The Power of a DREAM | KLASSICAL DREAM MI - Paris 2015

Mulawa is pleased to announce that KLASSICAL DREAM MI - the reigning Menton Gold Champion Senior Mare & Supreme Female of the Show - will be competing for the title of World Champion Senior Mare with Philippe Hosay for Al Khalediah Stables.

Aptly named, KLASSICAL DREAM was indeed a dream from the moment she arrived just nine days before Christmas, only the second foal of the season for both her sire Australian National Champion sire and dam, KLASS& MUSTANG'S MAGNUM, respectively in 2008. Phenotypically possessing the ideal blend of the best qualities of both her parents, KLASSICAL DREAM also exemplified the alluring feminine beauty of refinement of KLASS' ethereal dam KARMAA, an Australian Aristocrat Dam and beloved as the Queen of Mulawa.

Shown with great success a junior filly, KLASSICAL DREAM began her record setting run at the globally respected East Coast Championships with her first major title as East Coast Champion Yearling Filly in February of 2011. She followed up this important win with the Championship title for Two Year Old Fillies a year later in 2012, a triumph which established her as one of the most esteemed young show mares on the continent. At the most important show of the season in March of 2011, DREAM left an indelible impression on the distinguished panel of international judges - representing the United Kingdom, Brazil & Australia - while earning the high score amongst the junior entries at the show. She was enthusiastically sashed as the unanimous choice amongst a strong field of entries as Australian National Champion Junior Mare.

After amassing an impressive list of laurels as a Junior Mare, DREAM was given a year's holiday in the lush green pastures of Alabama, Mulawa's principal breeding farm idyllically situated along the banks of the Hunter and Pages Rivers in the "Horse Capital of Australia" near Scone, New South Wales in the Upper Hunter Valley. It was here that DREAM would be discovered by a legion of new admirers from around the world, including leading breeders, marketing agents and trainers from Europe, North America, the Arabian Gulf & South America. Supremely content in her holiday paddock amongst the Mulawa broodmare band, DREAM never failed to put on a spectacular display for every international visitor, snorting and blowing with delight while trotting around the paddock, tail flagged, cheerfully approaching each guest after "the show" - eyes bright, ear forward, tail still flagged, and neck gracefully arched - for some up close and personal time, always eager for a well deserved pat of appreciation. DREAM had become the star attraction of Alabama, amongst a superlative group of females in residence, leaving every single visitor with a lasting impression of "something extraordinary" in the making.

Before DREAM made her official return to the ring as a Senior Mare, there was one final Junior Mare competition - for Three and Four Year Old Mares - to win at the East Coast Championships. Having already beed named Champion in both the younger divisions, DREAM extended her perfect record at one of the world's most important Arabian competitions by justly earning the title of East Coast Champion Junior Mare under internationally esteemed breeder and master showperson Emma Maxwell of the the UK.  

KLASSICAL DREAM's first big win as a senior mare was at the all important National Stud Show, the first major AA show in New South Wales during the Australian spring. Amongst an impressive field of sueprlative mares, KLASSICAL DREAM was chosen Champion Senior Mare by respected American judge Vicky Humphrey.

Like her sire KLASS before her, KLASSICAL DREAM would make East Coast Championships history just three months later, becoming the first mare to be named champion four times in the yearling, two year old, three & four year old, as well as five & older filly/mare divisions with an undefeated record. Just six weeks later in the same Olympic venue of the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, KLASSICAL DREAM would add another unanimous Australian National Championship title to her enviable domestic show record, this time as a Senior Mare, before departing on an international tour in April 2014.

Spotted by successful Belgian breeder and judge Christine Jamar the year prior, KLASSICAL DREAM was marketed to HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Al Khalediah Stables, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Christine’s assistance just prior to her win as East Coast & Australian National Champion Senior Mare in early 2014. Christine’s vivid recollection of KLASSICAL DREAM at Mulawa is retold as follows, “I was taken aback by just how big and beautiful KLASSICAL DREAM was in person. I had heard many positive comments about how special she was, but I was unprepared for her extraordinary femininity, elegance, refinement and exotic beauty. She was a perfectly complete mare, with a beautifully clean neck, a fantastic show attitude and a powerful, animated trot. She has this way of looking at you, looking right through you actually, with these big, black, captivating eyes and her nostrils flared, like a classic Arabian mare that has stepped right out an 19^th-century painting or right off the desert sands.

With Al Khalediah at the helm, KLASSICAL DREAM embarked on a multi-continental tour that began with a brief stop in Las Vegas at the Arabian Breeders World Cup just a few days after arriving in North America. Belgian-born and based Al Khalediah trainer Philippe Hosay had just a few schooling sessions with KLASSICAL DREAM prior to her international debut, finishing with a very respectable score and a Reserve Championship in the class for Mares Aged Six to Eight Years, as well as Supreme Champion Top Ten Senior Mare honours. It was then off to Europe where KLASSICAL DREAM would create her first major international sensation in Menton, besting former and eventual World Champion NAJDAH AL ZOBAIR in the qualifying class with a spectacular score at the Mediterranean & Arab Countries Arabian Horse Championships. Understanding that a win for KLASSICAL DREAM at Menton, given it’s ECAHO title-show status, would mean she would be able to show at only title shows for the remainder of her career, the decision was made to refrain from showing her back in the championship, allowing NAJDAH AL ZOBAIR the chance to claim the coveted title instead. Later that same season, the team of KLASSICAL DREAM and Philippe Hosay would collect three successive unanimous Senior Mare Championships: at the West Coast Cup in Belgium, at the UK International in England, and at the El Jadida International Show in Morocco. KLASSICAL DREAM finished the 2014 season with her Paris debut, finishing second in her qualifying class behind friendly rival NAJDAH AL ZOBAIR, and earning a respectable Top Ten finish at the World Championships.

KLASSICAL DREAM entered the ultra-competitive show arena of the Arabian Gulf in March 2015, winning her class and nabbing Bronze Champion Senior Mare honours. With this title-show accolade to their credit, KLASSICAL DREAM and Philippe returned to Menton three months later to recreate brilliance on the chic French Riviera. Masterfully presented and in the best condition of her life, KLASSICAL DREAM once again emerged victorious in her qualifying class, this time returning on Sunday to be named Gold Champion Senior Mare and Best in Show Female with the support of an enthusiastic crowd. Christine recounts this second appearance for KLASSICAL DREAM in Menton as “extra-special! KLASSICAL DREAM was incredibly happy and showy in Menton,” elaborates Christine, “which can be a challenging show ground given its hard surface. She trotted beautifully, tail-up and nostrils flaring, very light and elegant, turning her head from side to side while looking at the crowd and the judges in a commanding and confident manner. Her stand-up in the championship line-up was flawless. KLASSICAL DREAM absolutely wanted to win that day – she embodies everything there is to love and admire about the classic Arabian mare.”

Trainer, conditioner, handler and caretaker Philippe Hosay had this to say about KLASSICAL DREAM and her important win in Menton, “DREAM is a lovely mare to have around. Easy going and always with a very positive attitude, she enjoys her routine, continually improving in her training and her self-confidence. The strong self-assured character and tenacious perseverance of this mare makes her very special. She absolutely loves to work, especially in the show ring, which allows me to present her without a great amount of pressure. She is becoming lighter in colour and more refined all the time, while maintaining her remarkable balance, femininity and substantial structure. I look forward to her making the connection of ‘showing off’ in the show ring like she never fails to do in the paddock at home – tail over her back, snorting and blowing with an incredibly powerful trot.” When asked to compare KLASSICAL DREAM to the many superlative mares Philippe has had the good fortune to show over the years, he adds “DREAM is most certainly at the top of the list of my favourites…” 

Candid and unsolicited admiration from the competition is always the highest form of praise. Ryan Jones, trainer and handler of Menton Silver Champion Senior Mare NORMA, (owned by Al Muawd Stud, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where Ryan works as Stud Manager), had this to say of his up-close-and-personal encounter with KLASSICAL DREAM, “Simply stated - outstanding quality.” Having had the opportunity to visit Mulawa the year prior, Ryan was intimately familiar with the potential of KLASSICAL DREAM on the international stage. “The overall quality of the KLASS foals at Mulawa is unquestionably first rate,” explains Ryan. “I was especially impressed by the KLASS daughters; they are certain to be very competitive anywhere in the world at the highest level.”

Accomplished videographer and photographer Darryl Larson recalls a very special moment with KLASSICAL DREAM outside of the show ring. “Filming KLASSICAL DREAM MI was indeed an Arabian horse memory forever etched in my mind. One of our sessions with DREAM was near the end of the day. As we were waiting for the magic light, a few clouds rolled in and promised to spoil our hopes for DREAM. All of the sudden the clouds broke and the field was filled with a golden stream of light. It was a very excited group who raced to get in place to capture the perfection, none were more excited than DREAM herself. Tail up with nostrils flaring, she seemed to know the moment was all about her. Thoroughly enjoying herself and inspiring us all, she reminded us why we all do what we do. For me in that moment, DREAM represented all things Mulawa - the dedication to the future through preservation of the past.” Darryl adds further, “Now KLASSICAL DREAM holds high honours in show rings around the world, and more than once, I have been witness to her victories. I have stood there and cheered her on to more than one thrilling entrance, but for me, the memories of her in the golden light at Mulawa was the most thrilling moment of all…”    

Tune in each day through November 2015 for a daily update on the KLASSICAL DREAM story leading up to the World Championships...     

KLASSICAL DREAM MI, now an international champion on an astounding five continents, is proudly owned and shown by HRH Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Al Khalediah Stables - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A special thank you to Sheikh Mutlaq bin Mashref and Christine Jamar for believing in the power of a DREAM and providing every chance for her to succeed on the international stage.

Our sincere gratitude and appreciation also extends to Philippe Hosay, who continues to care for, prepare and present DREAM with the utmost kindness, attention to detail, dignity and respect. Everyone at Team Mulawa wishes Team Khalediah monumental success with KLASSICAL DREAM MI and the entire show team at the World Championships in Paris. All of Australia stands proudly behind you!