Trussardi

by Jeffrey Wintersteen

J

ohn Brown and Dr. Robert Williams had been there before, waiting for their homebred to enter the ring for the 2012 U.S. Nationals Futurity Colt finals. In

1998 they brought the bay stallion Versace (Fame VF x Precious As Gold) to this same class and watched him win a top ten.

Flash-forward to 2012 Tulsa as a half brother out of their premier broodmare

When I first saw him, Trussardi was two or three weeks old. John had told me to come over and look at this colt, that he was kind of special. He had that regal quality, almost statuesque. He was different from all the foals I had looked at in my 40 years of the horse business. He had a quality and presence that set him apart. I told John, “You may have lucked out again!”

Trussardi came to my farm late in his weanling year to start getting ready for regionals.

The photos really tell the story, there are 60-some photos at that time and every darn one of them is an incredible picture.

Once we started to condition him again for his three-year-old year, boy, he just came together real quick. He is an incredible horse, and John really kept him in great shape, but when you really start pushing him, everything comes together on that horse. I am a hands-on trainer, and I did the conditioning on this horse. I knew what his window was, and if he had a successful trip to Nationals, I felt very comfortable that the horse would give me 120 percent in the ring. There is nothing to hide with this horse.

In Tulsa, I think a lot of people realized this is going to be the next king in the Arabian industry.

Trussardi will be the one to follow in the footsteps of Magnum, Psyche, Valentino, and Marwan.

— Eric Wolfe, Eric Wolfe Arabians, Apopka, Florida The first thing that comes to my mind every time I see Trussardi is, “Wow, that’s a lot of horse!” Quality is the number one factor for me in breeding horses, and Trussardi takes quality to a whole new level!

My wife, Peri, and I bred Stival’s dam, Paloma de Jamaal, to Trussardi because he is

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Precious As Gold (*El Shaklan x Autumn In Gold by Classy McCoy), was entered in the same class. Not only was Trussardi (by Stival) named U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt, but he was the highest-scoring male in the history of the U.S. Nationals point scoring system. “We are just so grateful that he was treated fairly. We were pretty confident that we had the best horse, so to have that acknowledged is just really special,” says Robert.

Preceding, below, and facing page: Trussardi (Stival x Precious As Gold), 2012 U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt.

the type of stallion she needs and her strengths will complement him. Of course, bringing the foundation mare line of our program back into the pedigree excites us very much, but that’s just an added interesting bonus to the equation. Paloma is due in late March so we will have to wait just a little longer before we see what she and Trussardi have in store for us!

Trussardi is from Stival’s first crop of foals as a two-year-old; only eleven total were born that year.

I can’t even begin to put into words how important Trussardi is and will continue to be to our program.

— Mike Wilson, Wilson Training Center, Tavares, Florida Trussardi is an exciting young stallion showing extreme Arabian type with correct conformation. He is smooth, well balanced, and shows good substance.

Trussardi displays a kind and willing attitude and I look forward to seeing more of him in the coming years. I have seen photos of several of his get and they look very nice. I look forward to having the opportunity to see more of his get in person as that is, of course, the true test of a breeding stallion.

— Van Jacobsen, 2012 Nationals Judge Trussardi is an absolutely wonderful example of a beautiful and extremely typey Arabian stallion with balanced quality, conformation, and very nice expression. Hopefully he will be able to reproduce himself and create very beautiful foals.

— Steve Lieblang, 2012 Nationals Judge It was an honor judging a horse as wonderful as Trussardi at the 2012 U.S. National Championship Horse Show. His overall type and quality were amazing and his head is absolutely gorgeous. But what impressed me most was his overall type.

From his head, to his neck to his short back, clean topline and wonderful tail carriage, he is truly a quality horse.

It will be fun to see how this young stallion impacts our breed. I am confident that he will go on to be one of the great stallions of our time.

— Chris Culbreth, 2012 Nationals Judge Precious As Gold has long been one of my favorite mares. I felt that Trussardi had the ability to be not just a great show horse, but also a great siring stallion. I also knew that Robert and John would promote Trussardi appropriately and give him every opportunity to succeed.

I am blessed to have a very beautiful Versace daughter, Bella Satinata (x LF Silkn Satin), who gave us the most amazing foal. I cannot get over how really great she is in all areas: head, neck, shoulder, body, legs. One of my friends commented, “She looks like a bronze with hair.” We named her Truli Precious and she is in Scottsdale with Midwest. She has the conformation and attitude to be a great show horse and the strength of pedigree to be a tremendous broodmare … stay tuned.

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We are anxiously awaiting Bella’s 2013 Trussardi foal, and I just purchased another Versace daughter who will be bred to Trussardi this year as well. I feel Trussardi will become one of the breed’s leading sires and will continue to breed to him for the foreseeable future.

— Dean Meier, Brookhill Arabians, Waukesha, Wisconsin My history with Precious As Gold began with her dam Autumn In Gold. I first saw Autumn at a show I judged, and named her champion. A few months later, the owner offered her for sale in foal to *El Shaklan. Precious was born soon after but was rejected by her dam, resulting in her affection for people. Even as a foal, Precious was extremely pretty, balanced, and correct, with a willingness to show.

In 1987, she was named U.S. National Reserve Champion Futurity Filly and Canadian National Top Ten, followed two years later by the U.S. and Canadian National Top Ten Mare titles. Precious was also sweet and a superb mover in the showring and under saddle.

Trussardi’s dam was a superb mare and above all was extremely intelligent and kind and Trussardi is her exact duplicate. I look forward to his bright future.

— Gene Reichardt, Flanagan, Illinois [coowner of Truli Precious with Dean Meier] We chose to breed to Trussardi because he is a world-class horse who possesses qualities we admire such as beauty, balance, great pedigree, and sensibility. The mare we are breeding him to is by *Marwan Al Shaqab and out of National Champion Amelia B. We believe the resulting foal will possess all the great traits of its pedigree: extremely typey, smooth bodied, very well built to the ground, with an excellent set-on neck and large expressive eyes.

Trussardi is balanced, quiet and sensible; the qualities necessary for a performance horse. He’d make a beautiful western horse and his foals will hopefully advance from halter to performance as well.

We are very excited to be able to have the opportunity to be a part of a stallion who is going to have a huge impact on the future of the Arabian horse.

— Rob Bick, RBC Show Horses, LLC., Smithfield, North Carolina We were drawn to Trussardi’s extreme beauty and have been following him since he was a yearling. We admire the terrific job Eric Wolfe and John Brown have done in showing, breeding, and promoting him. Tru is out of my favorite mare, Precious As Gold. His balanced conformation, type, and beauty are embedded in his pedigree.

We have two of Trussardi’s foals at Midwest. My brother Bob’s colt Truse (x Juliah B) one of the best

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Above: Tru Emperor (Trussardi x Empress Of Marwan), bred by Gary and Holly McDonald and owned by Keno Hills Arabians.

Right: Elena Enigma SA (Trussardi x MC Sophiie), bred by Gary and Holly McDonald and owned by the Koessler family.

colt I’ve seen; and Truli Precious (x Bella Satinata) is an amazing filly bred and owned by Dean Meier.

We’re crossing Trussardi with the *Padron and Magnum Psyche lines. I’m partial to typey chestnuts and these bloodlines both complement and are an extension of each other.

We’re excited and pleased with the foals we’ve seen and look forward to being a part of Trussardi reaching his potential as a sire. He is truly the classic “Gladys Brown Edwards Arabian.”

— David Boggs, Midwest Training Centre, Rogers, Minnesota

Truse (Trusssardi x Juliah B), bred and owned by Robert and Janene Boggs, Minnesota.

Rojo Arabians was established in the early 1980s, but the farm’s reputation was built upon the bay stallion they brought to the Nationals in 1998. “Versace was the horse that brought us to prominence,” relates John. “That said, Versace never really got his due, and it wasn’t until after he died that a majority of people finally recognized what the horse had contributed. Trussardi was able to pick up the ball from that point and run with it. So really, Versace paved the way and made the road smoother for Trussardi, who took it another step to the next level.”

Given that they are maternal siblings, comparisons are inevitable and warranted.

For John, however, those comparisons are not easy. “To be honest, they are such different horses,” John explains. “Versace was a wonderful horse, great body, fantastic neck, and, of course, a beautiful head. Trussardi just took it even further. His head is even more extreme than Versace’s. He resembles Precious much more than Versace did.

Trussardi is just rock solid in the legs.” John’s sentiment was validated in Tulsa.

Trussardi had the highest cumulative leg score of the 17 entrants in the futurity class.

Furthermore, every judge except one gave Trussardi the highest mark on legs, with the remaining judge giving him the second-highest score.

The mare we bred, Juliah B, is a fourth generation mare from our breeding program. She is a daughter of our “queen” Bint Bey Shah and sired by Justify (Magnum Psyche x S Justadream).

Our hope was that by putting the breeding strengths from Trussardi — and more importantly to us, from his dam, Precious as Gold — in the same pedigree with Bint Bey Shah, we could produce an even stronger and more consistent breeding horse for us and our program. We were hopeful, considering Bint Bey Shah’s breeding strengths and Justify’s dam S Justadream.

Our result was Truse, a chestnut colt who, in our opinion, exhibits the quality and striking beauty his pedigree dictates. We are expecting two Trussardi foals in 2013. We rebred Juliah B to Trussardi as well as her full sister Asia B. Bint Bey Shah herself will be bred to Trussardi in the future.

We believe Trussardi will be a important part of our breeding program. Truse is now fifth generation for us, so it will be his production that gives us the answer to that question. We are confident the answer is “yes” but we must wait to tell that story.

— Bob and Janene Boggs, Midwest Station I, Inc., Osseo, Minnesota I was thrilled for John and Robert this year at the U.S. Nationals. It’s so great to have breeders of this quality involved in our business. Trussardi is going to have a major impact on Arabian breeding and we plan on continuing our support.

— Ted Carson, Butler Farms Training Center, White Oak, North Carolina I first visited Rojo in 2011 with friends Anne and Rachael. I was on a mission to find a Versace mare to breed to Stival.

When we were introduced to Precious As Gold, such an icon in the breeding world, Anne and I shed a few tears. Then this beautiful, gentle colt emerged from the barn, so calm and regal, with a head that resembled a chess piece. The upright neck he inherited from Stival, his big, well-set eyes and his overall conformation and poise gave me goose bumps.

Anne and I both secured breedings to Trussardi that day.

My mare FVF Ali Afire produced a stunning chestnut colt in 2012. Matisse typifies his sire’s type and beauty. He will be out in the European

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showring this year and will bring great strength to my breeding program in the future.

A new mare, BH Versaces Rose (Versace x BH Magnumsylowete), is due to foal to Trussardi any day now. The current sleepless nights on foal watch will all be worth it — this foal is the culmination of all our dreams.

— Elaine Clare, Aleeyah Arabians, Cheshire, United Kingdom Precious As Gold initially drew us to breeding to Trussardi. We loved what she added to her son Versace. When selecting mares to breed to Trussardi, we went with very athletic mares with long necks and huge eyes. We knew Trussardi would not let us down in type and strength of his body. He is very correct, which is of utmost importance to us. The resulting foals’ future promises excellence in both halter and performance.

Our Trussardi foals are extremely well-bodied and athletic with excellent type. We are also very pleased with the great minds they have. It’s a bit too early to assess the importance of Trussardi to our breeding program, but it’s looking good!

— Laura Friesen, Wunderbar Arabians, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Above: HR Lady Trusace (Trussardi x Villina NVF), bred and owned by High Rid Arabians, England.

Trussadi made his entrance from the barn into the beautiful Florida sunshine with such grace and elegance. He surveyed us and put his tail over his back, and made his presence known with a huge snort. He gave me goose bumps and I immediately knew I was in the presence of greatness.

It was easy to see this young colt had all the qualities I needed for my WH Justice daughter — with that amazing chiseled head, topline, and unbelievable body — he was awesome.

Two years on and Trussadi has now bloomed into the epitome of the Arabian stallion. It is an honor to be able to say that my mare is in foal to this amazing stallion for a July 2013 foal. I also have a Versace daughter (in partnership with a great friend of mine) in foal to him and our filly is due any day now. So I think you can safely say Trussadi is an important factor in both of our breeding programs.

Watch this space.

— Anne Harris, United Kingdom

Right: SS Tru Believer (Trussardi x Miss Brass), bred by Stuart Sander and owned by Ron and Judy Schmidt, Wisconsin.

The buzz was all about the yearling colt, Trussardi, at our Region 12 show in May of 2010.

I’ve been breeding for over 40 years and it takes something extra special to make my heart flutter.

This colt was not only correct, smooth, balanced, and good-legged, he also had an aura and a spirit about him that was captivating. I immediately searched for John Brown and purchased a breeding for the following year.

I chose to breed him to Koweta Allelujah who is out of a Fame VF daughter, hence, the “relationship” to Versace.

In 2012, “Allie” delivered a chesnut/flaxen filly,

never been bred. John says, “For all intents and purposes we were done with breeding,”

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Facing page: ES Tru Confessions (Trussardi x Aali Beirut), owned by Stuart Sander and Derek Eastwood.

For all the comparisons, however, the typey chestnut could have just as easily have prior to the arrival of Trussardi. The duo’s prize mare, Precious As Gold, was no longer able to carry a foal to term. They had limited success early on with embryo transfer, and after a lot of money and effort had given up. “We finally said ‘enough is enough.’

She did her thing producing Versace, let’s just bring her home to have a good life and enjoy herself,” John says.

After the loss of their beloved Versace, their vet encouraged them to give it another shot with Precious As Gold. “My first thought was, here goes a whole lot of money again,” says John.

Koweta Sferra. At one day of age she arched her neck and pranced and danced. I knew she was special.

She is extremely correct with an arched neck, shortcoupled and super hip, and beautiful expression. She was delivered last week to Ted Carson to begin her schooling for a halter career. First stop is the Region 12 Spotlight Futurity.

Trussardi has become an integral part of my breeding program. Yes, Allelujah will be bred back.

— Denni Mack, Koweta Arabians, Monticello, Georgia

“We tried with PA Magnanimous and actually got an embryo. So we tried it again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, and got another one. I had heard about Stival, a horse that Mike Wilson had,” continues John, “but I hadn’t even seen any pictures of him. I called Mike and asked if it was possible to get semen for Precious. Mike said, ‘Absolutely, I will bring you the entire collection when you need it.’ Darned if we didn’t get an embryo.”

With Trussardi, Rojo Arabians is in the breeding business again, and it seems fitting that he’s a half sibling of Versace. Trussardi will continue fulfilling his significant breeding commitment this spring. Trussardi, however, has a key advantage over his older brother. “He was lucky enough to ride that wave because of the credentials of his dam. When Versace started out breeding, of course, he had to prove everything. The first year at stud for Versace, he had 13 foals. Trussardi, when all of them are registered, should have over 60 foals for his first year,” John exclaims.

And, like his brother Versace was, Trussardi is to be started under saddle in the fall. “We just feel it is important to see him under saddle, so people can see his siring potential with performance in mind.”

So with Trussardi, John and Robert begin another journey, one that promises an even greater reward. Precious As Gold and her son Versace are certainly the foundation upon which Rojo Arabians was built, but the exotic chestnut seems destined to write his own chapter in the farm’s legacy.

I take a little different route than most in my personal breeding decisions, and focus on three main factors: 1. Phenotype. Does Trussardi possess a look that I personally love? Yes! 2. Genotype. Does Trussardi possess a pedigree of quality individuals that I admire? Yes! 3. Ownership. Is Trussardi owned by people who I believe have integrity and honor, and with whom I would be proud to be affiliated? Yes! So, in 2010, I committed to the purchase of a few breedings to a young yearling — I had no doubts.

I chose two mares to breed to Trussardi. Empress Of Marwan (*Marwan Al Shaqab x FH Djamila) produced the Scottsdale Signature Auction Colt contender Tru Emperor, now owned by Keno Hills Arabians.

The other mare, MC Sophiie (Adoniis x Sonora Rose), is three generations of our breeding program and a National Reserve Champion. With Trussardi, she produced the most amazing filly, Elena Enigma SA, now owned by the Koessler family. I have no doubts that by the end of the Scottsdale Show many people will agree she is the most exciting yearling in the country!

Whom will I breed to in 2013? Trussardi, of course! I have been blessed by the contributions that Trussardi has brought to my program. I am also blessed to consider Robert Williams and John Brown my friends and look forward to a bright future for them and Trussardi.

— Gary McDonald, McDonald Arabians, Ltd., Scottsdale, Arizona Breeding to Trussardi was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made. In 2011, I talked a number of my partners into breeding to him, hoping that since he is out of Precious As Gold and has such an exotic face, he would sire it. And I can’t tell you how happy I am with the results. The babies are exotic faced, beautiful bodied and have a gorgeous, straight-up tail carriage. Best of all I’m finding a brisk market, even for the colts. Of the five Trussardi foals that were born here on the farm, three sold immediately, for great prices, and two of those were colts. I love that! I have two left, a colt and a filly that are even more beautiful, but they were born late, so by the time they were weaned they already had their winter coats. Come spring, when I can take new photos, they will not be here long. In addition, Rojo Arabians is very service-oriented and

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will accommodate a breeder any way they can. Last year I think they put semen on the plane for sameday delivery, without complaining, many times for me. It’s been a real pleasure to deal with them.

— Stuart Sander, Stuart Sander’s Sterling Bloodstock, Portland, Oregon From the moment I first saw Trussardi, I knew I would be buying more than one breeding that day.

An exceptionally pretty, smooth-bodied colt stood before us, displaying all the qualities you would expect from his pedigree. To me he seemed so like his wonderful dam.

The mares we selected for Trussardi are our beautiful Versace look-alike daughter La Dolce Vita and two of her daughters: La Dolce Diva (by Aja Ben Rajah by FS Bengali), and FS Velvet (by WH Justice).

Unfortunately, La Dolce Vita did not take, so our first and eagerly awaited Trussardi foal (out of La Dolce Diva) is due the end of April. We chose to wait until this year to breed FS Velvet.

Trussardi is an important part of our breeding program and all of us at Tucana Arabians have had a great relationship with Rojo Arabians — ever since our first visit in 2002. My dream was to visit the great Versace and own something by him. This was not only fulfilled, but has also brought us to where we are with our breeding program, with nine of our horses possessing the blood of Precious As Gold. We have come full circle back to Trussardi. We breed for type and temperament, and ever since our first visits to Rojo, we have felt they’ve done the same.

— Andrea Taylor, Tucana Arabians, Manningtree, Essex, United Kingdom While perusing the Rojo Arabians’ website I came across what I thought was the “perfect” Arabian: Trussardi. He was only a young colt then but I knew that I would include him in my breeding program.

With my great love for Versace in mind, I began my search for the perfect mare to join us. My search started in the U.K. and extended to Europe, and finally I purchased my beautiful Villina NVF (Versace x Probracja) in the U.S. and bred her to Trussardi.

I was lucky enough to get a fantastic filly that is the stretchiest foal I have seen. She has an incredible swan neck with huge eyes, great, strong body, and conformation, with movement to die for — and best of all, the sweetest personality. We look forward to her U.K. show career in 2013.

We purchased five breedings in total so I guess we’ve invested in him, because, in our opinion, he has all a great stallion needs. I have a Legacy Of Fame daughter (out of an FS Bengali daughter) named MA Coulditbemagic due to foal to Trussardi in May 2013. We are very excited about this cross!

— Vikki White, High Rid Arabians, United Kingdom

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