Shooting Star or Great Comet?

My great-grandmother's maiden name was Bilbao, which is also the name of a port city in northern Spain, long recognized as part of the Basque country. The name, which is derived from the Basque words, "Bil", meaning "by a river" and "bai," meaning "a place," reflects the city's location, at the Nervion  river, approximately 10 miles south from the Bay of Biscay. An industrial and economic center, Bilbao has evolved to become a noteworthy cultural city, with a vibrant art community. As wonderful as that may be, what captures my interest is the age of Bilbao. In America, the oldest of our cities is less than three hundred years old; while Bilbao, was one of 4 cities founded in the fourteenth century. 

A few weeks ago, on this site, it was all about the Polish-bred Spanish stallions: Wan Dyck, Vasco De Gama and Egipto and that's how I stumbled onto Bilbao's photo. He has nothing to do with any of the 3 horses and everything to do with where I found myself that day, reading about long ago horses and considering what their influence may be in the present day. Bred by Nowy Dwor Stud, Bilbao was a Comet son, out of a Wielki Szlem daughter, tracing in his matriline, back to the 1835 mare Sahara, who was purchased in Saudi Arabia by Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, as a 10-year old for Jarczowce Stud in Poland. The Count purchased in total seven stallions and four mares and would export these horses to the breeding farm he had inherited from his father, Jarczowce. Sahara would eventually become the foundress of a significant line in Polish Arabian horse breeding. 

Of all the Arabian horse farms in Poland, Nowy Dwor exerted a significant impact upon Polish Arabian horse breeding. When I think this through, I wonder if Nowy Dwor's impact is because many of the lost and reclaimed Arab horses, as a result of World War II, were sent to Nowy Dwor or if it has more to do with the heroic efforts made by the Tyszkowski family to save many of the horses entrusted to their care. Their diligence in keeping the horses' out of the hands of the invading armies, insured their precious bloodlines to remain in Poland, instead of another nation. Whether rescue of the valuable blood in the hands of the Tyszkowskis or other Polish people enabled Nowy Dwor to become significant, it worked, as 8 years later (after WWII ended), Comet (Abu Afas x Carmen) was foaled at Nowy Dwor. There are 2 kinds of people in this world: those who admire Comet and recognize the transformation he would initiate in Polish breeding and then, the skeptics, who point to Comet's lackluster racing career. I have always thought it a bit interesting that our breed, as laser focused on the matriline as it is, would be raised in countries with an entirely different focus, that of the sire line. While Comet is recognized as a phenomenal broodmare sire and from where his true worth is felt, many of the skeptics point to the lack of sons, as a sign of Comet's weakness as a sire. Comet produced 38 sons, of which 5 sons were retained for breeding, the rest sold,  including Bilbao, one of several Comet sons who went to Sweden. Under the ownership of Arvid Aaby-Ericsson, Bilbao sired several successful purebreds,  including the 1980 Swedish National Champion mare, Cayenne, in addition to also siring several champion warmbloods, Shagya Arabians and Anglo-Arabian horses. Comet, the bright shining star of hope for Poland that he was, died at only 11 years old,  making his get even more valuable than they already were, in furthering his influence. This is what the skeptics have failed to realize.