Ghazal Al Shaqab | Gazal Al Shaqab

چهار نعل: Ghazal Al Shaqab | Gazal Al Shaqab

In the shadow of the domes of the royal stables of Al Shaqab in Doha, in 1995, a bay foal was born who was to make the name Gazal Al Shaqab one of the most…

Gazal Al Shaqab was born in 1995 at the Al Shaqab stable, the royal foundation affiliated with Qatar Foundation in Doha; a colt of striking color who from the very beginning carried signs of distinction. His sire, Anaza El Farid, was a pure-bred sire from the Egyptian line of Ruminaja Ali, and his dam, Kajora, was an American-born mare and national champion of the United States, daughter of the Polish-bred sire Kaborr. This combination gave Gazal a rich pedigree of classic Egyptian blood; a lineage that, through five generations, led back to the foundational sire Nazeer and passed through the historic line of Shaikh Al Badi.

Gazal’s championship journey began at home. In 1996, at the Qatar International Arabian Horse Championship, he won the title of Gold Champion Colt. The following year he went to the United States and at the US Egyptian Event won both Gold Champion Colt and Reserve Supreme Champion Male; a performance that introduced him as a rising star on the international stage.

With maturity, Gazal became one of the most consistent figures in the beauty arenas of the Middle East and the world. In 1999, at both the Qatar International and Middle East Arabian Championships, he won the title of Gold Champion Stallion, and in 2000, 2001, and 2004 he also finished Reserve Champion Stallion at Qatar International. The peak of this run came in 2001, when at the World Arabian Horse Championships in Paris, he claimed the title of Champion Senior Stallion and the world title, officially joining the ranks of world champions. His toughness and longevity were such that even in 2005, at an older age, he finished Reserve Champion Stallion at both the US National Arabian Championships and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show; a rare achievement for a horse that had competed for years at the highest level.

But Gazal Al Shaqab’s true legacy should be sought in the breeding shed, not only in the show arena. Initially standing at Al Shaqab in Qatar and then moving to American farms including Michael Byatt Arabians (and later retained for public breeding by the Royal Arabians breeding program in Mesa, Arizona), he became one of the most influential sires of the modern Arabian horse era; a sire renowned for passing on correct conformation, a powerful back, and an outstanding show presence to his offspring.

His most famous son, Marwan Al Shaqab, born in 2000 out of the mare Little Liza Fame, himself won the world championship title three times and became one of the most sought-after sires of his generation; a sire who produced later generations of champions such as Baanderos and Marajj. Gazal was also the sire of the mare Pianissima, a horse that won numerous titles across three continents, and also the sire of QR Marc, Abha Palma, Princess of Marwan, Hadidy Al Shaqab, and dozens of other national and international champions.

In May 2009, The Arabian Magazine placed a picture of Gazal Al Shaqab on its cover and described him as a sire who “changed the face of the Arabian horse show world” and played a pivotal role in building the Al Shaqab breeding empire.

Decades after its own triumphs in the show arenas, the bloodline of Gazal Al Shaqab —which has been continued mainly through Marwan— still ranks as one of the most concentrated and celebrated watering-down lines in the contemporary breeding of Straight Egyptian and half-Egyptian Arabian horses around the world.

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