At the Polish National Show in 2015 Bialka Stud farm had a huge success with Cefir and Celita when they brought home the Gold and Bronze Champion title respectively. But the success is so much bigger knowing the history of this dam family and how close to extinction it has been. But Bialka and breeding manager Renata Kurzyńska have not only saved this family, today the family is well represented at the farm and very successful.
The mare Bent-el-Arab d.b. was imported in 1885 by Michael Fadlallah el Hedad to the Bábolna Stud in Hungary. At the end of the second World War when the Polish horses were evacuated to Germany the Poles found several Bábolna mares at a serum factory in Germany. They knew the value of the mares and traded them for some draft horses and 13 Arabian mares were saved and left for Poland in 1946. As a part of the agreement the mares would return to Bábolna when the stud had been rebuilt and the Poles would keep the progeny they got out of the mares. Representing the Bent-el-Arab d.b. family were two daughters of Kuhailan Zaid d.b. – Bona (out of 23 Mersuch I) and Balia (out of 25 Kemir). In 1951 the group of mares returned to Bábolna leaving several daughters in the Polish breeding program.
Bona left 4 offspring during her time in Poland – 2 sons (Bohomaz by Amurath Sahib and Como by Witraz) and 2 daughters (Bonita and Bona Bella, both by Witraz). Bonita had one daughter but was then eliminated from breeding and her daughter never produced any offspring, so the dam-line of Bona did not live on. Como was standing at stud for 2 seasons producing 8 foals of which 2 sons (Fortel and Elear) and 1 daughter (Forsycja) has been used for breeding.
Balia produced two foals by Witraz – Celia in 1949 and the stallion Baligród in 1950. Baligród was exported to Rumania after 2 seasons at the race track. Celia also raced for 2 seasons with 12 starts (4-1-1) before she was bred for the first time. She produced two daughters by Omar II – Czata in 1955 and Chimera in 1956. Neither of them have a produce in Poland but Chimera was exported to Lady Townsend in England in 1960 after 3 seasons at the race track, where she raced 23 times (2-4-2). Chimera produced the stallion Saffron Sky (by Comet) and the daughters Sable Sky and Raining Sky (both by Gerwazy) before she was sold to Sweden. In her new country she produced 3 daughters before she died in 1970.
Celia´s daughter Cela (by Pietuszok) was exported in 1966 to Sweden and produced two sons – Cedar (by Dardir) and Habib (by Exelsjor) and the daughter Estrella (by Exelsjor) before she was exported to USA in 1970.
Cedar and Estrella have been used for breeding. Esterella was sold as a 2-year old to Römerwall Vollblutarabergestüt in Germany leaving a number of great progeny before she was sold back to Sweden and Blommeröd Arabian Stud in the fall of 1982.
Of the 6 daughters that Celia produced 2 of them have been used for breeding in Poland – Cecora born in 1963 by Pietuszok (Priboj x Taktika) and Cedrela born in 1966 by Doktryner (Miecznik x Blaga). Blaga was another of the Bábolna-mares and she was also a daughter of Kuhailan Zaid db.
Cecora was exported to USA in 1968 but left one daughter at Janów Podlaski – the grey Cerisola (by Carrador). Cerisola in her turn had 6 offspring before she died in 1981 – 5 daughters and 1 son. Campala (by Elbrus) and Cynadra (by Tryptyk) were both exported to Ventura Farms in USA and Cetynia (by Wist) was exported to Germany. Celuloza (Banat x Cerisola) went to Kurozweki in 1983 but unfortunately died the following year without leaving any offspring and Cewka (Celebes x Cerisola) was selected as one of the foundation mares at Bialka Stud.
Even though Campala never produced a foal in Poland, she is represented in Metropolis NA through his sire Consensus whose dam Opalesce is out of Cena (Gdansk x Campala).
Cewka left one daughter at Bialka – Cecora (by Woroblin) in 1985. Cewka was sold to a private breeder in 1993 with no offspring left in breeding.
Cedrela produced the daughter Cedrzana (by Celebes) at Janów Podlaski and was then selected to be one of the foundation mares at Kurozweki in 1973. Cedrzana was also moved to Kurowzweki but was exported to the Thörner family in Germany in 1978 with no offspring in Poland. Cedrela´s produce at Kurozweki was not good and she was eliminated from breeding in 1981, but her destiny would change when she was selected in 1983 to go to Bialka as one of the foundation mares. And this is the magic with breeding through the different visions breeders have. As a young stud farm Bialka did not have the same quality of mares and possibilities as Janów Podlaski or Michalów did, but the breeding choices they made with Cedrela would turn out to be very wise. She produced 2 daughters and 1 son at her new home before she passed away.
Centa (by Czako) unfortunately died as a yearling but Cudna (by Eternit) was put into the breeding program and at this point she was the only representative of the Bent-el-Arab family left at the State Studs and the dam family was in danger. But Cudna would be a great broodmare leaving 6 offspring of which 5 of them were daughters: Celia (by Europejczyk) was exported to Italy and Cykata (by Partner) and Cedonia (by Balon) were both sold to private breeders, so the mare that would continue the line at Bialka was Cyfra (by Pesal) born in 1997. The same year that Cudna produced Cyfra she was sold at the Polish Prestige Auction to Royal Jaafar Stud in Jordan.
Cyfra was not a particularly pretty mare but a tall mare with great structure and she would prove herself to be a very important broodmare for Bialka. Cyfra produced 7 offspring (5 daughters and 2 sons) before she was sold to the private breeder Marzena Gołębiowska in 2009 where she since then has produced 3 daughters and 1 son.
Cyfra was bred to Metropolis NA (Concensus x NDL Martinique) and in 2003 she had a chestnut, elegant and pretty daughter – Celina.
Celina was bred to Ekstern and the result was Cella, one of the prettiest Ekstern-daughters at the farm.
Cella is the dam of Celita and Cefrena (both by Lawrence El Gazal). Celita was the 2015 Polish National Bronze Junior Champion Mare.
Celina´s daughter Celma (by Esparto) had her first foal last year – a colt named Celmin by Lawrence El Gazal.
Celina produced a stunning colt at the farm in 2011 – Cefir by Eryks (Gazal Al Shaqab x Emmona).
Cefir has a a lot of charisma and great movements and has been a crowd favorite since he was a foal.
He is the perfect blend of his sire and dam with a pretty head and great Arabian type, a strong body and he is of good size with his 155 cm.
Cefir has always been successful in the show ring and in August 2015 he was crowned the Polish National Gold Champion Stallion making him the 2nd Bialka-bred stallion that has been awarded with the Senior title (the first one was Pesal in 1997. Bialka is also the breeder of the 2007 Polish National Junior Champion Stallion Celsjusz).
Beside the influence of Celina the two Cyfra-daughters Cymra (by Ekstern) and Cytera (by Piaff) are also retained as broodmares at Bialka, so the future for the Bent-el-Arab d.b. family looks bright and promising thanks to the dedicated breeding program at Bialka led by breeding manager Renata Kurzyńska.
It is impressive that in only a few generations Bialka has managed to produce horses of world class quality from a mare that was eliminated from the breeding program at the previous stud farm. This shows the skill and knowledge of true breeders and I am happy to know that we will be able to follow the success of this rare dam family for many years to come.
