2023 Pride of Poland: Results

"Santi, the day that you think that you know it all with horses, that day, you're done." - Santi Fornieles recalling advice given to him by a friend, Brígida Lupe, in an interview with Paul Kostial, We Love Arabian Horses Podcast

A full week has now passed since the Pride of Poland sale. How did that happen? It wasn't that long ago that snowflakes were flying and Menton, seemed so far away! Now, here we are, at autumn's doorstep and Menton, a long ago memory, while Aachen  is on the horizon. That's how it's been this summer with all the good moments of life or have I officially "matured", writing the very words that I remember old people to say? Well, old, young, new, not so new, we really need to fully savor these sweet days of late summer, before it is too late to do so. These will be the warm memories we will recall this winter, when the cold winds blow. By now, you have heard or read of the record high pricing paid for 4 beautiful mares: El Esmera (Sahm el Arab x Esmeraldia)  @ $810,000 euros, Wildona (Shanghai EA x Wilda) @ $650,000 euros, Bogini Roz PA (Kahil Al Shaqab x Black Rose) @ $170,000 and the dappled bay beauty, Babetta (Emerald J x Belinda) @ $112,000. These are the horses who each, have sold for 6 figures (WOWOWOW) and were the high sellers of the sale. Much to my chagrin,  I had previously blogged my expectations, as to WHO may be the high sellers and I got it all wrong. None of the horses that I had named brought the kind of prices that the 4 mares named above sold for:

In my opinion, there are 5 lots who have the potential to make this year's sale not only historic, but unforgettable too. When I watched the video of Pegala PS I cried. It has been a long while since I have seen a mare like this. She is a Gazal Al Shaqab daughter, out of a Laheeb daughter, the matriline running back through Janow Podlaski's "P" line. In the old days, breeders did not sell these horses, as these are the elite or premium horses that are crucial to the success of a breeding program. Pegala is incredibly unique, the kind of horse that sometimes, takes an entire lifetime to be born but then, when she matures, will further define your breeding program through the foals she produces. PEGALA SOLD FOR $39,000 In addition to Pegala, there is the chestnut Pinga daughter by Eden C, named Paterna. PATERNA WAS ABSENT There is also the bay Piannisima granddaughter, Pia Mari, sired by Pogrom (QR Marc x Petla). PIA MARI SOLD FOR $16,000 And lastly, the Marwan Al Shaqab daughter, Pustynia PS, out of the Russian-bred Prokanitsa (Karnaval x Probezhka). PUSTYNIA SOLD FOR $9,000 Then, there is the gleaming white stallion, Paris, a son of the *Ecaho daughter, Palmeta, sired by Kahil Al Shaqab. PARIS SOLD FOR $40,000.

There were 45 lots between both sales, 23 of those horses were part of the Pride of Poland sale on Sunday and the balance were in the Summer Sale on Monday. Of that number, 14 lots did not meet their reserve price and were not sold. 9 lots were in the Pride of Poland sale, while 5 lots had been consigned to the summer sale. In mid-July, when the preliminary lists were made available, I had picked 10 mares, of which,  the grey Ekstern daughter, Apolonia, the Parmana granddaughter, Pesalina and the Laheeb granddaughter, Pegala PS were my top choices. I was interested to learn the money I would have spent, had I been the successful bidder and able to purchase any or all of them. It's a game that I have been playing since I was a child and a great way to study pedigrees and understand the impact the ancestral elements are having in the modern age of Arabian Horse breeding.  Some of the very best producing mares are not always the mares with the most expensive price tag.

There are approximately 10 mares that I absolutely loved and at the top of my list are the Ekstern daughters: Editoria, out of the Eden C daughter, Editha, whose matriline goes back to Emigracja EDITORIA SOLD FOR $35,000 and Apolonia, out of Argolida (*Eukaliptus, top crossed onto Monogramm) APOLONIA SOLD FOR $75,000. In some ways, the Empire daughter, Golstera, reminds me of Apolonia. She is out of the Alert daughter, Goltra. The length of Golstera's forearms, compared to her short cannons was very nice. GOLSTERA SOLD FOR $18,000. All 3 mares were bred by Michalow. Then, there's the Equator daughter, Alsandrina, out of the Ganges daughter, Alhasa. ALSANDRINA SOLD FOR $20,000. Forla is one of three El Omari daughters that I really liked. El Omari is an Enzo son, out of the Monogramm daughter, Embra. The video footage of Forla's shadowy silhouette, trotting the fence line, is an image that I will not soon forget. She made my hair stand on edge. Forla is out of Formia FORLA SOLD FOR $10,000 while the chestnut Pentoria with a deep heart girth, is out of Pentra. PENTORIA SOLD FOR $29,000. Pesalina is the third El Omari daughter that I liked, however, with respect to El Omari, the reason I like this mare so much has nothing to do with her sire but everything to do with her maternal great-grandsire, Al Maraam, the sire of Parmana, the dam of Parmania. PESALINA SOLD FOR $25,000. When Celita's long forelock is over her face, it's like I melt into a puddle of silly putty. Oh my! Celita is the only lot consigned by Bialka. She is the dam of the stallion, Celadon, by Pogrom. She has an interesting pedigree, as she is by Lawrence El Gazal (Gazal Al Shaqab top crossed on double Ali Jamaal) out of the Ekstern daughter, Cella. CELITA WAS NOT SOLD Although Almawiwa is 50% Egyptian, sired by Ariela Arabian's Abyad AA, she is out of the Eden C daughter, Alara, who traces in her matriline to the great broodmatron, Albigowa. ALMAWIWA SOLD FOR $9,000 The Pomian daughter, Teodora, is out of Tartina, a Perseusz daughter out of Tarnawa, by Aarat. Perseusz is by Laheeb, top crossed on a *Eukaliptus daughter. Conformationally, Teodora resembles her pedigree. TEODORA SOLD FOR $20,000

Had I been the successful bidder on the 3 mares that I really liked: Apolonia, Pesalina and Pegala, I would have spent $139,000. If money were no object and I could purchase all my favorites, that is, the 9 mares that did sell, I would have spent $241,000 euros, however, it would have been more than that, because I would have bid the amount of money needed, to meet Celita's reserve price, plus the $39,000 euros for Pegala PS.

If you are interested in learning the results for all the horses, the results are available in downloadable PDF form on the Pride of Poland website 

Congratulations to the breeders of these horses, as well as best wishes to the new buyers, as you incorporate these wonderful horses in your programs. Thank you to everyone connected with Pride of Poland for putting together a spectacular sale this year!

  ***Can I offer my thanks to Arabian Essence TV, it is only because of them that I was able to watch and enjoy the sale live and witness these powerfully dramatic moments. The sale video is in 2 parts. The first part appears above, in the opening video of the blog, the 2nd part, which opens with my favorite, lot 15, Pesalina is available here  The video for the Summer Sale is available separately here***

***a very special thanks to Arabian Insider, for making the video presentations of each horse available on your You Tube Channel. It is only because of you, that I was able to pick a favorite***