Omar Sharif with the champion Don Bosco, David Smaga and Grégory Benoist. Source: France-Sire.com
It has been nine years since Omar Sharif passed away. To this day, not a single Arab actor has come anywhere close to the recognition Sharif claimed in the international cinema industry. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a three-time Golden Globe winner, and a winner of the César Award for Best Actor. He received the Egyptian Order of Merit, the French Legion of Honor, and UNESCO’s Sergei Eisenstein Medal.
Photo credit: Al Bawaba
Did you know that Sharif was a devoted horse breeder and very successful in racecourses? Throughout 50 years, the legendary actor left his mark in the horse-racing scene. “I love horses and horse racing,” said Sharif in one of the interviews.
Sharif was well known for buying racehorses and winning in French racecourses. From 2010 till 2015 Sharif and his son Tarek won 11 races. He won the Prix De Muguet, Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville, and Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud. He owned a filly called Lixirova that won the Prix Miesque. He owned a winning racer called Don Bosco that was sired by the stallion Barathea. That stallion was owned by HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and was given the title ‘Horse of the Year’ .
Don Bosco was born in 2007 and raced from 2010 till 2015. He won at Cagnes-sur-Mer-FR, , Deauville-FR, Maisons-Laffitte-FR, Marseille Borely-FR, Saint-Cloud-FR. His stakes wins include wins in the 2015 Grand Prix de Marseille (LS), 2015 Conditions, 2013 Prix Du Muguet (G2), 2013 Prix Meydan Hotel, 2012 Prix Perth (G3), 2012 Prix Gontaut-Biron (G3), and the 2012 Grand Prix De La Riviera Cote d’Azur (LS)
On October 11th 1980, the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel held an interview with Omar Sharif in the garden of his house in Trouville, France. Sharif said that he grew up in Egypt without animals. But ever since he moved to Europe, he surrounded himself with animals because he experienced loneliness and a dryness of emotions. He felt the need to surround himself with animals to immerse himself in the pleasure of the affection he receives from them. He further added that he owned 12 horses and that the reason he continued to work was to buy more horses and to be able to maintain this costly passion. He believed that the horse is a very noble animal. He loved its form, its posture, and its temperament: “when you look at the neck of a horse, I find it of an extraordinary beauty,” said Sharif. He further added: “The stable is much more important to me than cards because it means a lot more money. Bridge doesn’t cost me any money.”
“ I even have a passion for paintings and sculptures of horses. I find the forms of the lines of a horse are the most harmonious lines that we find in the animal world,” said Sharif. He then recounted his love for a filly called Pink Pearl: “I paid over $100,000 for her, and she is really gorgeous,” said Sharif. She was very beautiful, very feminine yet knock-kneed. Nevertheless, she matured into a successful racing horse that created a successful racing career for herself. Sharif decided to breed Pink Pearl and she never failed him in breeding. Her offspring proved to be winners in the racecourse. Pink Pearl’s family came to be known in the racing world by the Pearl Family. Sharif loved Pink Pearl and her offspring as if they were his family, his own children.
In addition to horse racing, Sharif was an expert in horse training. In 1971, in the gala of the Union of the Artists, Sharif gave a spectacular show at the circus of Bouglione, demonstrating his skills before an audience comprising members of the Union and iconic artists.
Click on this link to watch the show!
Omar Sharif used to write for a magazine specialized in racing called Tiercé.
When it came to riding horses, Sharif demonstrated his riding skills in a number of movies such as More than A Miracle, Genghis Khan, The far Pavillions, Mackenna’S Gold, The Horseman, and others. Of all these films, The Horseman was the only movie that showcased to the world the equestrian tradition of Afghanistan known as Buzkashi. “The Afghans were very good about teaching me the buzkashi. They were rather attracted to me because they thought of me as a Moslem and spoke Arabic to me. I was not an infidel in their eyes, which made me a sort of protégé. They really wanted me to be good at the game,” said Sharif.
On July 10th 2015, Sharif passed away leaving behind a legacy not only as an actor, but also an accomplished horseman and breeder.
The Horse in Word and Picture 