Salon du Cheval, Paris by Arabian Horse World

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by Caroline Reid Photos by Alessio Azzali, April Visel and Caroline Reid left: Gold Champion Senior Stallion Equator (QR Marc x Ekliptyka), owned by SK Michałów, Poland.

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NOVEMBER 23-25, 2018

"A show of firsts and lasts, of both placings and people — which one way or another made it all rather more exciting than ever."

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wo of the top handlers finally got to show their first World Champions; two ex-World Champions and a world-class handler gave their last performances; for the first (and hopefully last) time, a disgruntled owner refused to collect his Championship award; and for the first (and hopefully not last) time, yours truly bred a World Championship Top Ten. So, fair warning, there may be a weeny bit of bias in this year’s show report, as it was a dream of mine to watch a white filly that I’d bred trot into the arena at the World Championships, and this year it came true! ‘Bluebell’ had been special from a very young age, and so precocious and fun-loving that I used to play tag with her in the field every day, which she loved — exactly the same as her mischief-filled mother, AV Dancing Rain (WH Justice x Om El Sanadiqa by Sanadik El Shaklan), although Bluebell wasn’t to know this, as she was carried by a very calm and rather staid recipient mum. Bluebell’s sire, Shiraz de Lafon, is also very charismatic, so she was bred to be lively! A visitor from Saudi Arabia put a short video on Instagram of this frothy pink creature prancing around my yard, tail curled over her back like a squirrel, and in no time at all she was receiving interest from all around the world. Knowing I couldn’t afford to have her promoted and produced to the degree she deserved, Bluebell was sold to Mr. Ali Al Mazrouei of Bin Hamila Stud in Abu Dhabi, having first been assured by Tom Schoukens and others that Mr. Mazrouei was an extremely knowledgeable and kind man, and that Tom would be the one to show her. Meanwhile, a poll on

Judges: Mrs. Leslie Connor, United States; Mr. Koenraad Detailleur, Belgium; Mr. Ahmed Hamza, Egypt; Mr. Régis Huet, France; Mr. Holger Ismer, Germany; Mr. Murillo Krammer, Brazil; Mr. Joe Polo, Unites States; Dr. Francesco Santoro, Italy.

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SALON du CHEVAL

font: The Paragraph

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above: Bronze Champion Senior Stallion Al Ayal AA (Al Ayad x The Vision HG), owned by Ariela Arabians, Israel.

SALON du CHEVAL

font: The Paragraph

23-25, 2018

by Caroline Reid Photos by Alessio Azzali, April Visel and Caroline Reid

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NOVEMBER

"A show of firsts and lasts, of both placings and people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which one way or another made it all rather more exciting than ever."

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Go to www.arabianhorseworld.com for complete results.

left: Gold Champion Senior Stallion Equator (QR Marc x Ekliptyka), owned by SK Michałów, Poland.

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above: Bronze Champion Senior Stallion Al Ayal AA (Al Ayad x The Vision HG), owned by Ariela Arabians, Israel.

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top left:

Gold Champion Senior Mare Anood Al Nasser (Ashaal Al Rayyan x Aleysha Al Nasser), owned by Akmal Stud, Saudi Arabia, and shown for his first World Championship, by Glenn Schoukens.

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Facebook had given her an official name — AV Purple Rain. And now here she was, all grown up and white and leggy and elegant, and on her way to the World Championships! Of course packing (my nemesis) for Paris was much easier this year, because if it wasn’t purple, it didn’t get to go in the cases, which gave me a kind of packing structure for the first time ever. And an added bonus was that Cadbury’s chocolate bars are purple, too. I’d even purchased Prince “Purple Rain” t-shirts for myself, Tom Schoukens, and Bluebell’s owner. Our table was decorated with a Christmas tree with purple lights, purple sweets, purple glitter, and purple gin. Oh yes! Paris was going to be extra fun, and a tad emotional, this year! So finally Friday came along, and already at breakfast in the hotel I’d had complete strangers come up and wish Bluebell well, which was so lovely, although I

hadn’t expected to have blurry eyes quite so early in the day. What made a pleasant change was that the start time had been moved from first thing in the morning to early afternoon, which gave us all a chance to meet and greet. Thus, the atmosphere was far more convivial before the classes started — in years gone by, there have been people clutching hungover heads, or airport bags, rushing to their seats, whereas the later start made it a far more relaxed (relaxed? At the World Championships?) affair. We were treated by baristas with fresh coffee, or for those not needing a mighty morning wake-up, delicious, freshly made smoothies! It was so exciting to be back at this imposing, bright arena, decorated with the huge Moulin Rouge and Arc de Triomphe. The lights seemed brighter and more dramatic than ever, the ring even more vast, and I’m sure it wasn’t just my rose-tinted specs that were doing it. Eventually the judges and ringmaster were in place, music was playing, and one at a time, in trotted the porcelain, delicate yearling fillies, some already seasoned campaigners at this tender age and seemingly less phased than us humans! Although 12 were entered in the first class, sadly only six were presented, and first in was AJ Samara. It seems just a few years back that I wrote Ajman Stud’s breeding program was on the rise and would shortly be the one to beat, and homebred super-sire AJ Mardan (Vervaldee x Felicia RLC by Shael Dream Desert) is proving to be one to help lift Sheikh Amar’s stud to ever greater heights. A perfect example of this is the stunning bay AJ Samara (x Sama AM by Eden C), who has swept all before her this season. She won Gold at the All Nations Cup and the Europeans, and was now aiming for the Triple Crown. What to say about this near perfect filly? She always moves well, always lifts her tail, has a lovely way of going, and to top it all is exquisitely pretty. As well as winning Best Head in her class, AJ Samara scored 92.17, which is pretty high as the first horse in of the entire show! A H W > 136 < 0 1 . 1 9

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So I’m glad she didn’t. They’re yearlings for goodness sake. And how sad if she would lose her enchanting joie de vivre. Her movement marks left a little to be desired, as she easily gave a 19.5 walk and trot, resulting in a total score of 91.25 — would this was be enough to get her through? Back to the rest of the class! The sublime grey D Shihanah (FA El Rasheem x D Shahla) took an easy victory, awarded seven 20s along the way — a lot for this group of judges at this show — giving her a huge total of 93.08, and also Best Head in the class. This filly is nearly two years old now, so a lot year older than some of them, and therefore has a lot of airmiles under her belt.

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This included five 20s, although one was for movement, which seemed to have been awarded a rather large range of scores from 18 upwards! A fairly distant second was Al Saqran’s dark bay SS La Bella (Calypso OS x EF Bella Contessa by QR Excel) bred by Ottoman Arabians (U.S.) who also showed well, and now the judges had gelled fairly well with their points apart from the movement marks, which this time ranged from 18 to an unexpected 19.5. Third was the stunning grey Durrah Alsayed (Alexxanderr x Delights Divah RB by Ajman Moniscione). As expected with this pedigree, she truly is a beautiful filly, who deservedly gained some 20s for type and head and neck, but fell down on her leg marks, resulting in third place. The last filly to make it through to the Top Ten and Sunday’s Championship was another FA El Rasheem daughter, Denmark’s NWA Arabians Alexandria NWA (x Magnolia NWA by QR Marc). At last I caught sight of her! Darling little Bluebell was ready to come in first for the second Yearling Filly class. She’s now alabaster white, and watching her wait impatiently in the dark tunnel before the arena, tail curled over her back, dancing around Tom Schoukens (with no need for anybody to wave bags at her), head held high and eyes bright, was a wonderfully emotional and proud moment. I was bursting. After what seemed like forever, the judges finally took their places in the arena and in she flew, relishing in the chance to finally get to show off and trot around that huge arena — which she did, three quarters of the way without breaking, with Tom running at breakneck speed to keep up. Typically, 11 of the 12 entered came forward for her class, and my dream was for her to make the finals and into the Top Ten on Sunday, so things were a little tense. There were others that were better than her on the day, and some that she was better than. Unfortunately, this feisty filly finds the stand up takes far too long and would rather spend her time showing off. Having the concentration span of a gnat, she managed to pose for brief spurts, and then I saw her eyes start to peer around and the stand-up fade. Perhaps if she had a handler who was harder on her, and whom she was afraid of, then she would give a better pose.

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bottom left: Silver Champion Senior Mare Om El Aisha Aljassimya (WH Justice x Om El Aliha), owned by Aljassimya Farm, Qatar. bottom right:

Bronze Champion Senior Mare Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq), owned by Hanaya Arabians, Switzerland.

top left:

Gold Champion Junior Colt D Seraj (FA El Rasheem x Lady Veronica), owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai.

facing page top: Silver Champion Junior Colt AJ Kafu (Shanghai EA x AJ Kahayla), owned by Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E. facing page bottom: Bronze Champion Junior Colt Gabel Athbah (EKS Alihandro x Meqbilat Athbah), owned by Athbah Stud, Saudi Arabia.

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This, of course, can be a good thing in that she has confidence and ring-craft, but equally a youngster, and a female at that, can get a little jaded. Anyone on the receiving end of the multitude of eblasts before Paris can’t help to have noticed the plethora for Israel’s Al Sheikh Stud’s previously unseen Algamra (AJ Portofino x Ava Maryia by Eden C) bred by Dr. Hugh and Alexandra Horsman (U.S.) — and she didn’t disappoint. Extremely modern in type, where neck has become all (and some would say its length is now disproportionate to length of body), when posed she really does look like a flawless sculpture. She’s very pretty, has a high-set neck with superb arch through her throat latch and flat topline, with tail coming off high. So Algamra’s the shape of the future, where the structure of American-breds meets grey with an exotic head? Algamra moves well too, although it seems these days movement is less important and the marks to be politically played with. She divided the judges’ marks as well, with the American judges giving her highest scores (up to a massive 94.5!) down to 91 from the European judges. Anyway, all this resulted in a very healthy 92.58 and second place. Should the Breed Standard be re-written? Third was given to Bahrain’s Al Orasia Stud’s dark grey Israa AH (Wadee Al Shaqab x Zhared Dreamz JTA by QR Marc), a tad unexpected as she didn’t seem to be the type the judges were going for and was less feminine, but again gave a great pose. Three more all made it to Top Ten and Sunday’s Championship, including bubbly AV Purple Rain! She was joined by Sea Horse BVBA/ Knocke’s (Belgium) Silhouette AS (Titan AS x Serena AS by Marwan Al Shaqab), bred by Arabian Soul Partners (U.S.) and SK Michałów’s El Bellisima (Ascot DD x Ekliptyka — also the dam of Equator!) Next were the Junior Filly classes, made up of the two and three-year-olds, again with two classes to make up each section, split by date of birth. A H W > 138 < 0 1 . 1 9

EKS Alihandro did well as a sire here, as both first and second-placed fillies were sired by him. Both were smart, well structured bays, as we have come to expect. Winner was Aljassimya’s Balada Al Alfabia (x ZT Magna Psyche by ZT Magnanimus) and second (and Best Head) was Kuwait’s Rshediah Alkhashab (x Symphony Of Love by El Nabila B) bred by Psynergy Enterprise Developments (U.S.) with Al Sheikh Stud’s charming Seranza (Kanz Albidayer x Evening Serenade by Marwan Al Shaqab) only making third. For me, this Michael Byatt-bred filly had more femininity and charisma than her vanquors and never fails to put on a great show, but heyho, she was third here, followed closely by Albidayer Stud’s classy chestnut A Vision MI (Allegiance MI x Always Valentine MI by DA Valentino), bred by Mulawa Stud and full sister to the All Nations Cup Gold, Venice MI. The next two also made it through to Sunday, Qatar’s Assilah Al Shahania (S.M.A. Magic One x Nadira of Rohan by RHR Heir of Marwan)

and Abdullah Naser Al Khaldi’s Caza Al Soor (AJ Fawaz x TCR Rain Dancer) from Kuwait. The second Junior Filly class should in future be named after RFI Farid (RFI Maktub x RFI Fayara El Shiraz by Shiraz El Jamaal) as this stallion sired the top three fillies. Although, we had assumed that the exotic D Ajayeb (out of Ladi Veronika), World Champion here as a yearling in 2016, Gold and Best Female in Show in Menton this year, would stroll to victory and leave the rest to fight it out. But it was another RFI Farid daughter, the bay HDM Maria Apal (x WW Imania-Apal) bred by Eleonore Mertens in Belgium, who sparkled today and surprised some with the unbeatable score of 93.08. This included seven 20s and at last compatible movement marks, being 19.5s or even 20. So the stunning grey D Ajayeb had to settle for second after scoring a “mere” 92.42, and ever the show filly, sweet Loulou Al Nasser (x Rihab Al Nasser) took third. SK Michałów’s Emandoria daughter Emanolla (by Vittorio TO) was the last in this class to make it through to Sunday. And finally the mares! I will

always miss the line-up that we used to get of the Polish beauties, but we were certainly treated to some top-class lovelies in this section. This includes Michałów’s former World Champion Pustynia Kahila, their 2018 European Champion Wildona, and Al Baydaa’s (Egypt) Menton Gold Aijana OS. However it was the beautiful white WH Justice daughter Om El Aisha Aljassimya (x Om El Aliha by Om El Al Azeem), Silver here as a junior, who took the class (and Best Head), and although not the most athletic on this day, she more than made up for it with her classic beauty and typical Om El structure, gaining very good body and topline and leg marks, as well five 20s for type and head and neck. In fact, the top four were all marked very closely: Aijana OS (Ajman Moniscione x Mikaella Pin by FT Wuotan) a close second, Haniya Stud’s (Switzerland) Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq by Al Manar) third, and Janow’s supremely elegant Alsa (Kahil Al Shaqab x Alameda by Wachlarz) fourth. Also making Sunday’s final were Al Khashab’s (Kuwait) seasoned trooper Bint Hazy Al Khalediah (El Palacio VO x Hazy Al Khalediah) and the impressive grey Wildona (Shanghai EA x Wilda by Gazal Al Shaqab) thankfully scraped through in a tie-break, as she had better type marks. The second class was perhaps a more obvious affair, with the A H W > 139 < 0 1 . 1 9

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winner being Akmal Stud’s (KSA) very recent purchase, the sublime white Anood Al Nasser (Ashhal Al Rayyan x Aleysha Al Nasser by Gazal Al Shaqab), already Gold at Menton this year, which is often a reliable precursor to this event. Anood went well around the arena, but her strength is in her stand-up, where her aching femininity combined with superb structure are virtually unbeatable. Al Naf Stud’s (Saudi Arabia) stunning white Ajman Moniscione daughter Noft Al Nayfat (x Eagleridge Passionata by Sanadik El Shaklan) took second. This exotic mare was bred in the U.S. by Cindy McGowan and Mark Davis and is everything one would expect from this pedigree, scoring well in every section, including four 20s, although she actually tied for second with JV Nerina (Kadar’s Echo out of Niimah by Mambo) but took the place by dint of higher type marks. JV Nerina, owned by Nina Suskevicova from the Czech Republic and bred by Johanna Ullstrom, is a big moving, wellstructured and quality bay, and was followed into Sunday’s final by Talal Alkazemi’s (Kuwait) lovely grey Juwanda OS (WH Justice x Shak Lavanda by ZT Shakfantasy), also on a high score of 92.33. Mention should also be made of Janow’s Potentilla (Ekstern x Panonia by Eukaliptus). How sad that the Best Moving Female of the entire show, with a maximum of all 20s, didn’t even qualify for Sunday, and indeed came a lowly ninth out of ten forward in her class! Granted, her head isn’t as exotic and feminine as some, but her leg marks were the third highest in the class, as well as of course her movement being the highest by far. And may I ask, if a horse is scored 19 for head and neck and 20 for movement, why does it still only get 19 for type? Are not movement, charisma and tail carriage, all best shown at trot, supposedly essential elements of type? Saturday is boys day! First in of the day and eventual second in class was Kuwait’s Meshaal Almesbah’s Duke Santonio DMC (Santorini x Amaliaa by Magic Magnifique) bred by Dawn Cascoe, UK. A smart bay, with a lovely way of going, he dances lightly over the ground, is refined and pretty — and indeed won Best Head, too. However, proudly following in his dam’s hoofprints from the day before, the winner was the white Arraab Aljassimya (Al Ayal A H W > 140 < 0 1 . 1 9

left: Gold Champion Junior Filly HDM Maria Apal (RFI Farid x WW Imania-Apal), owned by Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E.

AA x Om El Aisha Aljassimya), a mature and complete colt. Third went to Knocke Arabian’s grey Poseidon KA (Equiborn KA x Primera Marc by QR Marc). Marks were pretty spread out in this class, and the big impressive bay showman Tammam Athbah KSA (Fadi Al Shaqab x Star Of Marwan) was the final to qualify for Sunday. Eight months previously, I had been entranced by a smart young bay colt who bounced into the arena in Dubai as if on springs. He almost seemed to be moving in slow motion. It was actually one of those special moments which gives you goosebumps. I got a bit carried away which resulted in me feeling the need to apologize to Denise for writing reams about him and his background. Although it seemed I wasn’t the only one who fell in love, for as well as getting the Gold in Dubai, Admiraal had since gone on to take Gold at the Europeans and the All Nations Cup, and so was aiming for the Triple Crown here. Bred by Al Muawd Stud Admiraal is by the fabulous Emandoria son Emerald J, out of a Psytadel daughter, Haniyyah, and was purchased

El Rey Magnum RCF (Basilio CS x Cirque du Soleil BF by Apalo), owned by Orrion Farms, U.S., and Al Saqran Stud, Kuwait, took third in the Yearling Colt class and won Best Head.

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top: Silver Champion Junior Filly D Ajayeb (RFI Farid x Ladi Veronica), owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai. middle:

Bronze Champion Junior Filly Balada Al Alfabia (EKS Alihandro x ZT Magna Psyche), owned by Aljassimya Farm, Qatar.

However, this colt is very complete too! Getting averages of 19.75 for type, 19.42 for head and neck, 18.58 for body and ta-da! A grand total of 93.67, the highest mark of the show so far. There were some other high-scoring colts in the class. The solid bay Qutuz Aljassimya (Al Ayal AA x Minwah by Kahil Al Shaqab) scored well throughout to take second. And the most talked about Arabian of 2018, he of the extreme face, El Rey Magnum RCF (Basilio CS x Cirque du Soleil BF by Apalo) owned by Orrion Farms (U.S.) and Al Saqran Stud took third. El Rey Magnum RCF is indeed a lovely animal, but sadly didn't put on the best show here today, lacking a bit of confdence. He was however deservedly rewarded with Best Head. Maher Al Sayed (KSA) (Alexxanderr x Mera Alsayed) was fourth and D Bareq (FA El Rasheem x Royal Emira) fifth, both still scoring in the 92s, and last to qualify was Sinmar Albidayer (UAE) (Shanghai EA x Salwa Albidayer by Marwan Al Shaqab), a little disappointing for his connections I’m sure, as he’s a very typey, pretty colt and his markings seemed a tad harsh. His body score varied from 17.5 to 18.5, which doesn’t sound much, but in body score it’s the vast difference between substandard and above average! Another debatable point I’m sure. On to the first class of the Junior Male section, and eight were forward, including multi-Gold Champions AJ Kafu (Shanghai EA x AJ A H W > 141 < 0 1 . 1 9

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shortly after the Dubai show by Ajman Stud. Yet another very wise move by this farm. This colt encompasses the reason many of us first fell in love with Arabians — for their charisma. Admiraal has it in spades, and then to watch him move literally makes the hairs on your arms stand up. How many horses have done that to you in the showring in the last few years? In fact, since the superb Russian and Polish horses were last shown and/or the pressure was far less intense on both horse and handler? Back to the glossy dark bay boy. There truly was a kind of hush in the hall as we awaited his entrance and then a roar went up as he sprung in. Just sublime. Just magical. Just what the Arab show scene needs. Shown lightly and sympathetically by Rod Jones, and therefore, and importantly, happy enough to get on and do what he does best, Admiraal treated us to a master class of movement, achieving his just reward of six out of six 20s for movement (earning Highest Male Movement of the show award) which brought another great cheer from the spectators.

top left and top right:

Gold Champion Yearling Colt Admiraal (Emerald J x Haniyyah), owned by Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E.

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Kahayla by QR Marc) and D Shallal (FA El Rasheem x the one and only D Shahla), and until now, most had assumed AJ Kafu (Gold in Dubai and Menton earlier in the year) would be crowned World Champion the coming Sunday. However, stunning chestnut D Shallal thought otherwise and put in a tremendous performance with great movement and

charisma to just pip AJ Kafu, earning four 20s for movement. AJ Kafu was not quite on top of his game in the class, although still getting the high marks for type and head and neck he deserved (and winning Best Head), but not earning the plethora of 20s we might have expected for this very beautiful, balanced grey. The following four bays, a fair way back in scores, all made Sunday, third being Omar Al Babtain’s (Kuwait) very dramatic dark bay Sultan GK (WW Stivallea x Al Magna by Al Mabrook), Abhaa Arabians (Kuwait) D Ibn Rasheem (FA El Rasheem x Angeliccah by Marwan Al Shaqab), Mohammed Al Sulaiti’s (Qatar) homebred Aanan Lembarak (Hadidy Al Shaqab x AJ Sundos by Marwan Al Shaqab), and Royal Arabians (U.S.) Royal Asad (El Tino x Lumiar Ethna by RFI Maktub). FA El Rasheem carried on with his fantastic winning streak, siring both first and second in the next Junior Male class. The stunningly exotic D Seraj (x Ladi Veronika), already World Champion here as a yearling in 2016 (along with his half-sister D Ajayeb by RFI Farid), received a hefty 92.75 to take an easy win, as well as Best Head, with not only all 19.5s and 20s for type and head and neck, but also great body marks too. His stablemate D Arghad (x Krystal Tiara by Ekstern), also grey, took second. This class didn’t perhaps have the depth of the other, and the only other two to make it through were Gabel Athbah (x Meqbilat Athbah by QR Marc) and from Austria MM Jabari (x MM Julietta by Monther Al Nasser), both by EKS Alihandro, who certainly stamps his stock with his style, flair, and substantial structure. And finally on to the Senior Male, always the most exciting to finish the day with! And the big boys certainly lived up to expectations, with the top four in the first class all scoring well into the 92s. Emirates Stud’s glorious white ES Sarab (UAE) (Marajj x Mahjesty by WH Justice) took the win and Best Head, this extremely pretty boy with an awesome pose getting nine 20s in the process, and also putting on a A H W > 142 < 0 1 . 1 9

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Silver Champion Yearling Colt Arraab Aljassimya (Al Ayaal AA x Om El Aisha Aljassimya), owned by Aljassimya Farm, Qatar.

Bronze Champion Yearling Colt Duke Santonio DMC (Santorini x Amaliaa), owned by Meshaal Almesbah, Kuwait.

good display to get 19.5s for movement too. The grey Atius O (Shahim Al Nakeeb x Alia Oone), bred in the U.S. by Oone LLC was second for Regina Arabians (Poland) and also deserves a mention for his fantastic show — he was about the only one to trot almost right around the whole arena! As in, without swirling thirty circles or constantly breaking into canter. Shown beautifully by Pawel Kozikowski, he seemed such a happy horse! Extraordinary! He was rewarded with four 20s for movement, but perhaps could have had more. A pity that this was so notable for being the exception in the modern show arena! Asayel Stud’s (Kuwait) PSE Al Rakhan (Royal Colours x PSE Mistrez by Imperial Baarez), bred by Prestige BVBA Belgium, took third and the following two also qualified: Reza Allahdadi’s Shadi Al Khalediah (F Shamaal x Layan Al Khalediah — both previous Worlds!) and Egypt’s Bebars Al Farida (Imperial Baarez x Salma by Royal Colours). The final qualifying class certainly didn’t let us down and once again gave us a Clash of the Titans, this time with the ultimate showman and therefore crowd favorite, Equator, seemingly, and perhaps wrongly, forever the bridesmaid here, having been World Reserve Champion twice; versus previous Junior World Champion and unbeaten in 2018, E.S. Harir. Plus, the very popular magnificent white straight Egyptian, Al Ayal AA. Al Saqran Stud’s simply beautiful grey E.S. Harir (AJ Dinar x TF Magnums Magic by Magnum Psyche) was first of the trio to come in, earning a very healthy 93.33, which included six 20s for type and head and neck and good body marks, but was another at this show who was perhaps feeling the pressure and did not quite give the necessary flamboyance and movement. The roof came off when Equator (QR Marc x Ekliptyka by Ekstern), on lease to Al Sheikh Stud, pranced and danced into the arena. Recently crowned European Champion, and seemingly very aware of A H W > 143 < 0 1 . 1 9

this fact, the dramatic Michałówbred bay showed the best he had all season, which meant four 20s for movement plus four for type, resulting in 93.67! The crowd roared! There was also a very vociferous following for Israel’s Ariela Arabians Al Ayal AA (Al Ayad x The Vision HG), and he came in a strong third with another score in the 93s, and was the only one to get all 20s for type, as well as winning Best Head. Ever the showman Al Khatab Al Thani (Al Batran x Hanan Al Thaniya by Crusader) took fourth for Sulaiman Bensalim (KSA), and Royal Cavalry of Oman’s Subhi (Ajman Moniscione x Lady Sorrel by Kubinec) was last to qualify. And finally Sunday! With most of the championships throwing up a few surprises and none were unanimous, with votes scattered amongst almost all in every section! AJ Samara went well to take Gold, despite not looking quite as good as we’ve seen her. She

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had four shouts for Gold, yet one judge didn’t use her at all, and so completed the Triple Crown for Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, proud owner of Ajman Stud. Silver was D Shihanah (again, not even used by one of the judges), and the following three all had votes from at least one judge for Gold! In the end, Bronze went to Israa AH, with Algamra and Durrah Alsayed also receiving votes — indeed, one of the judges had Algamra as Gold, and I must say I would have had her in the top three. No doubt there will be many more championships for her to win in her career. As a breeder, I truly get as much pleasure — and sometimes even more — if an AV horse does well for its happy new owner, the only downside being of course that at home, over the dark winter months of mud and toil, one has nothing to show for the successes they have had. Yet here, at the most important show of all, a wonderful gesture was made to me. Obviously a horse’s owner is due to go into the arena to receive their awards, and often they will kindly invite the breeder to join them. Mr. Mazrouei, whom I had only met on the Friday, invited me to accompany him, and ever the gentleman, motioned for me to walk in front through the arena gates. I’m getting emotional even now as I write this. When I looked round, he wasn’t following! Algamra (AJ Portofino x Ava “Quick!” I said, “You must come Maryia by Eden C), owned by in!” and he replied, “No. You are Israel’s Al Sheikh Stud won second place in her Yearling the clever one. You bred her. You Filly class. are to go in,” and he left me as A H W > 144 < 0 1 . 1 9

top left and right: Gold Champion Yearling Filly AJ Samara (AJ Mardan x Sama AM), owned by Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E.

he walked back to his table. So thanks to this lovely man, I was there, in the arena, watched by my parents on livestream, to collect Bluebell’s plaques and trophy and huge rosette. It was overwhelming. And it continues! After the presentation I went back to Mr. Mazrouei’s table to thank him and hand over all his awards, but he absolutely refused to take them. “I have plenty of trophies,” he said, but I knew he didn’t yet have any from the World Championships. Back to the show, and in the Junior Female section, the votes really were scattered, with four different fillies getting votes for Gold, yet remarkably none of them receiving any votes at all from two or more of the eight judges. The result of this was perhaps a surprise for some, with HDM Maria Apal taking Gold by one point from D Ajayeb, thereby reversing their previous standings from 2016. Balada Al Alfabia was Bronze, and A Vision MI, Seranza, Rshediah Alkhashab, and Gaza Al Noor also all received votes.

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top right: Bronze Champion Yearling Filly Israa AH (Wadee Al Shaqab x Zhared Dreamz JTA), owned by Al Orasia Stud, Bahrain.

Sheikha Mona Al Rashed, of Al Orasia Stud, owner of Israa AH.

Back to four legs, and although scoring highly, Anood was only chosen for Gold by four of the eight judges, although at least every judge had her in one of the medal winning places. Om El Aisha Aljassimya took Silver with two votes for Gold, and NO other votes at all, and so it went on, with the lovely white Wadad Zamani getting Bronze by dint of three votes, and Aijana OS, Bint Hazy Al Khalediah, Noft Al Nayfat, and Wildona all getting votes too. As an example of the different, and some could say therefore more interesting voting, the superb Wildona came seventh out of the Top Ten, by dint of one judge voting her Gold, and no other judges using her at all.

HENRIKE HORMANN PHOTO

Sheikh Ammar must have been particularly chuffed, as Ajman Stud horses had taken the first two Golds of the Championships. Senior Female was more of an outright Gold for Anood Al Nasser, and how fantastic that at long last her brilliant handler Glenn Schoukens finally had his first World Champion, long overdue and well-deserved. Glenn has been so nearly there so many times, and it was good to see his hard work over the years finally being rewarded. Touchingly, brother Tom had said, “I want Glenn to get this more than anything else this weekend,” and now Glenn’s finally broken his duck. May it be the start of many more!

left: Silver Champion Yearling Filly D Shihanah (FA El Rasheem x D Shahla), owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai.

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AV Purple Rain (AV Dancing Rain x Shiraz de Lafon), aka “Bluebell,”owned by Mr. Ali Mazrouei, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., and at left, her happy breeder and AHW contributor, Caroline Reid.

World Platinum Champion Male Kahil Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Mishaahl), owned by Al Shaqab Stud, Qatar.

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Admiraal was the obvious winner of the Gold Yearling Colt, although again not unanimous, with one judge choosing him as Silver and one not choosing him at all. Here, I have to mention another first: Rod Jones, Admiraal’s handler, getting his first World Championship too! Oft admired for his horsemanship by handlers and judges alike, this quiet, selfeffacing man, tucked away in the Welsh hills, hasn’t necessarily received the breaks he deserves, and one wonders how many Champions he may have had worldwide had he been based in mainland Europe. Nevertheless, Rod is doing what he does the best and loves the most, bringing on and making youngsters, which continue to show happily and successfully throughout their careers. Arraab Aljassimya had two votes for Gold and two for Silver, which resulted in him being awarded Silver, and Duke Santonio DMC took Bronze, although tying on scores with El Rey Magnum RCF, but the latter had fewer actual votes. Junior Colts was a closer affair, and definitely not a foregone conclusion, but in the end it was the simply gorgeous D Seraj who took Gold from fabulous AJ Kafu, again neither colt being used by all the judges, Gabel Athbah was Bronze, and votes were again spread amongst seven different horses. AJ Kafu had the added delight of his own violinist playing beautifully as he stood in Silver place. Seen before on the Ajman promotional videos, she is incredible and somehow didn’t look at all out of place, playing her violin like a crazy woman next to a bemused horse in a huge sand arena, causing the actual World Champion and his connections to be almost forgotten. And now! Senior Stallions! And another first, but not a good one. In previous years the charismatic, scene-stealing Equator had won his class and then lost out in the Championship, where, sadly, pose is all. Before the show, E.S. Harir was favorite to take another Gold, but after his slightly flat display in the class, we thought it would be a close battle between the big two. However, on the day, Equator had saved his best until last, and poor E.S. Harir just looked done in. A H W > 146 < 0 1 . 1 9

So in the end, to huge crowd approval, their favorite Equator took the Gold easily and E.S. Harir actually tied for Silver with Al Ayal AA, but Al Ayal AA ended up as Bronze as Harir had more votes for Gold. But an extraordinary action by E.S. Harir’s owner somewhat marred the day. As his horse’s handler was about to return to the arena to collect his award, this presumably overlydisappointed owner refused to let his horse go in and had it sent back to its stable, and he himself swept across the collecting ring, surrounded by his connections, following the unfortunate animal. It seemed an act of bad sportsmanship and unfortunately caused much confusion for the livestream commentators, who could not see what was happening, so wrongly assumed that E.S. Harir had not come in to collect his award because the organizers had announced the placings incorrectly, and that Al Ayal AA was indeed Silver, which is what they proceeded to tell everyone at home on their live stream. An unfortunate mess, and hopefully new rules will be brought out to make it the first

World Platinum Champion Female Emandoria (Gazal Al Shaqab x Emanda), owned by SK Michałów, Poland, greets her breeder, the former Director of Michałów Stud, Jerzy Bialobok, with handler Mariusz Liskiewicz.

and last time this can happen. The Platinum Championships are a way for us to see a former World Champion bid a final farewell to the showring, and are always an emotive watch. This year was even more so, as not only were we marking the retirement of multiple world champion Kahil Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Mishaahl by Mishaah), but also that of Michałów’s adored Emandoria (Gazal Al Shaqab x Emanda by Ecaho), and the most brilliant horseman Mariusz Liskiewicz. Over many years, Mariusz has shown the very best of the best to many, many, Championships, not least, Emandoria herself when she was World Champion as a yearling, and it was truly a joyful sight to see the pair reunited happily in the arena once more. When I first saw Emandoria, it was on her home turf at the Polish Nationals, and such was her dignified presence that she received a spontaneous standing ovation as soon as she stepped forward to the ring entrance. On this day she was back to her old self, head held high, trotting regally around the arena — as she should! She is the queen! And she knew her dear Mariusz was going to let her be herself. It was lovely to see the pair enjoy themselves for their Platinum finale and to hear everyone’s appreciation of a truly perfect partnership. I’m certain both were smiling. And then on top of that, we had none other than Sheikh Hamad bin Ali Al Thani, breeding manager of Al Shaqab, bring Kahil Al Shaqab in and present him himself, much to the spectators delight. And a fine job the pair did too. They both looked particularly fit and well, and again both seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously, and we let them know loudly that we loved their presentation. Unsurprisingly, Farm of the Year went to Ajman Stud. Three World Champions! No mean feat. Dubai Stud won Best Breeder and had an amazing show by most people’s standards, with a Gold and two Silvers, but perhaps may have thought another Gold had been on the cards. Needless to say, their incomparable Ladi Veronika (Versace x Nisrs Natevka by Ansata El Nisr), she of the flamboyance, movement and A H W > 147 < 0 1 . 1 9

flagged tail, was awarded Best Dam (again!) and her stablemate FA El Rasheem, Leading Sire. Ariela Arabians won Best Breeder/Owner and Best Straight Egyptian Male for their Al Ayal. And so ended a happy Paris, with much to talk about as ever, fond farewells until next year, Christmas on the horizon, and for me, amazing personal memories. Much as my hand luggage had been quickly emptied of Cadburys, it was even heavier on the way home, but I didn’t mind a bit … these Top Ten World Championship plaques, World Championship trophy, and ginormous World Championship rosettes weigh a bit, you know!

SALON DU CHEVAL RESULTS CHAMPION SENIOR STALLION GOLD: Equator (QR Marc x Ekliptyka), SK Michałów, Poland. SILVER: E.S. Harir (AJ Dinar x TF Magnums Magic), Al Saqran Stud, Kuwait. BRONZE: Al Ayal AA (Al Ayad x The Vision HG), Ariela Arabians, Israel.

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CHAMPION SENIOR MARE GOLD: Anood Al Nasser (Ashhal Al Rayyan x Aleysha Al Nasser), Akmal Stud, Saudi Arabia. SILVER: Om El Aisha Aljassimya (WH Justice x Om El Aliha), Aljassimya Farm, Qatar. BRONZE: Wadad Zamani (Laheeb x Zena Al Buraq), Hanaya Arabians, Switzerland.

Go to www.arabianhorseworld.com for complete results.

CHAMPION JUNIOR COLT GOLD: D Seraj (FA El Rasheem x Ladi Veronika), Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai. SILVER: AJ Kafu (Shanghai EA x AJ Kahayla), Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E. BRONZE: Gabel Athbah (EKS Alihandro x Meqbilat Athbah), Athbah Stud, Saudi Arabia.

CHAMPION YEARLING COLT GOLD: Admiraal (Emerald J x Haniyyah), Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E. SILVER: Arraab Aljassimya (Al Ayal AA x Om El Aisha Aljassimya), Aljassimya Farm, Qatar. BRONZE: Duke Santonio DMC (Santorini x Amaliaa), Meshaal Almesbah, Kuwait.

CHAMPION JUNIOR FILLY GOLD: HDM Maria Apal (RFI Farid x WW Imania-Apal), Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E. SILVER: D Ajayeb (RFI Farid x Ladi Veronika), Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai. BRONZE: Balada Al Alfabia (EKS Alihandro x ZT Magna Psyche), Aljassimya Farm, Qatar.

CHAMPION YEARLING FILLY GOLD: AJ Samara (AJ Mardan x Sama AM), Ajman Stud, Ajman, U.A.E. SILVER: D Shihanah (FA El Rasheem x D Shahla), Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, Dubai. BRONZE: Israa AH (Wadee Al Shaqab x Zhared Dreamz JTA), Al Orasia Stud, Bahrain.

SPECIAL AWARDS WORLD PLATINUM CHAMPION MALE: Kahil Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab x OFW Mishaahl), Al Shaqab Stud, Qatar.

WORLD PLATINUM CHAMPION FEMALE: Emandoria (Gazal Al Shaqab x Emanda), SK Michałów Stud, Poland.

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