– The April Arabian horses show in Las Vegas has been held for the third time this year. Hence, it cannot be compared to the American shows with traditions, like Scottsdale, US Nationals or Buckye; however, Arabian Breeders World Cup receives a boost each year and becomes not only bigger considering the amount of horses that participate, but also more prestigious – says Mr. Jerzy Zbyszewski (George Z.) to polskiearaby.pl. – In my opinion it happens so because it is the only American show (except for Egyptian Event) which is being evaluated by international judges. The exhibitors are more confident that horses will be judged without so called ‘politics’. The judges in most cases don’t know the horses and the point system gives better results than the comparative one. The scores are being seen in the big screen just when the individual show ends.

And this is the opinion of Nancy Pierce who has been photographing the show:
– The bright lights and glitter of the Las Vegas, Nevada setting could not compete with the glamour and excitement of some of the world’s finest Arabian horses – all there to compete in the third annual Arabian Breeders World Cup Horse Show. Many well-known horses’ names appeared in the show program, and some of them actually showed up to compete. Only at the Salon du Cheval in Paris, France, would one expect to see three World Champion Arabians compete, yet *Dakharo (2007 Senior World Champion Stallion), his daughter Layan Al Khalediah (2007 Junior World Champion Filly), and the *Marwan Al Shaqab daughter, ABHA Palma (reigning Junior World Champion Filly) all appeared in Vegas this year. Some of the world’s most privileged and important people were also in attendance, but at the World Cup, it’s all about the horses.

Jerzy Zbyszewski continues:
– In 2007, when World Breeders Cup was held for the first time, about 120 horses participated. This year it has been over 200. As we shall expect, the biggest competition has been among the fillies. Not only the size of these classes was impressive (there were more than 25 horses in some of them), but also their quality. The Gazal Al Shaqab supremacy has been absolute. Watching the scores of each junior class mare we should’ve expected that in Sunday championship (it is an another class and scores from qualifying classes are not taken into consideration) the real challenge would be among two mares: a very titled World Junior Champion from Paris 2007 Layan Al Khalediah (Dakharo – Padrons Amour) and a fresh World Champion from Paris 2008 ABHA Palma (Marwan Al Shaqab – ABHA Ghazali). These mares participated in the same elimination class and Dakharo’s daughter defeated the Marwan’s daughter. Although Palma was born to be a “show girl” and she can appear in a great way, in the junior mare championship the judges have chosen Layan Al Khalediah, which, in my opinion was more like average.

Nancy Pierce adds:
– Some gorgeous fillies competed for the title of Junior Champion Filly. Much excitement had been created by anticipated showing of the beautiful grey yearling Marhaabah filly, Marhnika (out of Ladi Veronika by Versace). Marhnika had reportedly sold after the February Scottsdale show for a very high six figure amount to Ajman Stud, and everyone expected her to be a strong contender for Junior Champion filly, but she did not win the championship. In a testament to the high quality of the horses at the show, Marhnika finished second in her yearling class to the very beautiful and exotic chestnut filly Valentyna F (Psytadel – Veronia), owned by HDM Haras Del Mar, Spain and neither filly was junior champion or reserve of the show. However, it took two world champions to beat them! 2009 World Cup Junior Champion Filly honors went to former World Champion, the beautiful bay *Dakharo daughter, *Layan Al Khalediah (out of Padrons Amour by *Padron), bred and owned by HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, while the 2008 Junior World Champion Filly, the bay *ABHA Palma (*Marwan Al Shaqab – ABHA Ghazali by El Perfecto), owned by Abdullah Bin Fahd Bin Abdullah Al-Saud, was named World Cup Reserve Junior Champion Filly. *Layan Al Khalediah had beaten *ABHA Palma in their 3-year old filly class, but some spectators believed that *ABHA Palma might pull off an upset in the championship class, as she showed herself to perfection and looked absolutely stunning. However, in the end, the bigger, typier *Dakharo daughter took home the championship.

Jerzy Zbyszewski goes on with his account:
– In colts’ classes the quality didn’t match with the fillies’ classes. I have been watching with great interest El Chall WR (Magnum Chall HVP – Major Love Affair), a colt who has debuted this year in Scottsdale and in near future is supposed to occupy the chief sire box at North Arabians in California. This colt has an excellent, pure neck which is unusual at this age and in my opinion is one of the best Magnum Chall’s offsprings. However, in the championship class the judges decided that he deserved the Reserve Champion. He has been beaten by a 3- year-old Gazal Al Shaqab son, bay Stival (by Paloma De Jamaal). During the show Stival has been discussed a lot. This colt’s good looks and neck’s shape is astonishing. However he is not very tall and at his age is a bit soft in the body line. Though he is very impressive and I’m going to follow his career both at rings and as a sire.

Nancy Pierce fills in:
– The World Cup Junior Champion Colt class was highly anticipated as well, with the ultra-typey Stival (*Gazal Al Shaqab – Paloma De Jamaal by Soho Carol), owned by Peri Tilghman, earning the championship title with extremely high marks in type, head, neck and shoulder and movement, including two 20s for head. He was truly “head and shoulders” above the rest of his class, and rumors swirled that he had been sold for high dollars during the show; however, those rumors have not yet been confirmed. The Reserve Junior Champion Colt was the highly touted black turning grey yearling El Chall WR (Magnum Chall HVP – Major Love Affair by DS Major Afire), owned by the Robert and Dixie North Family Trust. The son of two national champions, El Chall WR was a tall, elegant colt with an extremely long neck who did a perfect standup that seemed to literally transform his conformation. He received some incredibly high scores in winning his yearling class prior to the championship. Three 19.5s for neck and shoulder seemed well deserved, but several type and head scores of 19 and above had many in the audience wondering if the judges had seen the same horse before them that the spectators had seen. Of course, that is what makes it a horse show, and six judges named him class winner and reserve.

Jerzy Zbyszewski says about mares competition:
– Of course in mares class competition Michałów-bred mares riveted our attention. Emandoria (Gazal Al Shaqab – Emanda), after winning the US National Championship stayed in California at Greg Gallun’s farm and after the leasehold terminated (on 31st December 2008) she has been shown in Las Vegas representing her breeder. Her stable mate Embra (Monogramm – Emilda) is currently being leased by oOneHennessey partners, it means oOne breeder, LLC (managed by Kirk Bardole) and Hennessey Arabian, LLC belonging to Frank Hennessey, who is very favorable to Polish horses. A very titled Emandoria has been shown in Las Vegas as “high played”, while Embra had to work off her unsuccessful performance in Scottsdale in February this year. The whole Embra’s charm lays in her phenomenal movement which we couldn’t unfortunately witness during her appearance in Arizona. It just wasn’t her day. It turned out that Nevada’s climate serves the Polish mare much better than the Arizona’s. She ran to the ring, trotting just the way only Embra knows to trot. In the result she received four „twenties” and one „19,5” for movements – and she has been the eldest mare of the show. Emandoria had the biggest score of the show: 332, but only for 24 hours. On Saturday she has been beaten by the chestnut stallion ML Mostly Padron (Padrons Psyche – HS Mostly), scoring 334 points. Emandoria and Embra, after winning their elimination classes, on Sunday stood on a ring in a very strong class of senior mares. The judges’ verdict has been crushing for Michałów-bred mares. Emandoria became Senior Champion Mare, and Embra became Reserve Champion! There was a great joy, all the more, that the mares’ owner, the Michałów State Stud, has also won the Breeder of the Year title.

Nancy Pierce reports:
– Two Polish beauties captured the Championship and Reserve in the World Cup Senior Mares Championship. The beautiful multi-titled *Emandoria (*Gazal Al Shaqab – Emanda by *Ecaho) owned by the Michałów State Stud in Poland, was crowned Senior Champion Mare, while the alabaster matron, *Embra (Monogramm – Emilda by Pamir) was named Reserve Senior Champion Mare. In winning her class earlier in the weekend, *Emandoria had gotten a little too frisky and kicked handler Greg Gallun, knocking him solidly to the ground. Gallun was in obvious pain, and opted not to lead *Embra into the ring in her class later that day. As a result, Gallun sent the young French handler, Raphael, known to many as “Frenchie”, into the ring with *Embra. Frenchie flew into the ring with *Embra boldly trotting behind him – the crowd went wild! And so did the judges! *Embra won her class with her stunning performance – and FOUR 20’s and a 19.5 for movement! Gallun was able to show *Emandoria in the Championship class, and once again, *Emandoria and Frenchie flew into the ring. *Emandoria went home with the championship, but Frenchie and *Embra went home with many new fans.

Jerzy Zbyszewski:
– There were many candidates to the title in the Senior Stallion Championship Class. The bay Dakharo, successfully shown in the whole wide world for a couple of years, has received weak marks in the eliminating class and only a phenomenal show in the championship could have allowed him gaining an advantage on the audience’s favorite ML Mostly Padron. Mostly Padron is an excellent show horse. He fits very well his presenter, Ted Carson, and both judges and the audience were astonished by his fantastic movement. The new ring partner of Dakharo (Dakar el Jamaal – FOF Kharolina) – Greg Gallun, has proven that he is definitely one of the best trainers in the US. After the Saturday’s “medium” standing show, in the championships Dakharo seemed to be a different horse. It wasn’t enough though to beat the charismatic ML Mostly Padron. Dakharo has become Reserve Champion, and the great-moving and charismatic ML Mostly Padron – the Champion.

Nancy Pierce:
– The Senior Stallion Championship was a battle of several veteran show horses. Former world champion *Dakharo, *El Nabila B, former Brazilian National Champion Laman HVP, and Canadian Reserve National Champion Junior Stallion ML Mostly Padron, were presented among others. *Dakharo was an early favorite, and in fact, he was Senior Champion Stallion at the very first Arabian Breeders World Cup Show three years ago. This time, however, *Dakharo seemed more than a bit flat, especially at the trot. He was perfection at the standup and seemed to be in superb condition, but the show ring belonged to ML Mostly Padron that day. ML Mostly Padron gave a rousing performance in winning the 6 to 8 Year Old Stallions Class on the previous Saturday, jumping, prancing, and rearing – and doing quite a good job at the trot. The championship class was no different. He was the epitome of the classic Arabian stallion, standing quietly for handler Ted Carson, on the rail, but entering the ring and any time he was asked to move, ML Mostly Padron was just full of himself, and the audience loved it. ML Mostly Padron (Padrons Psyche – HS Mostly by *Padron), owned by the ML Mostly Padron Syndicate, had the high score of the show, with a total score of 334, and he exited the arena as the 2009 World Cup Senior Champion Stallion, with *Dakharo (*Dakar El Jamal – FOF Kharolina by Padrons Psyche), owned by HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, being named Reserve Senior Champion Stallion.

Jerzy Zbyszewski summarizes:
– The Polish mares success, when the competition is so strong, is a proof of high position of Polish horses at the world rings and the decision of Emandoria and Embra’s performance in Las Vegas which is so far from their native Michałów turned out to be the right one. They have beaten so famous mares like the Brazilian champion Martina Van Ryad (Ryad el Jamaal – Barbara Van Kaset), the Scottsdale champion Llamore Di Style JM (Style SRA – Llana Van Ryad) and many more excellent mares. As I have mentioned in the beginning, the rank of Las Vegas show grows each year. It happens due to many reasons, which can be mentioned, but not at this time and in this place. Though the fact is that being an Arabian Breeders World Cup Champion is a huge achievement and sign of the highest world class.