ENGLISH TEXTS
bred Breeders and Owners). The board is elected every three years and is currently composed of Şevket Yıldız, President, Ali Kayakıt, General Secretary, and board members Şahin Şimşek, Mehmet Yıldız, and Halil Çiçek.
There is a wide range of stakeholders, both private and public. On the public side, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and its agricultural enterprises( Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’ s General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises) are very involved through the TİGEM structure( the equivalent of the French national studs). TİGEM manages the careers of numerous stallions, including the five most expensive currently standing in Turkey: These stallions are spread across Karacabey / Bursa, Anadolu / Eskişehir, and Sultansuyu / Malatya farms. TİGEM also breeds Purebred Arabians that are offered at annual auctions. These take place at Karacabey Farm, as well as at the Veliefendi Racecourse in Istanbul. In total, nearly 250 Purebred Arabian stallions are active in Turkey. In 2024, 3,007 Purebred Arabian races were run in the country. This represents 45 % of the program, with the remaining 55 % dedicated to English Thoroughbreds. For comparison, in 2024 in France, 99 Purebred Arabian races were organized. The total amount of prize money awarded to Purebred Arabian was ₺ 2,762,711,700(€ 56,677,030), represent- ing 42 % of the total purse distribution. For thoroughbreds, the total prize money reached ₺ 3,771,898,725(€ 77,380,502). In addition to the purses, a 20 % owner’ s premium and a 19 % breeder’ s premium are awarded. This virtuous system encourages many owners to also be breeders of their own horses. Shaagran Stables. He then worked as an assistant trainer for Andrzej Walicki for two years before becoming a public trainer in 2017 in Poland. He started mainly with thoroughbreds but always kept in mind the desire to train only Arabian. He began with a few Arabian for the Al Khalediah stable and made a name for himself. He managed to convince Middle Eastern owners to have their horses trained by him. Indeed, Arabian are an integral part of Polish culture. Races dedicated to Arabian are just as numerous as those for thoroughbreds. Gradually, the stable grew, and victories followed. But his dream was to train in the Emirates. The level is higher, there are more races, and also more prize money! He left Poland after the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the podium with the title of Best Arabian Thoroughbred Trainer 2024. A great achievement! Maciej trains in the public area of the Al Wathba training center, where several trainers are located. The pace of life is completely different. The days start at 3:30 AM. There are four lots. Currently, there are nineteen horses, including seven three-yearolds in the stable. Seven people take care of the horses daily.“ It is a real comfort to work with so much staff. In Poland, we had up to six lots.” The evening stable lasts a little longer than in Poland. Indeed, the horses are handwalked, there is no walker on site. The time spent on each horse is also more significant. Some spend the night outside in the paddock, and in the evening at 9 PM, a final check is done to ensure everything is fine. In 2024, Maciej won the Al Ain Derby for four-year-old Arabian thoroughbreds raised in the Emirates for Al Ain Stud, an entity of Sheikh Hamed bin Khadin bin Butti Al Hamed. After a first season of adaptation, Maciej has all the cards in hand to succeed.
OBS- TACLE
� PAGE 102
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �
By Jacob Pritchard-Webb
FRENCH IMPORTS
The success of French-bred jump horses across the Channel is well known. Once again this year, many are heading abroad. Let’ s take a closer look at these tricolores as they make their first steps
# 12 166