By Arlene Magid
** Originally published in the July August 1985 issue of The Crabbet Influence magazine. Also published in The Crabbet Influence's 1993 Collector's Volume II.
*SILVER VANITY was one of the finest stallions ever imported to America, and in the opinion of many British breeders, one of the very best stallions ever foaled at the Crabbet Stud. To quote Rosemary Archer in The Crabbet Stud: It's History and Influence,
SILVER GILT, one of the loveliest of SILVER FIRE's offspring, produced stock of the highest quality, of which the best was the unforgettable *SILVER VANITY (by ORAN), who was considered by many to be one of the most beautiful ever bred at Crabbet. He had all the qualities associated with the SILVER FIRE line, not the least being a superlative head."
*SILVER VANITY's excellence as an individual and as a sire was the direct result of his excellent pedigree. His sire ORAN (RIFFAL x ASRELLA) was the last great Crabbet sire to be entirely of Blunt bloodlines with no crosses to SKOWRONEK. (Although he was entirely of Crabbet blood, he was bred at Lady Yule's Hanstead Stud and later acquired by Lady Wentworth).
ORAN lived to be 28 and left 70 registered foals in the Arab Horse Society stud books. 83% of the ORAN daughters imported to America have National winners tracing to them, and 67% of the ORAN sons imported to America sired National winners.
The ORAN sire line produced both the 1984 U.S. National Champion purebred Park horse and part-bred Park horse.
Besides *SILVER VANITY, other outstanding ORAN sons imported to America include *ROYAL DIAMOND (sire of 24% champions from his American get, and 38% of his American bred daughters produced champions), U.S. National Champion Park, Formal Driving, and Formal Combination *ORAN VAN CRABBET (sire of 20% champions from his registered get, including 2 Nationals winners), and Region 16 Top 5 Park *AL-MARAH IBN ORAN, sire of U.S. National Champion Trail ORANNA DAWN+ and of the sensational U.S. National Champion Park and Formal Driving and U.S. and Canadian National Champion Park AOTR ORAN'S ADAGIO.
Among the best imported ORAN daughters are *RIFILLA (dam of 5 champions), reserve champion halter *SILFRETTA (dam of 3 champions), and halter champion *CROWN OF DESTINY (dam of 2 champions).
*SILVER VANITY's dam SILVER GILT was a lovely mare of great longevity, as she died at age 32 in 1975. (Since his sire lived to be 28 and his dam 32, it comes as no great surprise that *SILVER VANITY lived to be 29 himself).
SILVER GILT produced 13 registered foals in England, five of whom became British National Champions, and two daughters who were imported to America. SILVER GILT's British show winners include three times British National Champion Mare SILVER GREY (by *ROYAL DIAMOND), a ¾ sister to *SILVER VANITY.
SILVER GREY produced twice British National Champion Mare SILVER SHEEN (herself the dam of 6 British National Champions, including the 1984 Champion Broodmare SILVER AURA by BEN RABBA).
SILVER GILT's son ROYAL GLITTER (by GRAND ROYAL) was British Junior Champion Male before being exported to Australia. He was a ¾ brother to *SILVER VANITY and a full brother to British Champion Broodmare *SILVER DIAMOND (dam of 3 American champions including Region 11 Champion English Pleasure AM COUNT FAST+).
Another full sister, *SILVER GRAND, produced the halter and performance champion AL-MARAH GRANDEE. Three *SILVER GRAND daughters produced champions: AM CERISE SENORA, AL-MARAH GRAND PASSION (dam of 3 champions and a National winner), and AM SENORITA (dam of U.S. National Champion Sidesaddle AM COUNTESS RENOIR++).
SILVER GILT's other British winner is the 1960 British Reserve Junior Champion Male SILVER SHAFT, a full brother to *SILVER VANITY. SILVER GILT also produced DALIKA (by DARGEE), dam of the American reserve champion in English pleasure *RAS INDIAN SILVER (by INDIAN MAGIC), one of the few living maternal grandsons of SILVER GILT.
A word must be said about SILVER GILT's parents, INDIAN GOLD and SILVER FIRE. INDIAN GOLD was described as "NISREEN's best son," but received only limited use at Crabbet due to World War II.
He is mainly remembered for his daughters, though his son *SUN ROYAL caused quite a stir by being the male champion at the 1947 Arab Horse Society Show as a yearling. (He was later a successful sire for Anne McCormick in Arizona and at the end of his life was owned by the Artresses who also had *SILVER VANITY in his old age).
INDIAN GOLD's outstanding daughters included *SERAFINA (the dam of *SERAFIX and *SILVER DRIFT), halter champion *RISSILETTA (dam of *RIFILLA, dam of 5 champions), 1948 British Reserve Champion Broodmare SILFINA (dam of Australian Champion SINDH by *SILVER VANITY, of British Junior Champion Female SILENT WINGS (herself dam of 4 British National Champions), of reserve champion halter *SILFRETTA (dam of 3 champions), and of the important American sire *ELECTRIC STORM).
The INDIAN GOLD daughter GLEAMING GOLD was 1971 British Reserve Champion Broodmare at age 19!
SILVER GILT's dam was the famed NASEEM daughter SILVER FIRE, the founder of a very important line at Crabbet. She was also one of Lady Wentworth's personal favorite mares, and was often photographed with her.
SILVER FIRE produced 10 foals, among them New Zealand halter champion *SILVER SPARKLEE (by ORAN) and his full sister British Reserve National Champion Mare and twice British Champion Broodmare SILVER SHADOW, dam of 1968 British Reserve Champion Mare WENTWORTH GOLDEN SHADOW.
SILVER FIRE also produced *SILVER MOONLIGHT (by INDIAN MAGIC), a sire of American champions. *SILVER MOONLIGHT's full sister SILVER MAGIC produced the long lived SILVADORIS (by ORAN), whose death in 1985 at age 31 marked the end of an era in British breeding as he was the last surviving stallion bred by Lady Wentworth to stand at stud in the British Isles.
Last but certainly not least, SILVER FIRE produced SOMARA (by *NUREDDIN II) the dam of *SILVER CRYSTAL, whose 6 champions include U.S. National Champion Stallion MUJAHID++ and twice U.S. Reserve National Champion Mare SILVER DAWN.
*SILVER VANITY was foaled at Crabbet in 1950, and with such an illustrious pedigree it is not surprising that he showed tremendous promise at a very early age.
He became British Supreme Champion Stallion in 1958 and 1962, and was bred to several of the very best Crabbet mares as a young stallion including British Reserve Champion Broodmare SILFINA (a paternal sister to *SILVER VANITY's dam), SHARFINA (a maternal sister to *SERAFINA and SHADES OF NIGHT), *SERAFINA (dam of *SERAFIX and *SILVER DRIFT and *ORAN VAN CRABBET), etc.
He left 18 registered get in England, some of which have exerted a major influence on show rings internationally. HANIF (x SIRELLA) sired British National Champion Stallion HAROUN and 1984 Canadian Top Ten Stallion *SHATIR.
The *SILVER VANITY son SINDH (x SILFINA) was exported to Australia, where he was a halter champion and has sired more registered foals than any other Australian sire to date.
The *SILVER VANITY daughter SILVER RIPPLE (x RISSEEFA) produced 1982 British Reserve National Champion Stallion SILVER FLAME. *SILVER VANITY's son SHALWAN (x SHALINA), a Supreme Champion in South Africa.
Seven British bred *SILVER VANITY daughters were exported to America, six of them preceding their sire to America.
They included two who went to Canada: *SILVANITY (x SILFINA), imported by S.G. Bennett of Ontario in 1957, and *SILFARINA (x *SERAFINA), imported by L.J. Simpson of Alberta in 1959.
Bazy Tankersley imported two *SILVER VANITY daughters in her group from Crabbet and Hanstead in 1957 (as well as *SILVER VANITY's ¾ sisters *SILVER DIAMOND and *SILVER GRAND).
One was *SILVER GLORY (x SILFINA), a full sister to SINDH. Her daughter AL-MARAH HALLELUJAH (by INDRAFF) produced three champions including 1984 U.S. Reserve National Champion Open Cutting AM LAPIS LAZULI.
The other *SILVER VANITY daughter imported by Al-Marah was *AL-MARAH SILVER SILWA (x *SILWA), imported in-utero. *AL-MARAH SILVER SILWA was a halter champion and produced 1976 Region 15 Champion English Pleasure AM PAUL REVERE. She also had two champion-producing daughters: AL-MARAH RAFFEY's REVERIE and AL-MARAH REVERIE.
The next imported *SILVER VANITY daughter was brought to America in 1960 by Dub Miller of Texas. She was *SHARAFA (x SHARFINA). *SHARAFA had an impressive production record in the United States, producing 6 champions from 14 registered foals.
Among her champions are the halter reserve champion winner LAURVINDICATOR++ (by LAUREATE++).
*SILVER PEARL (*SILVER VANITY x PERLE D'OR) was imported as a yearling in 1961 by Frank Smathers of Florida. She became a halter and English Pleasure champion, as well as a reserve champion in park. Her daughter FF JUSTINE (by REYMAGE) is a champion producer.
The final imported *SILVER VANITY daughter is the only one to be imported after her sire. She is *SILVANETTA (x INCORONETTE), imported by Charles F. Allison of Illinois. She is twice a British Reserve National Champion, being 1962 British Reserve???????
**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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