Serj Al Rayyan (Ansata Nile Echo x Naifah Al Rayyan) as photographed by Alessio Azzali |
Serj Al Rayyan is a 2016 stallion and a paternal sibling to Egaab Al Rayyan. While Serj's dam, Naifah, is a daughter of Al Adeed Al Shaqab and RN Farida; Egaab's dam, Nadrah, is a daughter of Ashhal Al Rayyan and Ansata Nefer Isis. Maternally, Serj is related to Fahad Al Rayyan, as Fahad's dam, Noof, is a maternal sibling to Naifah, Serj's dam. I really like Serj's pedigree for a few reasons.
- Although bred by Al Rayyan Farm (as was his dam), Serj Al Rayyan's pedigree reflects 70% of the Ansata Arabian Stud breeding program and of that percentage, Ansata Halim Shah's influence is almost half that number!
- He only has one line to Prince Fa Moniet, which means that more of his Ansata ancestral elements are the foundational horses of the program.
- Prince Fa Moniet has a Babson line through his maternal granddam, Fada, which complements the 2nd Babson line through Ansata Nile Gift (Fa-Habba). Think outcross (non-Nazeer) blood which is distantly related (Bint Sabah).
- Serj has one line to Hanan, through Salaa el Dine, which is important today, given the demand for horses from Dr. Nagel's breeding program.
- Through Noha, the dam of RN Farida, we find a solitary line to Hadban Enzahi, who introduces a different "Nazeer flavor" to the pedigree, as compared to the other sources of Nazeer blood in the pedigree. What makes Noha a little more interesting is that through her dam, she traces in her dam line to Farida, which complements the multiple sources of *Ansata Ibn Halima found in Serj Al Rayyan's pedigree.
Finally, what impresses me the most in these post-Ansata years is the continuing influence of the breeding program that Judith Forbis, together with her late husband, Don, created. Along comes a horse like Serj Al Rayyan, who powerfully reminds us of the enduring relevancy of the Ansata program.
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