On the weekend of 16-17 August, in Halmstad (Sweden) Girlan-Bey (Pesal – Gracja-Bis/Monogramm), bred by Polish breeder Michał Bogajewicz and owned by the Kristoffersen family, was crowned Swedish National Champion Stallion. He also received the trophy for the Highest Score of the Show. Three years ago Girlan-Bey achieved exactly the same titles, as a 3-year-old-colt then. He got also the title of Junior Reserve World Champion.
Girlan-Bey owners told us about the success of his stallion:
“A few weeks prior, at the A-show at Vilhelmsborg, Girlan-Bey was class winner ahead of Galinka el Sheikh (by CH El Brillo out of Galinka Rougelais) and Final Shadow (by Psytadel out of AS Shahwan) and Top 5 Stallion. He was only beaten in the Championships by Eternity Ibn Navarrone-D and Khidar. After that, he came home to rest for a few weeks before ending the season with his second appearance at the Swedish Nationals. There, Girlan-Bey won his class comfortably, with Mambo (by Khidar out of JJ Aquina, bred in Belgium) in second place. Mambo, like Girlan-Bey, is a former Swedish National Champion Colt, and he was subsequently Reserve Champion Stallion this time. The senior stallion class was won by Naizaak by Gai Radiant out of Bint Nariadnaia”.
“Our plan for this season was only to show him in Scandinavia”, the Kristoffersens add, “to test his transition from the junior to the senior classes. Clearly, his quality remains impeccable and we feel he is still developing in a very positive way. He will return to the international arenas when he is ready”.
At the Norwegian National Championship his son Mirek Bey, owned by Bikor Arabians, was named Norwegian Champion Colt Reserve. It is not the first success of a Girlan-Bey descendant. Girlan-Bey’s owners explain to polskiearaby.pl:
“His only Danish offspring so far, Fazia-B out of Flota by Etat, bred by Bjerlevgaard Arabians, was Danish National Champion Filly 2007 as a yearling. This year she was awarded the trophy for Best Danish Bred Horse at the A-show at Vilhelmsborg. And our own 2-year-old filly OKS Bialka (out of OKS Bitcha) was 3rd in her class at the Swedish Nationals. The 2-year-old colt SA Gharabi (out of Gemini) also got the trophy for Most Classic Movements at a regional Swedish show this summer”.
Are Polish-bred horses popular in Sweden? Is Girlan-Bey a popular sire there? The Kristoffersens comment:
“Since he was in Poland last season, the only foals are born there this year. Overall, we find Girlan-Bey has consistently been a great improver of overall quality, type and style of the mares he has bred, although none of those mares have been top quality show mares. The breeders have been more than pleased. The plans for the 2009 breeding season are still open”.
“Girlan’s career is followed with great interest. However, it is interesting to note that Polish bloodlines do not have such a firm grip of the Swedish market as they used to. New times, new owners and breeders, new trends. Nowadays, few Swedish breeders visit Poland and the state studs and few Polish horses come to Scandinavian shows. It has been many years since we saw horses from Michałów and Janów at the Blommeröd Scandinavian Open, for instance. And what people never see, they do not know. But there are still high quality horses of Polish origin in Sweden, and when they are shown, they always come out on top… like Girlan-Bey!
