Sad news has reached us today, on January 16th: Lenita Perroy from Brazil has passed away, recognized the world over as one of the most important people in the Arabian field; an outstanding breeder and Arabian horse expert and an authority to all those interested in Arabian horse breeding. Next month she would have turned 81. Since 1981 she was the owner of Haras Meia Lua farm (São Paulo), a name which has become synonymous to great quality in breeding. Her first purchases were the daughters of Nazeer, who came to Brazil in foal to El Shaklan. Three years later a stallion of worldwide influence found his home here: Ali Jamaal (Ruminaja Ali – Heritage Memory/El Magato). He became one of those sires that are referred to as epochal or legendary. Bred in the USA (Bergren Family Arabians), he is inseparably associated with the name of his long time owner, Lenita Perroy, who thanks to him built a breeding empire. After many years she added also Polish blood to her program, through the son of Monogramm, Dębowiec (out of Dębówka/Eternit). His son Jazeer de Wiec was twice named Brazilian National Champion, in 2011 and 2012.
Ali Jamaal also had some Polish blood thanks to his great-great-grandam Iwonka III (Ibn Mahomet – Łysa/Hassizi), bred in Kraśnica. During his long breeding career he lived to see 450 of his get, including national champions in 18 countries. At least 20 of his sons became sires of national champions; standing out among them is Jullyen El Jamaal (inbred to Ali Jamaal), bred by Lenita Perroy and owned by the late Sheila Varian, who can boast as many as 56 medals of his American and Canadian get. Many of these horses were exported and their significance for world breeding is undeniable. The better known sons of Ali Jamaal also include Magic Dream, Pershahn El Jamaal, Dakar El Jamaal (sire of Dakharo), Soho Carol (grandsire of Stival). Widely used in Poland (and abroad, also on Polish mares) was the stallion QR Marc, whose dam Swete Dreams was the granddaughter of Ali Jamaal.
In Poland we also have known the bred at La Movida Arabians (Austria) Lawrence El Gazal (sire of Białka’s Celita and Milian), who has Ali Jamaal in his pedigree twice. Ali Jamaal has left a mark not only on the breeding program of Ferdinand Huemer, but also at Ses Planes of Marieta Salas (Spain), where Abha Qatar was born. His dam ZT Ludjkalba is the granddaughter of Ali Jamaal. The currently stationed in Poland Muranas Jassehr from the German Murana Stud also has Ali Jamaal in his pedigree. All these horses (and we could mention many more) would not come to be if not for Lenita Perroy, who knew how to superbly manage the breeding career of her sire. “Jamaal was my great love”, she said in 2014 (“Arabian Horse World”). “He made my life very happy, knowing that he was in his special paddock, living as the king of Haras Meia Lua”.
Lenita Perroy appreciated Polish damlines; one of her favorite was Elle Dorada, daughter of Michałów’s El Dorada. “I was very lucky to have the chance of acquiring her”, she told polskiearaby.pl. “She was a spectacular 8 months old filly and I thought she had the pedigree that would do well with the Jamaal line. Elle Dorada’s pedigree is a breeder’s dream, her mother is a US National Champion, Polish National Champion, and her mother Emigrantka is one of the most important mares of the “E” family of Michałów”.
Lenita Perroy claimed that the pursuit of perfection in breeding has no end. „There is no limit, and this is what makes it so fascinating”, she declared in an interview for „Tutto Arabi”. Asked for advice for newcomers in the Arabian horse breeding, she said: “To study, to read, to go to shows, to visit breeders, to form his own idea of his own ideal horse. (…) and know that a great sire or a great matriarch is not always a Show Champion”.
