Farewell FAME MAKER R | 02 June 1989 – 20 April 2019
02 June 1989 - 20 April 2019
During this holiday season of hope & rebirth, it is with immense sadness that we share the news of the passing of FAME MAKER R with the worldwide Arabian horse community.
Introduced to the Mulawa programme in 1996, FAME MAKER will long be remembered as the quintessential show horse, commanding the ring as no other horse before or after with his superlative balance & structure, his powerfully animated athleticism, his trademark ‘flag unfurled’ tail carriage, and his ‘I dare you to look away’ magnetic presence. With Greg Farrell at the lead and barely a foot on the ground whenever in motion, FAME MAKER completed his show career with three successive championship wins at the East Coast Championships, the Victorian Classic and the ultimate continental honour of National Champion Stallion at the Australian Championships in 1997. Already a US & Canadian National Champion Futurity Stallion prior to his importation, FAME MAKER remains the only horse in the history of the breed to have earned National Championship Stallion titles in all three prestigious locations.
Beyond his universal acclaim as a show horse, FAME MAKER has left his most indelible mark on the breed as a sire, reliably and prolifically gifting now several generations of excellence with his trademark combination of attributes. Several of his most memorable sons followed in his footsteps as Australian National Champion - FLAME MAKER (x Mulawa Kara Mia MI by GLF Apollo), GOLD N WINGS (x On Angels Wings by TS Al Malik) & FAMES PRESENCE (x Presence by GLF Apollo), while the latter two, and the exceptional MAKERS MARK (x Karmaa by Kaborr), all matured into influential sires themselves. The renowned FAME MAKER athleticism is abundantly prevalent in FAMES PHANTOM MI (x Mustang’s Magnum by Magnum Forty Four), the most successful ridden Arabian gelding in Australia over the past decade, as well as in the FIRE FLAME (x M Angelique) sons FIRE ALERT (TS Al Malik), HIGH CALIBRE (Magnum Forty Four) & RAPID FIRE (Magnum Forty Four), the MYSTIC FAME (x Perfect Harmony) son MYSTERE MI (Klass), the BEFAME (x Amurath Beguile) progeny BE INFATUATED (Magnum Forty Four) & BECAUSE (Magnum Forty Four), and the phenomenal feminine athletes MAKEHER JAZZ (x Myluka Jaleel) & LOVERGIRL FF (Brumarbas Future x Fames Passion).
As a result of his invaluable daughters, several of the most essential foundation dam families in the Mulawa breeding programme have risen to an unparalleled level of excellence, both at home and on the global stage. Through FAMES HARMONY (x Perfect Harmony by GLF Apollo) alone, his most look-alike daughter from the MULAWA CHANCE Family and a much beloved twice Australian National Reserve Champion Mare, the FAME MAKER influence thrives in the Mulawa breeding programme via her four sensational daughters: MI HARMONY (Guiliano), KACHE MI (Konfidence MI), MELODY MI (TS Al Malik) & KLASSICAL SYMPHONY MI (Klass). The effervescent ANGEL OF FAME (x Mulawa Angelica by Wanted KE), from M ANGELIQUE’s incomparable ‘family of Angels’, is responsible for Aristocrat Dam ALWAYS AN ANGEL (SK Shakla Khan), dam to three unanimous Australian National Champions, full siblings ALWAYS VALENTINE MI, VALENTINO’S ANGEL MI & VANGELIS MI (DA Valentino). The aptly named FOREVER FAME (x Presence by GLF Apollo) has been the dam of four glorious daughters, reinvigorating the foundation dam line of DZINA in the past five years while simultaneously blessing the breed with the sensational KLASSICAL FAME MI (Klass), the reigning back-to-back unanimous Australian National Champion Junior Filly. Internationally, the FAME MAKER influence has begun to positively impact show rings and breeding programmes around the world, with his granddaughter KLASSIC HARMONY MI (Klass x Fames Harmony) at Al Shaqab Stud in Qatar, Canadian National Champion great-granddaughter MADORA MI (Allegiance MI x Melody MI) in North America with Rae-Dawn Arabians, multi-international champion great-granddaughter VALENTINO’S ANGEL MI (DA Valentino x Always An Angel) with Al Mai & Al Baydaa Studs in Kuwait & Egypt, and great-great-granddaughter A VISION MI (Allegiance MI x Always Valentine MI), a rising superstar on the world stage as the reigning Dubai International Gold Champion for Al Bidayer Stud of the United Arab Emirates.
The FAME MAKER story came full circle in the past 18 months, with the return of Kath Morgan to Team Mulawa, his original groom during his show days in mid-90’s, when adjusting to life in Australia after years as a North American show horse had its share of memorable moments. Since her return, Kath, who credits FAME MAKER for transforming her life into the horseperson she is today, had been his daily companion, supplying his daily mashes, well-deserved cuddles and pats of reassurance for a horse that had become an indispensable element not only in the lives of Team Mulawa, but in composition of the modern Mulawa-bred Arabian. An original resident at Ambition since 1998, FAME MAKER has been the only occupant of the front corner paddock directly overlooking the training facilities on the opposite side of the road at Mulawa. His presence, as the seasoned sentinel on the watch, will be profoundly missed, as will his calm, confident spirit and his unquenchable enthusiasm for life. In the final moments of his fortune-filled life, FAME MAKER was surrounded by those who knew and loved him best, the Team that nurtured him through nearly every major moment in his richly rewarding three decades of existence.
Just over two years ago, in March 2017, FAME MAKER was photographed for the final time by Stuart Vesty, along with several members of Team Mulawa. Those images, captured with Greg, Jane and especially Julie Farrell, are some of the most tender and emotive photos ever taken at Mulawa. We are forever grateful for that magical afternoon with FAME MAKER R.
Besides GLF APOLLO, who is still going strong at 29 years of age, FAME MAKER R lived a longer life than any other chief sire in residence at Mulawa, establishing the record as senior statesman just 6 weeks shy of his 30th birthday. While his physical presence may indeed be gone, his spirit lives on in everyone who was blessed to share in the life of this once-in-a-lifetime stallion, and in the generations of FAME MAKER descendants that continue to make the Arabian breed better wherever they thrive. As promised, you will, in our hearts & memories, ‘live forever’; we will, unquestionably, always ‘remember your name’…