They say that some things are worth the wait. That’s definitely the case with RFI Sophie AlMaktub (RFI Maktub x RFI Sophia Al Neschi, by Neschnij), the 2010 bay mare from Brazil.

The first time Stuart and Carol Nierenberg, Silver Box Southwest, saw Sophie was at the 2018 Brazilian Nationals, the day before her appearance in the Senior Mares class. It was love at first sight. “I wasn’t aware at the time of Sophie’s global renown, but Cindy McGown and Mark Davis of Royal Arabians, apparently knew her well,” recalls Carol. “Together, we immediately tried to buy her, but we were told she was not for sale, at any price.”

The following night, after watching her in Senior Mares, the foursome became even more interested in obtaining Sophie. “Ringside, I watched, spellbound – frankly, with fingers crossed that she wouldn’t do well, and hence that owner Rodrigo Foz Forte (RFI Arabians) might change his mind and decide to sell her,” Carol says with a laugh. “Alas, Sophie owned the ring that night, electrifying the crowd with her perfection and her presence, and was crowned National Champion Senior Mare of Brazil.”

Despite subsequent repeated partnership attempts to purchase Sophie, Rodrigo continued to hold the line – the mare was not for sale. Recalls Travis Rice, sales manager for Royal Arabians: “We kept getting the same answer – no, no, no, and for emphasis – no.”

But at last, some two years later, Forte did put a price tag on Sophie. Without hesitation, the four partners agreed to it.

In a sense, the mare was coming home: Rodolfo Guzzo, the halter trainer for Royal Arabians, Silver Box Southwest and the foursome’s partnership entity, Royal/Silver Box, had been the first to show Sophie, in Brazil as a yearling, leading her to her first national championship title. Now he would be preparing and showing her again.

Arriving on U.S. soil at the end of 2020, Sophie proved to be everything her admirers had perceived at their first meeting in Brazil.

Carol describes her as the “Katharine Hepburn of Arabian mares. Like Hepburn, Sophie AlMaktub possesses an elegance, the epitome of class, refinement and presence that are unique to her – breathtaking, utterly singular, unmistakable and unforgettable,” she says.

Travis, who was with the four partners when they first became interested in purchasing the mare, says Sophie is “perfection. She just makes anyone stop and ask, ‘Who is THAT?’”

Beyond her presence, correctness, uniqueness and show-stopping beauty, Sophie has also proven her value as a broodmare. Her get include well-decorated and highly admired progeny from a variety of sires.

There’s Pharaoh HBV (by Psyche HBV), the 2016 All Nations Cup Silver Champion and 2017 Dubai Silver Champion Colt; RFI Sawari (by Excalibur EA), 2017 Brazilian National Gold Champion Junior Filly; and RFI Splendor (by El Tino), the 2018 Brazilian National Silver Champion Colt.

Guzzo will present Sophie on U.S. soil for the first time at the April Arabian Breeders World Cup on the polo grounds in Scottsdale. He is “ecstatic” to be able to partner with the mare again, and show her to Arabian enthusiasts in the U.S.

“There’s no person that sees Sophie who doesn’t fall in love with her,” he says. “She has gotten better and more beautiful over the years. I am excited to run into the arena with her as she makes her debut in America. Even more people will fall in love with Sophie.”

The Royal/Silver Box partnership, too, is looking forward to her U.S. show ring debut –and to many years of cherishing Sophie Almaktub. Says Carol: “Rodrigo Forte graciously permitted Royal/Silver Box custody of The Queen. She is now our greatest treasure. But in truth, she belongs to the whole Arabian world. Her genetic contributions have been, and will continue to be, immense. Sophie is, quite simply, a singular sensation. She is an icon of the Arabian breed. We are grateful every day for the privilege of being in her presence.”

When it comes to Amazing Horsewoman LLC’s founder, Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, never did she expect that her involvement in the Arabian horse industry would include ownership of a performance stallion such as Life Inthe Fazt Lane (Vegaz x Riverdance NA).

Located at Dr. O’Reilly’s Southern California Equestrian Center (SCEC), the 9-year-old bay stallion has been in training with Lowe Show Horse Centre for just under three years and each year has been better than the last. When “Eddie” stepped foot into California, trainer Jim Lowe was so in awe of the stud, he went and bought a broodmare to breed Eddie to so he could have his own Life Inthe Fazt Lane baby.

Since training with Lowe, Life Inthe Fazt Lane has won two reserve national championship titles, both in the Open English Pleasure with Lowe up at the 2019 and 2020 U.S. Nationals.

During last year’s class, Eddie got to trot in the arena with his sire Vegaz, ridden by trainer Chris Wilson. Vegaz performed for the first time in years and looked his best yet. Those who got to see both stallions in the arena witnessed a historical moment. There were four breeding stallions in the English Open class to close out the nationals show, and Life Inthe Fazt Lane proved he belonged at the top of the judges’ cards with his father and the rest of the competition.

“He is going to do great things for our breed,” Lowe said. Highlighting the best features of Eddie, Lowe continued, “He has an unbelievable amount of talent. He is kind, hardworking, beautiful, and trains like a million bucks. I am excited to see his babies on the ground and see how they perform. I think they’re going to be special.”

Dr. O’Reilly has several foals on the ground by Life Inthe Fazt Lane, which she has high expectations for. Exhibiting their sire’s same beautiful features and great necks, his get are proving to be trainable and showing the same performance potential. It is hard not to fall in love with the next generation of these “easy on the eyes” champions.

Despite her shorter (8 years) and later in life involvement with horses, Dr. O’Reilly’s love for the Arabian breed is apparent. From humble show beginnings in liberty classes, her Southern California Equestrian Center is now home to top show horses, as well as a successfully growing breeding program.

Life Inthe Fazt Lane is just one of three stallions at Lowe Show Horse Centre. Eddie’s stablemates include the legendary Mamage, owned by Beth Jupp, and Dr. O’Reilly’s multi-national champion Affliction, by Mamage. Each stallion brings their own excitement to the show ring, as well as their babies.

The sky is the limit for Eddie and Dr. O’Reilly’s potential within the industry. We saw just how talented his get can be when one of Life Inthe Fazt Lane’s progeny hit the show ring this year. It is only a matter of time before the public will be joining Dr. O’Reilly and Jim Lowe’s excitement for more Life Inthe Fazt Lane babies in 2021 and on.

When the world lost DA Valentino nearly a decade ago, the entire international Arabian horse community mourned. Now, it’s beginning to seem apparent to many that one very special young stallion, with DA Valentino on both his sire and dam side, could be the one to carry the torch of his grandsire’s legacy.

Garavani AN (Polidoro FC x Maria PCF), owned by Anivia Equine, LLC, captured the Arabian horse community’s attention with his championship titles of 2019 Gold Champion Colt at the Arabian National Breeder Finals and 2020 Scottsdale Junior Champion Colt, winning the hearts of many with his stunning and striking resemblance to DA Valentino. David Boggs, who is enamored with the young star, led Garavani to his victories, and says the Scottsdale win in particular was a rocket launch and a thrill.

“Garavani has a great attitude, is very charismatic and reminds me so much of DA Valentino, it’s actually spooky,” says David.

Breeder Sam Peacemaker was on the sidelines at the show and recalls, “The quality he exhibited, his scope, cleanness of throat and elegant standup were unmistakable. I was very happy with how well he showed and as the breeder, of course I was thrilled to see him win unanimously.”

David says the young stallion is following in his grandsire’s footsteps and predicts Garavani will reach the same popularity as DA Valentino both in the show ring and in the breeding barn.

“DA Valentino had an incredible international fan club during his lifetime,” recalls David. “Not only did he have show ring presence that was unparalleled, but he also became a very popular sire and his offspring, including Garavani, are representing him well.”

Sam Peacemaker had that in mind when he decided to breed Polidoro FC (DA Valentino x Abha Palma) to Maria PCF (DA Valentino x MCA Afire Beylee). “As I evaluated the phenotype of the individuals combined with the known pre-potency of the pedigrees, I felt I had a good chance of getting a long elegant neck, well set into a deep laid back shoulder with a smooth and balanced body.”

Anivia Equine’s Stacy Sachen, a life-long horsewoman and Arabian breeder, felt the same and purchased Maria PCF while she was carrying Garavani in utero and she couldn’t be more pleased with the end result. “Fixing the throatlatch, neck set and balance of body is very difficult to achieve as a breeder,” she says. “For these reasons, Valentino always stood out to me as not only a great show horse, but the top choice for a breeder. I feel Garavani is positioned to bring back to life that answer for the Arabian industry.”

Looking to the future, the Garavani team plans to provide the support necessary to make him as much of a legacy to the breed as his grandsire. Stacy plans to breed him to a select group of mares herself, and there are already significant breeders lining up with their best mares to capitalize on the stallion’s unique ancestry.

Peacemaker predicts Garavani will pass along great attributes to his progeny. “The qualities of the individuals in his pedigree are very similar to their phenotype and consistent deep into the pedigree,” he says. “I think the key features he will contribute will be a well-set long neck with a clean throat, tight well-shaped ears, a deep laid-back shoulder, balance through the body with smooth coupling through the hip and a well-set tail.”