*Lancers Asmara+

In October of 1980, Donald Ford held a landmark sale, Lancer's Night of Nights, Sale of Sales, dispersing all of his Egyptian horses, including the stallion *Asadd+++, who sold for $1,525,000. The Fords earned six million dollars, with the sale average approximately $200,000 per horse. The mare, *Lancers Asmara+ was sold for a little less than the sale average ($150,000) to Tom Chauncey (who also purchased *Asadd+++), then, a record auction price paid for a straight Egyptian mare.
An American National top ten mare and twice Reserve World Champion mare, *Lancers Asmara+ is by Seef and out of Hebah, an *Ibn Hafiza daughter out of Nazeera. For me, this mare, Nazeera, is very interesting, as her name is like that of her sire, with an "A" added, to indicate her feminine gender. Why was she named so, I've always wondered? Is it because she so strongly resembled Nazeer, either in body or spirit, that a feminine version of the name was more appropriate and would forever record the similarity of father and daughter?

Nazeera (Nazeer x Malaka)

A  strong-bodied grey mare, Nazeera was foaled in 1954, out of Malaka (Kheir x Bint Bint Riyala). Malaka was an excellent broodmare for the EAO, producing horses like the stallions, Azmi (who was exported to Russia in 1958 and renamed Nil), Waseem and the mares, *Salomy, Mamlouka and Samia, in addition to Nazeera. In Egyptian breeding, the family of Rodania and thereby, the Kuhaylan Rodan strain, is represented via two branches: through Bint Rissala and Bint Riyala, whom Malaka traces to.  Nazeera, an influential broodmare like her dam; her progeny matured to become mares of great significance in straight Egyptian breeding, i.e. *Omayma, *Romanaa II, Bint Nazeera, Amani (the dam of *Asadd+++), Kawmia, *Manzoura and *Serenity Luftia.

While *Lancers Asmara was bred to stallions outside of straight Egyptian breeding like the *Bask sons, Fire Alert++ and Ben Bask; she was also bred to Egyptian stallions like *Asadd, *Sultann, Ansata El Hasan (his dam,*Mawaheb, is a daughter of Amani, a maternal sister of *Lancers Asmara+)  and the full brothers: Ansata Raja Halim and Ansata Halim Shah. Her daughter by Ansata Halim Shah, Halims Asmara, was bred to Classic Shadwan (Alidaar x Shagia Bint Shadwan), producing GR Amaretto, a breeding stallion for Anette Escher of Gestut Rothenberg.

GR Amaretto (Classic Shadwan x Halims Asmara) as photographed by the late Erwin Escher

While the Malaka line is recognized daughter-to-daughter for producing key broodmares; I found GR Amaretto interesting because he sired like the female members of his family produced, however, the influence of Malaka in GR Amaretto's get, comes through the paternal side, instead of the maternal side. GR Amaretto, who died in 2017, leaves several daughters,  insuring that the genetic value of mares like *Lancers Asmara+, Nazeera and Malaka, no matter which side of the pedigree you find them, remain a vital part of the Egyptian gene pool.