Samir Ali

Samir Ali (Bellagio RCA x Barakis Gem)

Sometimes, it is a photo that becomes a defining moment in time, like a point of transition between what you thought you knew and a higher level of clarity.  Once you have gone through this experience, then life cannot be lived in the same way. It is even more rare to experience such a moment within a busy time of the year, when our minds are driven to distraction by all we need to do, in trying to deliver the perfect holiday celebration for family and friends. So, in the quiet of an early December morning, before anyone else awakened, I decided to unwrap Arabian Horse World's latest Christmas gift to Arabian horse lovers everywhere, in the form of an article by Jeffrey Wintersteen, reporting on his visit to Al Ghanayim Stud in Kuwait. I encourage you dear reader, to click on the above link and read the article. It's good.

Do you know Samir Ali? He is a 2012 black straight Egyptian stallion, bred by Brenda Dumas, Rose of Cairo Arabians and Lora Gilbert. Samir Ali is now owned by Mr. Ayad Al-Thuwainy of Al Ghanayim Stud and is part of the feature published in Arabian Horse World. This Bellagio RCA son has won many prizes in halter competitions, most notably, he was an Egyptian Event Reserve Champion colt, as well as a Scottsdale Reserve Junior Champion Colt. On New Year's Day in 2015, when presented in Stonewall Farm's Holiday Open House, Samir Ali made a powerful impression on many of the people in attendance.

When I found the Darryl Larson photo of Samir Ali, I was really surprised. The deeper heart girth is what got me first. I couldn't see anything else. Eventually, I noticed his strong and smooth topline, his beautifully long (balanced neck), which is well-set on a muscled, laid-back shoulder and his self-carriage, so supple, so relaxed and through...what a perfect moment in time, that brought me so much beauty, wonder and awe in the stillness of a quiet morning.

The dam of Samir Ali is Barakis Gem, a daughter of Al Baraki (Thee Desperado x Alijamila) out of Gemma SA (Shahir x Bint Wanisa). In tail female line, the line goes through the Sameh daughter, *Omayma, to Bint Riyala, one of two mares from the Rodania family, as bred by Crabbet Stud and imported into Egypt. So, in strain, Samir Ali is Kuhaylan Rodan, from one of the most powerful and continually relevant families in all of Arabian horse breeding. When my friend, Gari Dill-Marlow was alive, she was studying the impact that families (like that of the Rodanias) exerted in the show ring. While she did not get to finish her study, Gari told me that she wasn't sure which mare had more generations of winners: *Wadduda or Rodania.

At first glance, I found it interesting that Ruminaja Ali, while appearing mainly in the 5th and 6th generations of the pedigree, represents approximately 30% of Samir Ali's pedigree, with almost 70% of  Ruminaja Ali's influence brought forward by Thee Desperado and his sire, The Minstril, a Ruminaja Ali son.

Alijamila (Ruminaja Ali x Ansata Justina)

I didn't set out like Sherlock Holmes to find a possible genetic source for the deeper heart girth that I observed in Samir Ali's photo but I have to admit that when I saw the name of Al Baraki in the pedigree and more specifically his dam, Alijamila, the hair on the back of my neck stood on edge. You see, there is a mare who resides also in Kuwait, who like Samir Ali, carries the influence of Alijamila on the maternal side of the pedigree. This mare's name is Alttafilbari Ezzain, sired by NK Qaswarah and out of Ajmal Ibtihaj, a daughter of Alijamila by Adnan.

Alttafilbari Ezzain (NK Qaswarah x Ajmal Ibtihaj)

If you, dear reader, are a believer in phenotype following coat color as I do believe, Alttafilbari Ezzain favors her maternal granddam, the black Alijamila. Like Samir Ali, Alttafilbari Ezzain is powerfully built, with a deep heart girth and well-sprung rib-cage.

What is also interesting about Alttafilbari's dam, Ajmal Ibtihaj, is that she is by Adnan, a Salaa el Dine son! Gemma SA, the maternal grandam of Samir Ali, is by Shahir, who is also sired by Salaa el Dine. So, while Alttafilbari and Samir Ali are different horses, it is interesting that physically, they both share similar conformational qualities and genetically, they also share a similar cross, uniting the blood of Salaa el Dine with the influence of the Ruminaja Ali daughter, Alijamila! Could this be the source of the phenotypical similarity that I observe between both horses?