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Part Two: Ramses Fayek Nazeer! The "magical" name in every pedigee of Egyptian horses. In this series, we want to present his most influential "American" sons. It is the continuation of our popular features of the three "German" Nazeer sons, which seem to be the favourites of many of our readers. Countless mails arrived us asking if we could make such a series about other countries. No problem folks, here we are! We will now continue with the second part of our series about the Nazeer Sons in America...
Photo:
Johnston
The grey stallion Fayek was born at the EAO in 1958. It was a good age-class considering that horses like Aswan, Kaisoon, Ansata Ibn Halima or Bint Mona were foaled in the same year. All were sired by Nazeer and sooner or later all were exported into different countries (though the majority of them ended up in the United States).
Fayek (as he was then known) was the one who would stay in Egypt for many years to come. Like his sire, he spent his early years at an EAO stallion station. The first person who realized Fayek's potential as a breeding animal was the late Sayed Marei, the owner of the well-known Al Badeia stud. Over the years he sent him some of his best mares - with impressive results. In fact, Al Badeia's Fayek daughters laid the foundation for the farm's numerous show ring successes. Their influence in the breeding program of today is as strong as twenty years ago.
The first Fayek foal was the filly Naeema (x Tifla), born in 1964. She produced 13 offspring - ten fillies and three colts. Eight have been exported, and three remained at Al Badeia. Her daughter Nour El Sabah (by Kayed) produced the fabulous Aneesat Albadeia (by Amir Albadeia), the undisputed diva of the Al Badeia broodmare band. She is the epitome of overall refinement and grace, as well as having one of the most classic heads one can imagine. But don't think she can't move! Like a locomotive she trots through the sands of the Al Badeia paddock.. She is unique and the majority of her foals prove her to be highly dominant in most cases. Her daughters are rival beauties.
The full sisters Malekat El Wadi (Fayek x Nagdia by Nazeer, foaled 1965) and Farida (foaled 1967) are still represented at Al Badeia as well. Malekat's granddaughter Ibtehag Albadeia has more championships to her credit than most other mares in Egypt. She recently was sold to Simeon Stud in Australia. And Farida's majestic son Farid Albadeia (by Ameer Albadeia) is serving as the present herd sire (and was National Champion as well). Could it be Sayed Marei did something right when he brought his mares to Fayek in the sixties? But back to Fayek. Some of his Egyptian foals were exported to different places but they couldn't gain any influence at their new homes. With two exceptions - the stallion Fikri (Fayek x Nadeemah by Amrulla) and the mare Bint Fayek (Fayek x Abeer by El Sareei) became the foundation of the Dutch studfarm "Smaroel Arabians".
I will never forget the day I met Fikri for the first time. He hadn't a doll's face, but was a stallion through and through - an image of his sire. Always ready to protect his harem, he looked in every direction, ears up and tail flagged, and trumpeted his love call to the mares. His overall appearance was dry and his head was attached to his neck properly - no special stretching or posing was necessary to make it look good. For many years, Fikri was the dominant personality of Smaroel Arabians.
One of the most dominant personalities at Imperial Egyptian stud in the United States was the bay mare Amalaa (Mowaffac x Aminaa). Robust and tall, she consistently produced exceptional type and conformation along with that special "look-at-me" attitude. Her best foals, once known as Imperial's "Fabulous Four", were her offspring by Ansata Imperial: Imperial Imalaa, Imperial Intaada, Imperial Im Jasim, and Imperial Imalana. All were multi-champions and all combined the size and correctness of her dam with the exotic type of their sire. Very interesting, you'll say, but what do that horses have in common with Fayek? Good question, so let's have a look at Amalaa's pedigree: Her sire is Mowaffac and this stallion was born in Egypt in 1970. And - you already know it - he was one of the few Fayek sons there. But Mowaffac never sired a horse like Amalaa again - obviously she was an "accident"!
In 1969, Plum Grove Farm's owner Martin Loeber made his first trip to Egypt to buy horses. He already had purchased the Egyptian related mare Sanacht (by Hadban Enzahi) at Marbach, one of the all-time leading ladies of the breed. In Egypt he found two mares he liked - one was Bint Ghazallah (Sid Abouhom x Ghazallah). She had been bred to Fayek and her foal was born in the United States: Ramses Nefertari. She was the first straight Egyptian foal born at Plum Grove. "After seeing her and several other Fayek daughters, I decided to buy him as well," Martin Loeber said.
During the months of negotiation with the EAO, Fayek was bred to some El Zahraa mares; the resulting foals were the above mentioned Fikri and Mowaffac and four other mares and stallions. The grey Hakima (Fayek x Kamar) rose to international importance with her charming son, Rihan (by Aseel). Nayla Hayek imported this small chestnut stallion to her Hanaya Arabian Stud near Zurich in Switzerland where he lived his life as a respected sire and beloved friend. For many years he ranked as one of the most exotic Arabian stallions in Switzerland.
In 1970, Fayek got a new home and a new name. At age 12, he enjoyed a brief but spectacular show career in the United States under his new name "Ramses Fayek"- in honour of the ancient Pharaoh Ramses II. Australian master breeder Marion Richmond remembers the first time she saw him: "He was no 'oil painting', but he was a good racehorse and one of the most conformationally correct Arabian stallions I had ever seen." Consequently she bought his daughter Ramses Tinah (x Ramses Nagdia by Wahag) who gave birth to Australian Reserve Champion Mare Simeon Shuala (by Simeon Shai). Bred to Simeon Stud's premier sire Asfour, she produced the full siblings Simeon Shemini (Champion Stallion of New Zealand) and Simeon Shiraz (multi-champion mare in Australia).
But back to Ramses Fayek, who was named 1972 Region VI Champion Stallion at age 14 and was a Top Twenty Stallion at the U.S. Nationals twice. An impressive show record if you consider he was a bit past the age when most stallions are in competition. But his sons and daughters - the Amurath-prefixed horses - have been the Nationals winners for Martin Loeber's Plum Grove Farm. Ramses Fayek sired 10 national winners (only Morafic and Ansata Ibn Halima sired more) - not to mention the numerous class A halter champion sons and daughters. The 1978 Nationals brought special glory to him when two sons won the top honors in halter - Amurath Bandolero as National Champion Stallion and the St. Clair bred Keyaf as National Champion Futurity Colt. Ramses Fayek sired well over 200 foals and many of his daughters are producers of National winners.
However, Ramses Fayek's influence in straight Egyptian circles is limited as the majority of his better known offspring was out of mares of a variety of bloodlines. Ramses Fayek's Egyptian related offspring made a significant contribution to the Arabian horse community world-wide. Breeders of straight Egyptian horses hesitated to use him because they didn't find the typical Nazeer attributes in him. Fayek's stamina and correct conformation couldn't attract a "head hunter".
"Twelve years ago, Ramses Fayek was chosen to found our Egyptian breeding program. He was one of the immortal Nazeer's greatest sons," Martin Loeber wrote in 1982, the year Ramses Fayek passed away. "He has been an excellent producer for us, siring National Futurity Champions three years in a row. To my knowledge, there isn't a stallion living in this country with that record." And after eighteen years there still isn't another one with that record. The Pharaoh would be proud! Linda Thol |
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Sire: Dam: Born: Imported: Deceased: |
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