The European part of the Global Champions Arabians Tour series has come to an end. For those who were there, it will be an experience to remember. And those who weren’t there, grab your notebooks and add the following to your New Year’s resolutions: I’ll go to GCAT in 2025. The Italians without a doubt surprised their guests present at the show in Rome with glassful of Italian culture, two millennia in a nutshell, that most probably no one had ever poured before: a bubbly essence of Italy, as expressive as it was delightful. Against such a background, an epic group of horses trotted and held their heads high in the majestic Circus Maximus, while presenters took no prisoners, ruthlessly fighting with their protégés for gloriam aeternam.
Inizi orribili, or horrible beginnings
The fate of the Roman leg of GCAT for a moment found itself on the chopping block a few days before the show. The unpredictable, deranged even, weather that we are seeing this September also in southern Poland, took its toll on the organisers. The purebred Arabian community held its collective breath waiting for an official announcement from the flooded arena. When it finally came, all one could hear was a sigh of relief.
The end of August and the first week of September were a time when horses reigned supreme at the Circus Maximus – first as part of the Longines Global Champions Tour, and then the Global Champions Arabians Tour. Both events, celebrating show jumping and Arabian horses respectively, were merely separated by a few days, during which the organisers were to “update” the decorations on the ancient Roman arena. Three days before the grand opening of the Arabian horse show, a cloudburst over Rome, the likes of which had not been seen in the Eternal City for a long time, washed everything away. When the skies cleared, the organisers without hesitation or delay rolled up their sleeves so that on Friday 6th September at noon the first yearlings could run out onto the largest chariot racetrack in history. And a special thankyou goes to the Rome City Hall for their support on this occasion. Local authorities helped get the battlefield that the storm left behind under control.
Cultura italiana
Before the gladiators appeared in the arena, the guests coming to the event experienced their first taste of the emotions and cultural impressions that were to come. A military band dressed as grenadiers and royal guards played the Italian national anthem “Il Canto degli Italiani” and battle marches foreshadowing the clashes that would take place in individual classes. Those entering the VIP area and walking around it were greeted by characters symbolising various periods of history, elements of culture and individual regions of the Apennine Peninsula. There were carnival goers from Venice in their best attire, hiding their smiling faces behind traditional maschere veneziane, ancient deities, including the female incarnation of the winged Mercury, Roman legionaries, distinguished patricians, legates and consuls. The Italians’ attachment to folklore, traditional music and the Tricolore was simply ubiquitous.
There was also no shortage of other attractions either… We saw a Roman chariot with its driver in festive vestment. There was a fashion show – after all, Milan is, next to Paris, the most important European fashion capital… There were elements of ancient theatre and baroque opera, for which Italian culture is known all over the world – librettos for the operas of the greatest European composers were written in Italian for a long time, even if they concerned stories not necessarily related to Italy, although one could perhaps argue about Haendel’s “Arminio”. Even though Arminius was a prince of the Germanic Cherusci, he served in the Roman army (which he later defeated, earning the nickname of the liberator of the Germanic tribes in Tacitus’ “Annales”). Gioco della bandiera – the tradition of flag waving and throwing which dates back to the Middle Ages – definitely got the crowd’s attention. With their art, the sbandieratori express the pride of medieval guilds, as well as refer to the early use of flags as signals during warfare.
So much for soul food. And what did the artisans’ village located on the side of the arena have to offer? Paintings, perfumes, Italian vetreria – the highest quality blown glassware, or fashion inspired by Italian and equestrian motifs, both high fashion and equestrian sports clothes, some of it inspired by the first half of the 20th century, and of course the kind of food one could eat: Italian biscotti, candy, chocolate cakes that Belgian maîtres chocolatiers would not be ashamed of, and obviously… gelati and sorbetti. It was impossible to leave the stands without overwhelming one’s senses, especially the palate…
One might wonder whether this was too much. But let’s face it… What else did we expect from Italians, whose pride in their multi-faceted tradition, culture and history dating back to the 8th century BC is so well known?
Gladiatores arenam intrant
We didn’t have to wait long for Polish-bred and owned horses. Already in the first class, two yearling fillies entered Circus Maximus, and the grey El Lyrica KL (Lyric EA – Erskina / Kahil Al Shaqab) led by Glenn Schoukens was actually the second horse to present herself to the audiences at this show. The dignified filly, already with some show experience (Silver Medal Yearling Filly at the Junior Show in Białka), bred and owned by Klikowa Arabians, looked very relaxed. A moment later, at Paolo Capecci’s side, we saw the also grey Sana OS (Exagon OS – Panamera OS / Psytadel), bred by Gestüt Osterhof and owned by Lubochnia Arabians. She, for a change, seemed excited to greet the crowds, which is not surprising considering she is the gold medallist of this year’s Vesuvio Trophy. And this is exactly how they presented themselves individually to the judges: the former an oasis of serenity focused on her presenter, the latter – full of unforced vigour, both charismatic and classy. Ultimately, El Lyrica was 4th in class with 91.43 points, and Sana took 2nd place, which gave both of them a chance to compete in the championships. Sultana Al Thamer took the first place in this class, receiving only half a point more – 91.93.
In the second class of yearling fillies, there were no horses representing Poland in any way, which does not mean that there were no Polish accents at all. This class was judged by Anna Stefaniuk, former main breeder of Janów Podlaski Stud and student of Andrzej Krzyształowicz. It was a very strong class, as evidenced on the one hand by the points awarded by the judges – D Rowa, Teha Al Shaqab and D Nafayes all received no less than 92 points, and on the other hand by their performances in the championships, but more on that in a moment.
Next came the two classes of yearling colts and we saw Tomasz Tarczyński in action for the first time judging at this show. He was one of the judges who had the pleasure to see Afreen Al Shaqab up close first, who presented himself from the best side in front of the judges together with the French presenter Raphael Curti. He is a young horse, already with a lot of experience, reacting great to the crowds, clearly pleased with roaring applause coming from the audience, and there is no sign of fatigue in him. With his dynamic performance, he outclassed his rivals, finishing the class with 20s for type and head & neck, as well as great scores for legs and movement. He returned to the stables with 93.14 points, second highest score of the day. The same number of points was awarded to the undefeated AJ Kayya, and only Shahbrys HVP scored 0.07 points more. It became clear that Afreen was in Rome for his fifth gold medal, having previously won them in Doha, Muscat, Cannes and Valkenswaard…
In the second class of one-year-olds, his biggest competition D Borkan charmed the crowds, but despite Paolo Capecci’s best efforts, he did not really want to show his moves. The judges gave him higher marks for head & neck, and also awarded twenty points for type, but he returned to the warm-up arena with “only” 92.36 points. The gold medallist from Abu Dhabi has much more luck with silver medals, and as we were to see the following day, it was true this time as well.
La forza è dei giovani…
The 2- and 3-year-old female classes were dominated by their winners: the aforementioned phenomenal 2-year-old chestnut Shahbrys HVP and the graceful 3-year-old grey D Najlah, who scored 93.21 and 92.93 points respectively. The judges were generous, giving out 20s for type and head & neck. The audience also reacted exceptionally lively to them from the very beginning. There was also a Polish accent among the female youth – or should I say “accentess”? In the second class, the bay Bella Rose (Star Farid – Bogini Marajj / Marajj) ran into the showground led by Nicolas Frere. Currently owned by the Jahazi Family from Iran, this 3-year-old filly is bred by Paweł Redestowicz. She is the 2022 Yearling Filly Silver Medallist at the Polish National Show in Janów Podlaski, and just recently she won bronze at the West Coast Cup in Koksijde on the Belgian coast of the North Sea. This time she went from third place in the class and almost 92 points to the championships. She even received a twenty from one of the judges for movement, but it was rejected (when there are at least 9 judges in each class, the highest and lowest scores do not count towards the overall result).
The same thing basically happened in the 2- and 3-year-old colt classes. Here too, the later championship winners dominated the scene. And here too, a Polish accent appeared – this time in the form of the 3-year-old colt Nisser Babel (Sinharib Babel – AJ Nasheeda / AJ Portofino), bred by Babel Stud and owned by Hamie Hamie Stud. We saw him for the first time at GCAT in mid-June in Cannes and two weeks later at the international B show as part of the Venice Land Cup where he almost unanimously won the gold medal in the Junior Stallion Championship. Six out of seven judges nominated him then for the title of the golden boy. At his second appearance on the Arabians Tour, he did slightly better and one of the judges even gave him an unfortunately rejected twenty for type. He also scored better for movement – and rightly so, as he showed a more than correct trot. Ultimately, he qualified for the championship from the 5th place, with 90.79 points (compared to 90.07 in Cannes).
… la prudenza degli anziani
It would be a shameful oversimplification to say that both the senior mare and stallion classes were a “one man show”. Yes, we have become accustomed to a few “big names” whose stars shine the brightest this year. The rankings are testament to this fact as they undergo merely cosmetic changes at most after each edition. It may be worth considering in future editions in how many stages of the series individual horses may partake. This way, the lower predictability of the rankings would make the series a lot more thrilling… Just food for thought.
There can certainly be no complaints about the level of the senior mare classes. Out of the 14 presented mares, only one received from the judges less than 90 points, and it was more like a temporary indisposition, because this not-so-successful performance happened to this year’s bronze medallist of the Trapani Arabian Horse Cup. Maybe this is due to her relatively small experience at shows and stress got the better of her? In any case, both classes of adult ladies were captivating, and the mares fighting for the right to compete in the championships were alluring. AJ Kayya did not surprise, winning 12 twenties (that’s after rejecting the lowest and highest scores), although she definitely did not show her best movement this time. The only two mares that really moved were the Swedish-bred and Kuwaiti-owned SMG Ivana and the Omani Alexandra RC – both were third in their classes.
The performance of the long-unseen DA Little Princess was a pleasant surprise. Last seen at the GCAT in Doha, she finished the B class of senior mares in 2nd place. The Austrian-bred and Italian-owned signora, led by Giacomo Capacci, was relaxed, and the crowd gathered around her in the ring did not intimidate her. Anna Stefaniuk was also clearly delighted with her, and it seems that she shared a kind word with Giacomo, because his face suddenly beamed with joy.
From our Polish perspective, the performances of both Lubochnia Arabians-owned mares: D Leen (D Seraj – D Maha / Eden C) and D Dawaly (FA El Rasheem – D Danat / SG Labib), were undoubtedly noteworthy. They took second and fourth places in their classes, receiving 92.21 and 91.93 points from the judges, which guaranteed both of them participation in the championship. Cherry on top, they shared a few 20s for head & neck.
The second day of the Italian leg of the series began with a little less testosterone than we saw in France or the Netherlands. Although there were twice as many gladiators as in the truly intimate Cannes, there were half as many as in Valkenswaard, and on top of that the first class of senior stallions was very calm, with the exception of the bay Rhan Al Shahania. Giacomo Capacci whom we have just mentioned above led the noble stallion in an easy-going manner, allowing him to feel the beat of the arena, first jogging alongside him, before shifting into higher gear, and after a moment allowing him to trot majestically. Considering the almost inevitable shows of strength at such events in the stallion classes, it was an exceptionally pleasant sight. Charismatic Rhan, with his head held high, showed the judges what a great walk looks like, then bowed to the presenter to have his forelock combed and gave his stress-free best in the stand-up position. If we were to judge only the cooperation between man and beast, then out of the more than 70 horses shown in Rome, this pair would undoubtedly receive gold. It was an example not so much of cooperation, but of a partnership full of mutual respect.
In the second stallion class, which again was rather calm, the last to enter the arena was E.S. Harir. It was known from the beginning that in this class he would compete against the also grey Equiborn KA, shown by Tom Schoukens and owned by Budhen’s Stud. Harir, metres away from the entrance to the show ring, encouraged by Paolo Capecci and being on a relatively loose rope, gave an astounding performance of rearing. The seasoned presenter knew that in order to win another gold, he had to present his star student in such a way that no one would have any doubts that the snow-white stallion deserved it. Ultimately, the judges appreciated the efforts of this pair – Harir was the only one to receive twenties for type across the board, and thus had the highest score of the show: 93.64!
Campioni di Roma
The chestnut D Rowa (FA El Rasheem – D Rawyanah / Emerald J), bred and owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, won the gold medal in the Yearling Filly Championship, probably to a little surprise. Two weeks earlier, she had won gold at Prague Intercup, so it seems that the Czech show was a two-in-one warm-up and rehearsal. At GCAT, we previously saw her in Cannes, where she was fourth in the championship, and before that in Muscat. In the Omani capital she won bronze, which could have been disappointing for the gold medallist of the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship and Sharjah International Arabian Horse Festival. And now she is in her best shape ever. The silver medal went to the GCAT veteran, bay Sultana Al Thamer (Dominic M – Weaam Al Jassim / Emerald J) representing Al Thamer Stud. Emerald’s second granddaughter in this championship is the gold medallist from Valkenswaard, silver from Muscat and Doha, and bronze from Abu Dhabi. And the bronze medal was awarded to Teha Al Shaqab (Marwan Al Shaqab – Marbella PCF / Exxalt) from Al Shaqab Stud, for whom this is already her third bronze medal in this year’s series, having previously won them in Qatar and the Netherlands.
It was no surprise to anyone that the grey Afreen Al Shaqab (D Mezyan – Siwar Al Shaqab / SMA Magic One) from Al Shaqab Stud won gold in the Yearling Colt Championship. He came to the Italian capital to win his fifth GCAT gold and left the city of Caesars with a sense of duty well done. His biggest rival, the bay D Borkan (FA El Rasheem – D Ajayeb / RFI Farid) representing Dubai Arabian Horse Stud, returned to the stables after the championship with silver. The choice of the bronze medallist, however, was a surprise – the judges decided that the most deserving of the third place was the bay Samir DA (HL El Ganador – Savannah OS / RFI Farid) bred and owned by Danubius Arabians. In the first yearling class, he was second after a successful performance, but keep in mind: this was his debut at GCAT. He had already made his mark in the purebred Arabian community when he won silver and gold medals this year in Bruges and Ströhen respectively. After Rome, he is now the proud owner of medals in every colour.
The Junior Fillies Championship was tense, as it was not entirely clear until the very end who would leave Rome with a gold and who with a silver medal. All we knew was that two amazing heavyweights would put up a fight for the championship belt: the grey D Najlah (D Seraj – Elle Flamenca / Ajman Moniscione) from Dubai and the chestnut Shahbrys HVP (Royal Asad – Rebecca HVP / Magnum Chall HVP), bred by Agropecuaria Vila Dos Pinheiros and owned by Ajmal Stud. The former was the gold medallist from Abu Dhabi and Valkenswaard, and silver medallist from Doha and Cannes. The latter won the bronze medal in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Cannes, left Valkenswaard with silver and Muscat with gold! Ultimately, more judges chose D Najlah for gold. What is quite noteworthy is how the judges’ votes are almost equally divided between the first two fillies. D Najlah and Shahbrys HVP are always neck and neck, going head-to-head, and the victory in Rome as well as in previous editions is decided by single votes. And the bronze medal in this championship went to the grey TM Bella (TM Itaipu – TM Fahdeelah / Shanghai EA), bred by Jose Orlando & Teixeira Junior and owned by Aljumail Stud.
In the Junior Colt Championship, two youngsters were similarly neck and neck: bay Dubai-bred D Shakhar (D Shakhat – D Shamkah / FA El Rasheem) and grey Bandar Aljassimya (Picasso di Mar – Miznat Al Jassimya / Monther Al Nasser) from Qatar’s Aljassimya Farm. Bronze in Doha and Cannes, silver in Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Valkenswaard, and finally gold in Rome – that was the fate of D Shakhar. His rival, the GCAT gold medallist from Doha, Muscat and Cannes, had to settle for silver. Fajer AA (Shanghai EA – Fadwa AA / Fadi Al Shaqab), competing in the colours of Ariela Arabians, won his second bronze medal in a row having scored one previously in Valkenswaard.
The hitherto undefeated queen of GCAT, the grey AJ Kayya (AJ Kafu – Aja Caprice / EKS Alihandro) from Ajman Stud, won her sixth gold medal at the Global Champions Arabians Tour 2024. The Emirati beauty is the only recipient of exactly 120 points in the GCAT ranking out of a pool of 120. The silver medal was awarded to an absolute show veteran Basandra Settimociello (Ajman Moniscione – MA Scarlet / Hadidi), bred by Allevamento Settimocielo Maria Ferraroni and owned by Ajman Stud. Previously, this grey mare had won bronze in Cannes and also silver in Valkenswaard. Then the biggest surprise for the Polish part of the audience both on site and on-line came when the winner of the bronze medal in this championship was announced: D Leen! A triple grey championship indeed. Dobrochna and Przemysław Wawrzyńczyk, the owners of Lubochnia Arabians, with their family were moved to tears at the prize-giving ceremony. And as was the case of Samir DA, this was D Leen’s debut at GCAT even though she has a tonne of show experience to her name. Last year, as a junior mare, she won the silver medal at the All Nations Cup in Aachen and gold medals in Sopot, Palermo and Travagliato.
The Senior Stallion Championship featured all nine stallions we had seen in both classes earlier that day. The three gentlemen who made the biggest splash were the ones who drew the most attention: Rhan Al Shahania (Marwan Al Shaqab – Jwaaher Al Shahania / FA El Rasheem), bred by Al Shahania Stud and owned by Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Equiborn KA (QR Marc – Espadrilla / Monogramm), bred by NV Zoutekreken and owned by Budhen’s Stud, and E.S. Harir (AJ Dinar – TF Magnums Magic / Magnum Psyche), bred by Sheikh Abdulla bin Majid Alqassemi and owned by Al Saqran Stud. To make matters even more interesting: each and every one of them a veteran of several GCAT events and numerous other title shows. And while the gold for the snow-white Harir was fairly obvious (a minority report came in the form of one vote for Rhan), the outcome of the fight for the silver and bronze medals was not known until the dust settled. Ultimately, by a minimal margin of votes, silver went to Rhan, and bronze to Equiborn – largely thanks to the previously mentioned single vote for gold.
Impact on rankings
The rankings have become set in stone. The lack of restrictions on the number of shows a horse may participate in results therein that the top of the rankings remain virtually unchanged – for several editions now. In the ladies’ ranking, only D Najlah and D Nafayes swapped second and third places in the top 10.
The first four places in the gentlemen’s ranking seem to have frozen and it turns out that E.S. Harir currently has a very slim chance of going to the very top, considering that there is one last stage of GCAT left… He is one point behind the second D Shakhar (unchanged since Valkenswaard), and still 5 points behind D Borkan in the lead (3 less than in July). The rest of this ranking changed in favour of Rhan Al Shahania and Bandar Aljassimya, but this is only due to the absence of Aesar Alwajba, Mushwash Al Shaqab and AJ Kafu at this particular show. Equiborn KA, in spite of his sublime performance, is still 10th –just as he was before!
There is also no chance of a shift in the presenters’ ranking – it is almost certain that the top five will remain as they are until the closing ceremony in Saudi Arabia, and (since Italians love football) the equivalent of Ballon d’Or will go to the Italian superstar Paolo Capecci.
Showdown in Riyadh
Thus the European incarnations of Global Champions Arabians Tour came to an end that was beyond spectacular. As football jargon comes in quite handy, we could joke that with the semi-finals over, it is high time for the final. The last stage of GCAT, in the heart of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the city of gardens (that’s what Ar-Riyad means in Arabic) is less than two months away. We can already bet that, just like in the previous Arab editions, we will experience shades and hues of culture of the Arabian Peninsula completely unknown to Europeans. Our Eurocentricity has dulled our senses to the charms of Middle Eastern art, and GCAT allows us to discover them anew, throwing off the shackles of stereotypes and prejudice. We already know from Muscat and Doha, among others, how fabulous Arab handicraft and artisanship are, how rich the cuisines of individual nations, how proud the peoples of the Peninsula are of their music.
And the horses? They will be exactly like in all previous GCAT location: Apollonian and angelic.
