Sport

Sport was a 1957 purebred Arabian chestnut stallion, bred and owned by the historic Tersk Stud in Russia, and stands as an example of mid-20th-century Soviet Arabian breeding that blended Polish, Crabbet and Russian foundation lines to produce horses with both athletic ability and sound type.
Sport was sired by the chestnut stallion Priboj, foaled in 1944, who emerged as one of the most important breeding stallions of the Tersk program during the post-war decades. Priboj was the result of a purposeful blending of Polish and Crabbet bloodlines, being a son of the Polish-bred stallion Piolun and the Crabbet mare Rissalma. Through Piolun, Priboj traced to the respected Koheilan I sire line, which was valued for producing horses known for soundness, endurance, and functional conformation.
Priboj proved to be a remarkably influential sire at Tersk, producing a large number of offspring that were used both in racing and in the breeding program. His progeny were noted for their durability, balanced structure, and working aptitude. Among his better-known offspring were stallions such as Pomeranets and Topol, both retained for breeding, as well as numerous mares that strengthened the broodmare band at Tersk. Within this context, Sport was one of several sons who reflected the functional athletic qualities associated with their sire.
Equally important in shaping Sport’s genetic inheritance was his dam, Solianka II, a chestnut mare foaled in 1948. Solianka II was sired by Skrzyp, a stallion of Polish lineage, and out of the mare Karess. Through this maternal line, Solianka II contributed established broodmare families combined with additional Polish blood.
First of all Sport is mostly remembered by his stamina and competitiveness, including success on the race track. His race record includes a win of a 4,000 meter Steeplechase race in 1964 where he defeated 11 horses including 8 Thoroughbreds. He is the holder of five speed records.
Sport later contributed to breeding primarily through his daughters, including mares such as Prikhot, Nazra, and Kasatka.
His daughter Prikhot (x Perikola by Knippel) continued her sire's racing career: She won the Russian Derby and Oaks and was second in M.I. Kalinin and Gt Summer Prize. She set four Russian track records.
Through Prikhot, Sport is the grandsire of the chestnut stallion Gepard (by Naftalin), regarded as the last great Russian racehorse sire of his era. Gepard continued the powerful racing inheritance descending from Sport and established himself as an important transmitter of performance ability. Among his most influential sons was Pagur (Gepard x Pospa), bred in 2007 at the historic Khrenovoe Stud in Russia, one of the last state studs to breed straight Russian Arabian racehorses. The Hungarian State Stud of Babolna selected Pagur as their chief sire. His offspring became appreciated for both athletic quality and excellent character. Although Pagur died prematurely in 2025, his influence continues through a growing number of sport-proven descendants.
Another important son of Gepard is Drager (Djimma by Mastak), a contemporary racing standout who has also established himself as a sire of performance horses, further confirming the enduring athletic strength of Sport’s line.
Besides Gepard, Prikhot also produced the chestnut stallion Drakon (by Prizrak), who proved equally significant in both racing and breeding. Drakon competed successfully at Pyatigorsk between 1987 and 1991, achieving 10 wins, 6 seconds and 3 thirds from 31 starts. He completed his stallion performance test through racing and was later awarded a Gold Ribbon by the German Arabian Horse Association in 1994, receiving breeding approval for all Arabian divisions. At his licensing, Drakon was described as clearly above the population average in breed and sex type, conformation, movement quality and own performance.
As a sire, Drakon transmitted both athletic ability and strong breed type. Among his successful racing offspring were Ganimed (x Gardenia by Gorset) or Damaskus (x Dulcinea byMag).
Another daughter of Sport, Kasatka (x Karta by Arax), produced a limited number of foals but among them was her daughter Kaluga.
Kaluga was by the famous Aswan. She was a successful racer in Russia and an excellent broodmare. Her son Kamerton (Mat x Kaluga) is a long time chief sire at Vogelsberg Araber in Germany where he sired excellent riding horses. Another son out of Kaluga was the grey Karat by Aromat. This grey stallion proven his quality as a performance stallion by winning the Russian Derby in 1996, besides other major races such as the Budjonny Prize. After being exported to The Netherlands, Karat was halter shown. He became Dutch National Champion Stallion.
Another of Kaluga's foals was her daughter Karaganda who was exported to France and became broodmare at Shamilah Arabians. Karaganda was French National Champion Mare and European Champion Mare, topped by her title as Senior Female Reserve Champion Mare at the World Championships in Paris in 1991. Later she was sold to UAE.
Sport's daughter Nazra (x Nastavnitza by Arax) left the stallion Nadom born in 1976 who was exported to the USA in 1980. There he was registered as *SR Nadom. In the States, he was several times TT National Champion and awarded Legion of Merit. *SR Nadom was reimported to Europe in 1992 (The Netherlands) and went on to Germany in 1993.
Although Sport’s daughters stand out here, his son Neron should not go unmentioned. He was distinguished by his versatility, which is so typical of purebred Arabian horses. Over more than a decade, the grey Neron (by Nitochka by Naseem) competed with his owner's daughter in different disciplines successfully: show jumping, dressage, and 3-day eventing.
Sport’s greatest legacy remained his exceptional athletic ability and the clear transmission of this quality to later generations. His own record of stamina and speed found direct continuation through his daughter Prikhot, whose victories in both the Russian Derby and Oaks, combined with multiple track records, firmly established the family as a source of high-level race performance. The durability of this inheritance remained evident decades later through descendants such as Karat, whose success in winning the Russian Derby and other major races confirmed the lasting competitiveness of Sport’s line. Sport remained an active sire at Tersk until his death in the summer of 1975, leaving behind a family distinguished by proven racing ability and enduring athletic soundness.