The Arabian horse is one of the oldest horse breeds in the world and one of the first to establish a pedigree registration system. Their lightweight and compact build grants them power, speed, and extraordinary endurance. The distinctive conformation of Arabian horses allows them to excel in various equestrian disciplines, particularly in long-distance endurance racing, where they are undisputed champions. They also perform well in Olympic disciplines like dressage and show jumping. Due to their high intelligence and affectionate nature, Arabian horses make excellent family companion animals.
At first glance, William fell in love with the three-year-old colt. Nicknamed "Devonshire II" by his mother Lina, this colt was incredibly strong, had a powerful stride, and appeared to be very affectionate towards humans. When he saw his mother, he kept shaking his head and wagging his tail, occasionally bumping the railing gently and neighing, eager to come out of the stable.
His mother laughed heartily and opened the railing. As soon as the colt was out, he wagged his tail even more joyfully and walked a few steps to Lina's side, nudging her with his face, wanting to frolic outside. Lina hugged Devonshire II, laughing, and said, "William, do you want to try riding him?"
"No, thanks," William said, shaking his head. The thought of the horse's name made him feel a bit strange. "Mom, let him be your exclusive mount. Although Arabian horses are very beautiful, they are a bit small for someone of my height. I prefer the Akhal-Teke, the so-called 'sweating blood' horse of Eastern legend. I heard there are fewer than 3,000 of them in the world, most of which are now in Turkmenistan, and they aren't very expensive. Some sources say that the English thoroughbred is a mix of the Akhal-Teke and several other breeds."
Thinking about his past life's knowledge and inherent love for the Akhal-Teke, as well as the upcoming surge in their prices in the near future, William realized that raising Akhal-Tekes could be both a hobby and a profitable venture. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that raising these horses was a great idea. Imagining a future where he owned a large herd of Akhal-Tekes and how his name would be mentioned in every report about these horses, William felt a surge of excitement.
Having made up his mind, William told his mother that he was going to look up a phone number to contact a professional agency to help him buy some horses while the prices were still low. But before he could take a few steps, his mother spoke up, "There's no need to look for numbers. I have the contact details of a professional agent right here. Their company is the largest horse trading company in England. Devonshire II was bought from them. Just tell them your requirements, and they will send someone over with a catalog for you to choose from. They will even deliver the horses to your home for confirmation before completing the transaction. It's a one-stop service; you don't need to go out looking."
William was delighted. He took out his phone and dialed the number his mother had given him. After a few rings, a voice answered, "Hello, this is Dali Equestrian. How can we help you?"
The voice was quite pleasant. William said, "Hello, I'm William Devonshire. I want to buy some Akhal-Teke horses. Do you have any in England?"
"Devonshire, from Oxford's Devonshire?" the operator exclaimed. "Sorry, sir, are you William Devonshire?"
"Yes, that's me, unless there's another William Devonshire in Oxford," William replied, secretly pleased with the operator's reaction.
"Apologies, Mr. Devonshire. I'm just surprised to receive your call. Our company indeed has Akhal-Teke horses. Do you have specific requirements? We will select them based on your criteria and create a catalog and video for you. A specialist will bring them to your home."
"Great. I want horses that are either just matured or close to maturing. They should be robust and beautiful, preferably red. You know who I am; I only want good horses, and only Akhal-Tekes."
"Understood, sir. We will prepare the materials and videos immediately. Can we come to Devonshire Castle in Oxford in two hours?"
"That's fine. I'll be home all day. Don't disappoint me. I look forward to your arrival. Bye," William said.
"I assure you our company will not disappoint you. See you in two hours. Goodbye, sir," the operator responded.
After hanging up, William stood by the railing, watching his mother riding Devonshire II at a steady pace in the stable's racetrack. Although the Arabian horse was indeed very beautiful, its stature was a bit small. The tallest ones only reached about 1.52 meters, most were around 1.46 meters. This was indeed a bit short for William, who was already 1.9 meters tall.
However, the Akhal-Teke horse wasn't particularly tall either, only a few centimeters taller than the Arabian horse. But as a former Chinese, William had a fondness for them. Given his wealth and their future prices, there was no better choice.
William stood by the railing for another hour, accompanying his mother. After Devonshire II was covered in sweat, Lina reluctantly handed him over to the professional horse trainer.
It seemed his mother really liked horses. On the way back to the castle, Lina kept talking about horses, from her childhood dream of owning one to how she chose Devonshire II and how she interacted with him.
William listened cheerfully to his mother's stories, and before he knew it, they were back at the castle. Once home, Lina went to freshen up, leaving William to handle the horse business.
With nothing to do, William instructed the servants to take any visitors to the living room to wait for him. He then went to the back garden, sat on a round chair, drank coffee, and read the newspaper.
Half an hour later, William was informed that the people from the equestrian company had arrived.
These guys were really fast. It was indeed the largest equestrian company in England. Putting down the newspaper, William straightened his clothes and followed the servant back to the castle. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw a middle-aged man with four or five men and women in suits standing up, all smiling at William.
William walked a few steps forward, extending his hand, "Welcome, I'm William Devonshire."
The middle-aged man quickly shook William's hand, "Hello, Mr. Devonshire. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luther Dali, general manager of Dali Equestrian. Here is my business card."
William shook hands with Dali, took his business card, and after greeting the others and sitting down, he glanced at Dali's card and said, "Family business?"
Dali smiled, "Yes, Mr. Devonshire. Our family has been in the equestrian business in England for 210 years. The Dali Arabian, one of the three founding sires of the thoroughbred, came from our family. The Dali family has been engaged in the equestrian business for over 200 years. We are the most professional horse racing family."
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When William heard Luther's words, he understood that this unassuming middle-aged man had a significant background. No wonder his company was the largest equestrian company in England. The horse named Dali Arabian was simply too famous.
Dali Arabian, one of the three founding sires of thoroughbreds, along with Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk, is integral to any thoroughbred pedigree. Any thoroughbred horse must be related to these three, or it's considered a fake.
William smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dali. I've heard of Dali Arabian, but today I'm interested in buying some Akhal-Teke horses. Does your family deal with Akhal-Teke horses as well?"
"Of course, Mr. Devonshire. We only deal with genuine purebreds. We are involved in all three major purebred horse lines: English thoroughbreds, Arabian horses, and Akhal-Teke horses."
"May I ask why you're interested in Akhal-Teke horses? They're not known for their speed, and there aren't many of them. Not many people in England buy Akhal-Teke horses," Luther asked curiously.
William smiled and replied, "Dali, it's precisely because they are rare that I like them. In the East, the Akhal-Teke is known as the 'heavenly horse' and has been revered for two thousand years. It's so unique and different. In my eyes, the Akhal-Teke is the most beautiful horse, and I can't refuse it. So, since I like it, I buy it."
Hearing this, Luther and his colleagues understood. William bought things based solely on whether he liked them, not whether they were popular in the market. This realization made Luther ecstatic. Selling horses was much like selling cars; they loved customers like William who didn't care about the cost as long as it fulfilled their hobby. However, twenty years of professional experience kept Luther from saying too much. Instead, he diplomatically said, "Thank you for considering Dali Equestrian. I promise you will be satisfied, Mr. Devonshire. However—"
Luther hesitated for a moment before saying, "I must remind you, Mr. Devonshire, that Akhal-Teke horses do not excel in short-distance races."
"Thank you for the reminder. I am aware of the basics," William replied.
Luther nodded happily and said, "That's good to hear. Mr. Devonshire, Akhal-Teke horses are exceptional in many other ways. They are slender, beautiful, and their coat has a unique metallic sheen. Especially the golden Akhal-Teke; after running, the sunlight reflecting off its coat can be dazzling. You will surely love it."
Luther then had his assistant hand him a few photographs, which he presented to William with both hands.
William took the photos and saw a golden Akhal-Teke horse shining in the sunlight. Its slender head, high neck, and long legs immediately captivated him. "I'll take this one. How much?" he asked.
"£640,000," Luther replied.
"How much?" William asked in surprise.
Seeing William's uncertain expression, Luther hurried to explain, "Mr. Devonshire, this is one of the best golden mares that has appeared on the market in recent years. Golden is the most sought-after color for Akhal-Teke horses, followed by dark bay, black, and light gold. This price is indeed very fair. Meeting you for the first time, we did not inflate the price. We bought this horse in Turkmenistan for £500,000. At market value, this golden mare would exceed £640,000."
William waved off Luther's explanation. He wasn't thinking it was too expensive; rather, he thought it was too cheap. In his past life, he had heard of thoroughbred horses costing tens of thousands, even millions of dollars. The most expensive ones could reach up to $64 million. A purebred Akhal-Teke of such beauty for just £640,000 was surprising. He had thought such a magnificent horse would cost at least a million or two.
If the price was this low, William considered buying dozens of top-quality Akhal-Teke horses for his estate. "Alright, Mr. Dali, no need to explain. I'll buy it. May I ask why the price of Akhal-Teke horses is so much lower than English thoroughbreds? Aren't they the rarest purebred horses?"
Hearing that William wasn't balking at the price, Luther and his colleagues breathed a sigh of relief.
Luther smiled and said, "Mr. Devonshire, you might have a misunderstanding about the prices of racehorses. Not all thoroughbreds are expensive. Only those that achieve outstanding results sell for high prices. Any thoroughbred that doesn't perform well in races, whether it's an Arabian, Akhal-Teke, or English thoroughbred, only costs tens of thousands of pounds.
The lower price of Akhal-Teke horses is mainly because, in short-distance speed races, far fewer Akhal-Teke horses can achieve results compared to thoroughbreds. Only in 1986 and 1995 did they produce champions in top races. While they excel in endurance, they don't have a significant advantage over Arabian horses. However, in desert races, Akhal-Teke horses are indeed excellent.
Those two championship wins demonstrated that Akhal-Teke horses can produce top racehorses. However, overall, they are not outstanding because the top Akhal-Teke horses remain in the stables of Turkmenistan. They never sell any top horses, preferring to keep them as pets rather than letting them compete in top races.
Even top-quality horses are rarely sold. It takes effort and connections to buy high-quality ones, which is one reason why Akhal-Teke horses are not well-known worldwide.
With the best horses not appearing in the market, Akhal-Teke horses, originating from Asia, are not popular in the West. Without market support, fewer people buy them compared to other breeds, so the price is naturally lower."
No wonder the prices didn't rise. With the best horses not on the market and the era of Chinese tycoons buying everything in sight not yet started, there was no demand, so the prices remained low. However, this made William secretly happy. He could slowly look for top horses. If he could acquire a batch of the best-looking Akhal-Teke horses on the market and breed them for ten years, in a decade, if he had a few hundred Akhal-Teke horses, he would have plenty to boast about.
Looking at the materials Luther brought, top-quality horses were only around £300,000 each. Buying dozens would only cost one or two million pounds. Even if the annual upkeep cost a few hundred thousand pounds, he wouldn't feel the pinch. This amount of money was nothing to William. From what Luther implied, good Akhal-Teke horses were hard to buy. It would be great if he could get a top-quality horse. However, the fact that wealthy families weren't selling them was a headache for William.
William asked persistently, "Is it really impossible to buy top-quality horses?"
Luther showed a helpless expression, "I'm sorry, Mr. Devonshire. It's really impossible. Unless you buy a large number of Akhal-Teke horses and breed them yourself, you might produce top-quality horses. The champions of 1986 and 1995 were bred by their owners."
"Alright, show me the other horses," William said. He needed to think about this. Top-quality horses often appeared due to luck, not just money.
"No problem, Mr. Devonshire," Luther said, handing William a catalog with both hands. William opened it and began flipping through. These horses were indeed beautiful. Even if they weren't top racers, they were excellent riding horses.
William admired each horse, noting that most were priced between £300,000 and £380,000. When he reached the last page, he was immediately struck by the beauty of a dark chestnut horse.
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