Like every year at the end of January, the official Arabian race horse statistics were published by the Arabian Jockey Club (AJC) in the USA. There are a couple of trend changes in this field and key points one needs to stress: 

a. The total amount of horses that participated in the races is down from 604 in 2006 to 561 in 2007. The AJC is very concerned and has devised a number of measures to make this sport more popular in the coming years. The first US delegation since five years has taken part in this January IFAHR annual Paris conference to learn how other countries in Europe and Middle East are expanding the Arabian horse racing. US plans to stage this conference during the Darley Awards festivities in the coming year.

b. The total amount of races staged dropped from 505 in 2006 to 467 in 2007, the same applies to the purse money that went down from US$ 4 480 296 to US$ 4 110 549.

c. Sires of Polish bloodlines continue to produce the best racers in the USA through such legendary stallions like Wiking and his triple crown son Patriot Missle. Wiking’s best racing son, the pure Polish bay DA Adios’ foals will only reach racing age in two years time, so the legend will I am sure continue. The other legendary Polish sire line, the duet Sambor/Samtyr, has some outstanding champion-producing sons like Sam Tiki and TC Tomtyr and their grandsons like Dreams of Valour up high in the 2007 statistics. Since years the Polish pure bay stallion NF Proof, that goes back to the oldest Polish sire line Krzyżyk, holds his ground in the top league. A different category is represented by Burning Sand/Line Dancer, going back to the Polish Ibrahim sire line on the top and descending from the Crabett dam line on the bottom of the pedigree. Burning Sand is for the second consecutive year the leading sire in the USA. He had an amazing race career and set five track records. By the end of 2007 he had 162 registered foals of which 59 of racing age. 49 of them were race starters and 35 became winners of which 15 were stakes winners. His best racing foal is Line Dancer that stands at stud and is listed in the first top ten sires. Burning Sand produced very good fillies like Cath and Dixie Dance. Interestingly this year’s winner of the Drinkers of the Wind, the bay Walk The Line by Burning Sun, was classified as 43rd leading horse and gelding of 2007. But he had severe character problems all along his career. He kept throwing jockeys off of him at Delaware race track where he started his racing career. He went to Texas and he kept throwing jockeys off there as well. Finally, with his new owners Donald and Vivienne Date, who were involved in show horses but wanting something more competitive entered racing three years ago, and a new trainer – a renown thoroughbred race horse trainer Charles Treece – Walk The Line turned out to be victorious in Drinkers of the Wind in 2008.
 The offer of French blood stallions in the USA, too, has improved in number and quality. The top racers of 2007 were by Dormane, Falina Des Fabris, Chndaka, Nivour De Cardonne and Virgule Al Maury. They crossed exception ally well with dams of Polish bloodlines like, for example, the bay colt Fryvolous out of the great pure Polish race mare Fryga, producing outstanding racehorses and nicknamed “solid gold”.

d. Since the beginning of Arabian horse racing in the USA the best broodmare sires are of Polish bloodlines. This has not changed in 2007. The same Polish bloodline stallions top the list of sires and broodmare sires; namely: Wiking and his legendary son Monarch AH, followed closely by the Sambor get champion-producing Sam Tiki.
The other Polish bloodlines high in the enclosed table are the Bariractar sire line Wielki Raz and the stallion Serafix going back to the Polish Ibrahim sire line. The Egyptian Saklawi bloodlines are well represented in the 2007 year’s tables by ZT Ali Baba, MHF Eclips and Nodoromas Triumph. They are the sons of the legendary straight Egyptian sire of race and show horses, the grey stallion Moniet El Nefousa. His sons, daughters and grand get are excellent race and show champions holding a prominent position in breeding programs on several continents. The French bloodlines, too, are present in this category through the US based chestnut stallion Aneto.

e. One needs to stress that despite the presence of a now large number of French bloodline horses on the US ovals, the noble pure Polish continues to hold the upper hand and be favoured by US Arabian horse breeders. We hope this will continue to be the case for many years to come.

Leading Money earners, all ages, in the 2007 racing season in the USA

Leading Sires (horses present in the USA) in 2007

Leading Broodmare Sires in the USA (horses present in the USA) in 2007