Greg, “but what separates Truest and gives us great hope is he has done nothing but improve since the day that we got him. Every day he is trending the right way. We have horses with certain pedigrees that are their best as yearlings and then just fall off.

I think Truest has done nothing but improve.”

This confidence was rewarded when Greg showed him later in the summer at Region 2 where the three judges, John Ryan, Gary Dearth, and Josh Quintus, gave him scores of 135.5, 134.5, 130.0 respectively out of 140 points possible.

“Everything I looked at I loved,” remembers John.

“I thought the horse was exceptional in every possible way. I think I gave him 20 for type, 20 for head, and 20 for neck and shoulder. I haven’t thrown a lot of those out and when he left the ring I remember thinking, ‘wow I gave this horse three 20s.’ I mean what more could you want in a horse!”

“I have never seen scores that high,” says Greg. “And these were guys from different backgrounds. It was confirmation of what we already knew —Truest is just amazingly complete.”

With such a summer, the team was cautiously optimistic coming into Tulsa. “You can never take anything for granted at Nationals, as he had to show against some great competition,” says Greg. But this optimism grew the closer they got to the event. “I spoke to Jeff almost every week leading up to Nationals and I was consistent with what I told him about Truest. At one point Jeff said, “You don’t even have to tell me about Truest, I know because I can hear it in your voice, he is ready.’ I just laughed, said, ‘yeah, he is ready.’”

Truest was named U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt with the highest score for any male at the show, 389.00. He was then the unanimous choice for U.S. National Champion Junior Stallion. “You look for a moment like that to validate the horse and accelerate the horse’s reputation,” Jeff says. “Everything about him, his name, the way he is true to his pedigree, his conformation, rings true, as does his quality. He will emerge as a very important horse here in the United States.”

“You know,” says Greg, “there is winning and hitting a grand slam. For him to finish the year the way he did at the Nationals is not only rewarding professionally, but on a personal level. We had grown to know this horse over the last year and Truest is truly not only one of the most beautiful horses, but the best-natured horses I have been around. He has great character, a super kind horse, but yet very much a stallion. He would have been very much revered in a bygone era when you had to rely on your horse as part of your community and survival. This may seem silly, but he is community minded, he gets along 141 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

Truest Left and facing page: At the 2015 Scottsdale show, Truest was Reserve Champion Junior Stallion and unanimous First Place Three-Year-Old Colt, shown by Greg Gallún.

with everybody.”

With a major championship under the belt, the next challenge was to jump-start his breeding career. For Jeff, this is in particular has been tremendously exciting. “The validation of the Nationals win has really gone a long way toward developing the breeding interest in the horse. I don’t know if I have ever experienced anything quite like that. The next step, of course, is seeing what he will sire. We have bred some really high quality mares to him. Along with this, we want breeders who are showing faith in Truest to be rewarded with a high quality experience. By that I mean that they receive high quality semen, delivered in a timely and professional manner, and a foal that they are excited about.”

It is this next generation that really gets the team talking about the potential of Truest. “If Truest brings what he is as an individual, we will be really excited,” says Jeff. “I think this is a rare opportunity to get some of the qualities that the Marwan line is known for in terms of shoulder, carriage, and correctness, and couple that with the beauty of the sire line. I think when you look at the pedigree, he is going to deliver on both accounts. I fully expect foals in his image.”

Greg adds to this high expectation, “Besides 142 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

super high quality, Truest has a 20 neck and shoulder. Usually when you breed a horse with an amazing neck and shoulder, you get a long back.

Truest is about the only horse that I can remember with that scope, reach, and quality that still has a short back. I think that is what separates him from the others. You can breed a long neck, but you get some baggage that you don’t want with it.”

Outside horsemen are showing similar faith in Truest. Sandro Pinha of Arabians International states emphatically, “From the first time I saw him, I was impressed at how masculine and elegant he was. He is just a complete horse. He has great balance and with that pedigree, Truest is just an amazing horse.” João Rodriques of Rodriques Training Center echoes similar impressions of the young stallion, “We are recommending Truest to our clients because he has been a superior show horse and we feel strongly that he will make an impact on breed as a sire. He is just a complete horse.”

Gary MacDonald of MacDonald Arabians, Scottsdale, Arizona, often counsels clients on their breeding programs. “I ask them ‘What are your three most valued characteristics in an Arabian horse?’ Then I find the individual that possess all three and breed with them,” says Gary.

“Most everyone has a different answer, because we all have individual tastes. That is what makes

breeding so exciting ... striving for your own individual idea of beauty. Any horse of mine must have: clean throats with exceptional bend in the pole; significant shoulders, and body conformation that looks great even when they are hanging out in their stalls. Exotic heads are a bonus to me when they possess those other features, but without those three features, they don’t fit in my program. When I saw Truest for the first time, he embodied, not just my three most valued characteristics, but several of them. Truest has my full support! I am a fan! I am excited for my clients who have bred with Truest and are expecting the babies this spring!”

With this type of industry support, Truest’s breeding career is off to a fantastic start with some great mares in foal to him, including: Falcons Marbella (Falcon BHF x Rebecca R by *Marwan Al Shaqab), BHF Dark Angel (RSD Dark Victory x Crown Narada by *Nariadni), Aria Qatars Angel (*Abha Qatar x BHF Dark Angel by RSD Dark Victory) and three-time U.S. National Champion NW Siena Psyche (Padrons Psyche x NV Shanteuse by Bey Shah).

Jeff is careful not to look too far down the road, as the current focus is Truest’s breeding career. But any discussion of the future comes back to a contribution to the breed. “Ultimately I am sure he will come back as a senior stallion,” admits Jeff. “But we have not really thought that far. We have gotten a lot of inquires to lease or buy the horse from overseas, but the horse really isn’t for sale. We were not looking at buying this horse and then capitalizing on his appreciation. We are more interested in his appreciation as a sire and as a cornerstone of our own breeding programs.”

Living up to a name like Truest could be a daunting task, but the bay Trussardi colt has done this with remarkable ease. With the impeccable pedigree, stellar show career, and powerful team in his corner, Truest’s future is limitless. Not often are there such promising young sires, and the entire industry is looking forward to a bountiful future.

143 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016

Truest

Top left: Truest at the 2015 Scottsdale show with coowner Tony Shooshani.

Above: In the winners circle at the U.S. Nationals with Truest is owner/partner Jeff Sloan, left, trainer Greg Gall煤n, center, and owners/partners Jamie Jacob and Norm Pappas.

Left: Truest wearing his U.S. National ribbons.

managed by jeff sloan part of the

collection

Owned by Truest Partners, LLC Managed by Jeff Sloan 路 jeff@ariaarabians.com 路 248.766.2903 Aria International 380 N. Old Woodward Ave, Suite 290 路 Birmingham, MI 48009

www.ariaarabians.com