Global Champions Arabians Tour took the world of Arabian horse shows by storm. Interest in GCAT was huge from the very beginning, from the moment the series was announced in early December last year, but at the time few people could fathom what was really in store for us. Meanwhile, a year later we got both a sequel in a refined formula and a spin-off on the other side of the Atlantic. What else could one wish for?
The events making up this year’s Global Champions Arabians Tour stirred up emotions from the very start, not only in the Middle East and Europe but all over the world. It was no different in Poland, and some even dreamt of a Polish show under the GCAT banner. For now, this remains a dream. But that’s okay, because at the beginning of December, the organisers made two announcements public that shook the world of purebred horses. Still, let us stay for a short while in…
2024
The first event with GCAT in its name took place just two months after the announcement of the series, and it was the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival – a prestigious event with a world-renowned reputation. For five days in the capital of the State of Qatar, Doha, festival guests had the pleasure of admiring some of the most extraordinary Arabian horses in the world, which did not change until the grand finale. There was also no shortage of horses bred in Poland, such as Michałów-bred Emarella (Sahm El Arab – Emandorella / Eden C), owned by Aljassimya Farm, and Wildona (Shanghai E.A. – Wilda / Gazal Al Shaqab), owned by Hanaya Arabian Stud. The former even won the bronze in the Senior Mares Championship.
Less than three weeks later, the sophomore event in the series took place – this time in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and at the turn of March and April we were guests in exotic Muscat, the phenomenal capital of the Sultanate of Oman. The following two shows took place around mid-June and mid-July, respectively in the European capital of cinema on the Côte d’Azur, Cannes, and in the cradle of the Longines Global Champions Tour, the highly regarded international horse jumping competition, the Dutch town of Valkenswaard. The last European leg took place at the beginning of September, on the largest chariot racetrack of the ancient world in the Eternal City on the Tiber, Rome. And the recent finale in Riyadh secured for years to come the place of GCAT in the global calendar of events with Arabian horses in the lead role. If one were to sum up these events in two words, one would have to say: brilliant splendour.
The organisers of all seven shows set the bar very high this year. Probably everyone at least once asked themselves questions like “What will they surprise us with in Cannes, Rome or Riyadh?” – anyone, that is, who followed the entire series or took part in any one of the events. Because GCAT, as the organisers emphasised at every turn, was not just about horses! Of course, they play the first fiddle, but apart from them we have an entire extended symphony orchestra in the form of handicrafts, theatre, music and cuisine – from artistic Arabic pottery to neo-baroque Italian opera. Shall we then take a look at what we already know about what awaits us in…
2025
We first got to know the schedule for the second edition of Global Champions Arabians Tour, which will once again take place in the Middle East and Europe, with the first event in half a month, in the first week of January. This time, in the United Arab Emirates, we will meet in Ajman, not Abu Dhabi like last year. Perhaps the organisers are also planning shows in other emirates too in the coming years, such as neighbouring Sharjah?
From there we will go to Doha, then to Muscat and then back to Riyadh. Each time there will be a long enough break to catch our breath of about a month between the shows, all of them taking place at the beginning of the month or the first half of it. Four Arabian episodes in, we’ll cross, just as we did last year, the Mediterranean Sea and we will cheer on our favourites in Cannes (mid-June), Valkenswaard (second half of July), London (mid-August) and Prague (early September).
After these eight events, the series will return to Qatar, where the World Arabian Horse Championships will be held for the second time on December 3-6, 2025, combined with the GCAT finale. Especially for this occasion, the co-organisers have created the GCAT Supreme formula. The final show will be reserved for the victors of the previous shows of the European-Middle Eastern series and the newly created…
GCAT Americas
In case one couldn’t get enough of Global Champions Arabians Tour, they must’ve let out a cry of joy last week. Right after the World Championship, GCAT organisers officially announced the five South and North American shows at an Instagram-streamed press conference at the New World Center in Miami Beach, with their own Atlantic rankings but the same values, including, of course, a strong emphasis on integrity, culture, and tradition.
“The launch of the Americas circuit represents a bold step forward for GCAT. It’s a testament to the growing global appreciation for Arabian horses and their unique qualities. We are thrilled to bring this celebration of excellence to the Americas and build lasting connections across continents.” This is what Faleh Al Nasr, Chairman of Global Champions Arabians Tour, said about GCAT Americas during the press conference.
GCAT Americas will be inaugurated in the second half of February, between the shows in Doha and Muscat, in Scottsdale, Arizona. This place is well-known to Arabian horse enthusiasts, including those from Poland. It was here that Perfirka in 2016 and her daughter Perfinka in 2024 won the titles of Senior Champion Mare, both hailing from Białka Stud. And it was here that the unrivalled Pogrom bred in Janów Podlaski successfully reached for the title of Senior Champion Stallion.
The American Arabians Tour will then move to Miami Beach, Florida. The date of this show is not yet known. It will probably take place between the events in Riyadh and Cannes (or St. Tropez, the final decision on which of these coastal cities on the French Riviera the show will take place in hasn’t been made yet), which would suggest late April, but we will have to wait for confirmation from GCAT on that.
From there, we will cross the Caribbean Sea as the middle part of GCAT Americas is to take place in São Paulo. Formula 1 fans may know the city as the birthplace of Felipa Massa, but it is primarily the cultural capital of Brazil, and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo attracts South American classical music fans no less than the Musikverein and the Vienna Philharmonic. This part of GCAT is scheduled for the first half of July, a week before Valkenswaard.
Then, a week after the show in London, we will move to the Canadian state of Manitoba, thus remaining within the Commonwealth of Nations. The Canadian leg of GCAT will take place in a city little known on our side of the Atlantic, although with an interesting history. The city of Brandon lies on the prairie on the Assiniboine River, which played a large role in the Canadian fur trade, which European colonists took over from the indigenous people of America. At one time, the fur trade even financed the Christianisation of present-day Canada, and the Jesuits, among others, made money from it.
The GCAT Americas finale will be hosted in the world’s capital of gambling, Las Vegas. But this city has also long been associated with purebred horses, and Polish-bred horses have achieved much success here. Perhaps the greatest of these is the Breeders Cup won in 2009 by Michałów Stud thanks to two marvellous mares: Emandoria and Embra. They won the Senior Mare Championship and Reserve Championship then. In any case, there will be a small problem with the American finale… as it is scheduled for the very same weekend as next year’s All Nations Cup in Aachen
At the Miami Beach press conference, Cindy McGown, CEO GCAT Americas, highlighted the significance of bringing the GCAT formula to the Americas: “The Arabian horse has a deep-rooted legacy here in the Americas, and GCAT’s presence will only amplify the admiration and respect these remarkable animals deserve. This Tour is a unique opportunity to unite communities through the shared passion for these extraordinary horses and their incredible stories.”
Coming back now to the Qatari GCAT Supreme, for which we have to wait almost an entire year, the winners of all GCAT shows in both Americas are also invited to the capital of Qatar. Considering the wealth of local breeding and pedigrees that are exotic from our Eurocentric perspective, next year promises to be very interesting.
