Breeding of horses through artificial insemination has received a major boost with the success of Rabah De Carere in the Group 3 Prix Tidjani at La Teste Racecourse in France.
The three-year-old is a son of Mizzna, a daughter of the legendary Purebred Arabian mare Alanudd [Unchained Melody] and Babi de Carere. He is trained by Jean Francois Bernard for Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Rabah De Carere is the progeny of a successful embryo transfer, which is a revolution in the human-directed process of selective breeding of Purebred Arabian horses.
Rabah De Carere was installed as an outsider but travelled well and won the race impressively. He was perfectly poised behind the early speed until his jockey stepped on the gas with less than two furlongs remaining.
At this stage, Rabah De Carere responded keenly to enter the final stage of the race which he won in great style.
Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of assisted reproduction in which embryos are placed into the uterus of a female with the intent to establish a pregnancy. This technique (which is often used in connection with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) can be used in both humans and animals.
In the case of Mizzna, the mare was inseminated in Abu Dhabi, but other operations were performed at the Wathba Stud Farm in Normandy, France.
According to Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of the Wathba Stud Farm owned by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the move represents a breakthrough in the field as it is the first of its kind in the region.
“The great performance of Rabah De Carere is the best evidence that the breeding process at the Wathba Stud Farm is on the right track and showing the way for other breeders who would like to enrich the Arabian races,” he said.
Rabah De Carere is one of three offspring of the Purebred Arabian racing legend Mizzna, sired by Bibi de Carere at the HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed-owned Wathba Stud Farm.
The farm houses top stallions include Mahabb and his sire Tahar De Candelon, in addition to Munjiz, Sire D’Albert, Mawood, Quazar and Sarrab. All stallions have made their presence felt in the track before they were retired to stud.
