By Emma Bennett
** Originally published in the May-June 1990 'Upcoming Stars feat. Oran' issue of The Crabbet Influence magazine.
Oran was foaled in 1940 at the Hanstead Stud of Lady Yule just north of London near St. Albans. He was lucky to be born a little later than many of the great Crabbet stallions who were in their prime in the war and were hardly used at stud at all.
Oran was very closely bred. He carried the blood of only ten horses. His sire was the big, bay stallion Riffal who was exported to Australia. Riffal was a major prize winner as a youngster and as a yearling was Reserve Champion to his half-brother Raktha. Both of these stallions were bred by Lady Yule.
In the days before motorized horse boxes mares were usually sent to stud by train and we forget some of the problems of sending mares away in those long-off days. In 19727 Riffal's dam, Razina, could not go to stud because of the national railway strike and there was no other way for her to travel!
Oran's dam was Astrella from whom he got his coloring. Her sire, Raseem, was one of the consignment of Arabs sold to Russia in 1936 reputedly for 50,000 pounds; Russia's gain was certainly England's loss. Raseem himself had been a good show horse winning the World Championship Gold Cup at Richmond in 1926.
ALL BLUNT BLOODLINES
Oran was one of the last Arabs to be bred of straight Blunt breeding. He was, in fact, very closely bred. He was 28% Mesaoud blood with seven crosses to that horse. He was also 19% Feysul and 14% Queen of Sheba.
It is interesting to trace his dam line though Astrella to Amida and Ajramieh, the latter the dam of Asfura out of Queen of Sheba, and then to trace his sire line from Riffal to Naufal and Sotamn, the latter a son of *Astraled 238 who was by Mesaoud and out of Queen of Sheba.
The sire and dam lines of Oran's pedigree are almost mirrored by each other - his paternal granddam and maternal grandsire, Razina and Raseem, were full brother and sister in blood, whilst Sotamn and Ajramieh were 75% the same blood.
For many years there was a steady exchange of bloodlines between the Hanstead and Crabbet studs, but this came to an abrupt end in 1943. Lady Wentworth was determined to buy Oran for the Crabbet Stud.
Lady Yule at first refused to part with him, but eventually the stallion was sold to Mr. McConnell who sold him to an agency. Not long after, Oran arrived at Crabbet, but it was the end of any cooperation between the two studs.
STOCK EXPORTED
Oran was a multi-champion and attracted a great many more mores than the earlier Crabbet stallions. Much of his progeny was exported.
Al-Marah imported the mares *Silver Shadow (who died shortly after her arrival), *Crown of Destiny 12904 (out of Grey Royal), and *Indian Diamond 12902 (out of Indian Flower) who was the dam of *Touch of Magic 30310 by Indian Magic, and the stallions *Royal Diamond 12906 and, of course, *Silver Vanity 22555.
Other offspring who went to the States were the mares *Shorana 16734 (out of Shalina) and *Qasumah 20426 (out of Sirella), and the stallion *Oran Van Crabbet 18314 (out of *Serafina 17129).
Two mares, Silviana (out of Silver Fire) and Indian Pearl (out of Indian Flower) and a stallion Sun Brilliant (out of Silindra) went to South Africa, whilst Grey Coronet (out of Grey Royal) and the great stallion Grand Royal went to Australia.
Holland imported Noran (out of Nerina) the sire of the striking stallion *Achim (out of Tehoura). Silvershaft (out of Silver Gilt) and Ambretta (out of Ambria) went to Sweden. Others went to more diverse places, the mares Dancing Fire (out of Shades of Night) to Pakistan and Nasiya (out of Radeyra) to Chile.
EARLY OFFSPRING
Some of Oran's early offspring included the lovely mare Umatella (out of Namilla), foundation mare of the famous Briery Close Stud in the Lake District of England. Silver Shadow, out of Silver Fire, produced the lovely full sisters Shadow Light and Wentworth Gold Shadow, both by Indian Gold.
Shadow Light was the dam of another Oran daughter, Aurora, who was dam of Astar and Sapphire Star both by Akhbar.
Extra Special (out of Sharfina) became an important mare in the Metcombe Stud which belonged to Mrs. Thomas and which was a very influential showing stud in the 1960s. extra Special was the dam of Comforts Caravel (by Indian Magic) who was the dam of another Oran daughter, Crystal Rose.
In his first four seasons at stud Oran sired only three colts. One of these was Grand Royal. A majestic horse out of Sharima, Grand Royal left very little stock in England as much of his offspring was exported to America, four of his progeny going to Al-Marah.
His most influential offspring in England are the mares Vanda (out of Sirella) and Rajjela (out of Nuhajjela), the latter the dam of the National Champion stallions Rajmek (by Mikeno) and Darjeel (by Dargee). Darjeel is still alive today.
Mr. C. McConnell, who briefly owned Oran, bred the useful mare Mifaria (Oran x Rithyana, the dam of Ludo and Ghazali). Mifaria was the dam of the stallions Manto, by Blue Domino, and El Muluk, by Mikeno.
Ghazali is the dam of the two lovely mares Bright Venus and Libra who are by Orion, a double Oran stallion, being by Oran out of Dancing Diamond by *Royal Diamond.
Bright Venus and Libra pulled off a unique double in England when they were National and Reserve National Junior champions in the same year, 1975.
Rosinella (out of Rosalina) was the dam of Crystal Fire (by Dargee) who was exported to Australia, but not before siring the stallion Magic Fire (out of Silindra) and the mares Indian Trinket (dam of Crystal Clear) and Crystal Magic who was out of Royal Exchange (Oran x Sharfina).
FAMOUS SONS
*Royal Diamond, foaled in 1948, the 5th colt sired by Oran, is the sire of Dancing Diamond, dam of Orion and Silver Grey (out of Silver Gilt). Silver Grey produced six times National Champion Silver Sheen. In 1950 *Silver Vanity was foaled. He was out of the exquisite mare Silver Gilt and therefore closely bred to the mares Silver Grey and Silver Shadow.
His most famous offspring include Sindh (out of Silfina), exported to Australia, the stallions Hanif (out of Sirella) and Rayyan (out of Risseefa), and the mares Indira (out of Perle D'Or) and Silver Ripple (out of Risseefa).
One of Oran's most prolific sons was Indian King, out of Indian Pride. Indian King was bred by Miss Bell from whom Lady Wentworth bought several horses, many of which she then exported. Indian King sired 121 live foals, the last born when he was 29.
Indian King's most famous offspring were full brothers and sisters out of one of the 'heavenly twins' Dancing Sunlight - British National Champion mare Tarantella, her sisters Andante and Volante, and the brothers Dancing King and Sunlights Allegro.
Indian King was also the sire of the show mares Shimmering Gold (out of Autumn Gold) and Indian Sylphette (out of Blue Sylphide), and the stallions Crystal King (out of Crystal Clear), sire of many famous show horses, Akhbar out of Bint Astreelia, exported to Jordan, and Song of India, out of the *Silver Vanity mare Indira.
Oran's next son, foaled in 1954, was Silvadoris who was not used much on purebred Arab mares, but he did sire the lovely Silvern Dream (out of Silver Ripple by *Silver Vanity) who is the dam of the stallions SIlvern Idyll, by Masjid, and Silvern Glimmer, by Bright Crown.
His daughter Silent Wings was also foaled in 1954. She is the dam of Yemama, by Indian Magic, and Azrek, by Blue Domino. Azrek was a very flashy liver chestnut stallion who was exported to South Africa after siring only two horses: Silver Blue (out of the Oran granddaughter Silver Sheen) and Blue Sylphide (out of the double Oran mare Crystal Magic).
PERFORMANCE LINES
Oran sired two influential horses out of the Crabbet mare Nerima (Rissalix x Risira). These were Noran who was exported to Holland, his most famous son being the spectacular Achim (out of Tehoura), and Nerinora whose two sons, full brothers by Indian Magic, Indian Flame II and Indian Star, have sired some excellent stock in the United Kingdom.
Oran sired some good performance lines. When crossed with the Polish mare Nawarra the result was the lovely Sapphire Sky, Reserve National Champion Mare at the age of 21 and the dam of Sky Crusader by *Grojec 169171.
Oran's daughter Orilla was exported to Australia, but not before producing the stallion Dorian (by Darjeel) whose many achievements include race wins, ridden championship, etc.
Oran also sired the full brother and sister Risslan and Risslana. Risslan sired the all-rounder African King whose dam, African Princess, was out of the Oran daughter African Queen.
Oran's last offspring included the aforementioned stallion Orion and the mare Crystal Rose who was foaled the year before Oran died. Oran lived most of his life at Crabbet Park and he died there in 1968 - proof of his excellence is shown in the success of crossing his grandsons and granddaughters and later descendants.
**All of the articles included in the re-launched Crabbet.com site from the original website, Georgia Cheer, Silver Monarch Publishing and The Crabbet Influence magazine are shared here with permission of Georgia Cheer given May 16, 2012.**
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