Herodotus Al Shiraa – The Star of the Future

Herodotus Al Shiraa is a young colt with a huge future ahead of him. He is heir to not one, but two great legacies and he has all that it takes to be the next bright star.

Bred by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner and founder of Al Shiraa Arabians in the United Arab Emirates, Herodotus Al Shiraa brings together some of the greatest, proven names in recent Arabian horse breeding history. Thus, he is a colt with both the phenotype and genotype needed to shine.

Foaled in 2019, Herodotus Al Shiraa is out of a mare who is very much the heart of the farm, Eralda. Bred in Poland by Krzysztof Gozdzialski of Falborek Arabians, Eralda is at the centre of the purebred Arabian breeding programme at Al Shiraa having been chosen to be part of Sheikha Fatima’s breeding programme at a young age. Foaled in 2016, Eralda was the 2019 European Gold Junior Female Champion and the Silver Junior Female World Champion, adding to titles won in the Middle East and Europe. Her sire is Emerald J, a son of QR Marc from the great line of Marwan al Shaqab (Gazal al Shaqab x Kajora) and out of the superlative Polish mare, Emandoria (Gazal al Shaqab x Emanda). Eralda’s dam is Enezja, sired by Marajj (Marwan al Shaqab x RGA Kouress) and out of Espinezja (Psytadel x Entaga), part of the famed ‘E’ line mare family that goes back to Emigracja (Palas x Emisja). There is no shortage of World Champions in Eralda’s pedigree, and these are bloodlines that have been proven time and time again.

Eralda, dam of Herodotus Al Shiraa. Credit Glenn Jacobs

If Herodotus Al Shiraa’s damline is pure European bloodlines with a dash of Middle Eastern flair, then his sireline is all American. He is by FA El Rasheem, a stallion who has taken the world by storm since he was first presented to a wowed public at the Arabian Breeders’ World Cup in Las Vegas. Sired in turn by FA El Shawan (Marwan al Shaqab x Foxbriar Shakita), FA El Rasheem is out of the Versace (Fame VF x Precious as Gold) daughter, Virtuosa MLR (ex Alishahmaal by Ali Jamaal). The combination of the Fame VF (Bey Shah x Raffoleta-Rose) with the Ali Jamaal (Ruminaja Ali x Heritage Memory) and Gazal al Shaqab bloodlines resulted in one of the most exciting stallions in recent years with FA El Rasheem – and he has passed these qualities on to his son, Herodotus Al Shiraa.

When the stars align, they do so in style and from the moment Herodotus Al Shiraa was foaled, it was clear that he had inherited the very best of his sire and dam. A rich bay, this colt surpassed all expectations when he was born and in 2020, a year when few shows happened, he still managed to compete at the Barcelona International Show where he won his class with a score of 92.5 points. In the championships, he just lost out on the Gold placing to his paternal half-brother Hani Al Shiraa, who is out of another of Sheikha Fatima’s treasured mares, Aja Arabella (EKS Alihandro x Aja Antaliya). And no article on Herodotus Al Shiraa would be complete without mention of his full sister, the yearling Iralda Al Shiraa, who is waiting in the wings for her moment to shine.

Now, Herodotus Al Shiraa will show at the Mediterranean and Arab Countries Championships in Menton, flying the flag for the UAE and having the chance to shine at last in front of a truly international audience. “We are so happy with Herodotus Al Shiraa and we think that he will have a significant impact as a future sire,” says Sheikha Fatima. “From the moment he was born, we recognised his many qualities, and he is the perfect combination of sire and dam. Eralda’s first foals for us have proven to be very special indeed, and I know that this family will become a truly important one for Al Shiraa.”

Our cover star – Volume V Issue II

Herodotus Al Shiraa may be one of the youngest horses that we have had gracing the front cover of these pages in recent years, but he truly is a star for the future. With a rich and vibrant heritage blended with the promise of the future, Herodotus Al Shiraa is sure to become a great Arabian stallion, and one whose name we will always remember.

Photography unless stated Antonia Bautista. Herodotus Al Shiraa is bred and owned by Al Shiraa Arabians.