By Jacquie Beckett
** Originally published in the July August 1988 issue of The Crabbet Influence magazine. Also published in The Crabbet Influence’s 1993 Collector’s Volume II.
Australia can boast two important Arabs of Abu Farwa lineage, one the ethereal white, The Puritan 65157, the other a bright chestnut stallion, Aur Vanity 266815. Both stallions were foaled in the United States and both were exported to Australia.
The Puritan is owned by Val and Ron Males at their Ralvon Stud in New South Wales, Australia, but his story and that of Val’s belief in her white horse began in 1970. Val had gone to the United States with Erica Williams of Wealdbarns Stud in Queensland, Australia. Erica was looking for a new colt and in her travels visited Gainey’s Stud in Minnesota. There Erica found Gai-Galizon 55245, later importing him to her Queensland stud where he died prematurely after siring only a few foals.
It was at Gainey’s Stud that Val also saw her ‘dream colt.’ Owned by the Gainey trainer, Don De Longpre, The Puritan had been foaled March 29, 1970, and he was only months old when he captured Val’s eye and heart. Sired by the Egyptian Agricultural Organization-bred stallion *Talal 45329 (Nazeer x Zaafarana), The Puritan’s dam, Miss Floco 18815, was by the immortal Abu Farwa 1960 who, at 24 years of age, won an aged stallion class at Del Mar in California. The story of Abu Farwa is well documented. He was sired by Rabiyas 1236 and out of *Rissletta 1201, one of the February 1936 importation Crabbet mares purchased for the Kellogg Ranch, Pomona, California, under management of H.H. Reese. On her dam’s side, Miss Floco was out of Rose of Damascus 7242, she by Damascus 2586 x Taliti 1540.
The purchase of the grey colt centered around the sale of block services extending over five years to Australian breeders. Finally, in November 1970, The Puritan belonged to Val and Ron Males of Ralvon Stud.
The December of the same year, The Puritan was flown to Britain for the compulsory six months quarantine. Ron had meanwhile traveled to the UK to meet with his new colt for the sea voyage home. The boat was loaded and only half an hour from sailing when news was received that, owing to an outbreak of Equine Sleeping Sickness, the Panama Canal was closed for an indefinite period. The came a further wait of seven long months before finally the ship, along with Ron and The Puritan, were bound for Australia and home.
The Puritan bred 70 purebred mares in his first two seasons at stud and gave Australia sons and daughters such as Ralvon Nazarene (ex Trix Silver, herself the dam of International Champion Ralvon Pilgrim); Ralvon Nazarene has gone on to sire *Ralvon Elijah 374172, exported from Ralvon to Tollard Park Stud in the UK and, after a highly successful British and European career, sold to Texas.
A truly superb mare sired by The Puritan is the beautiful flea-bitten gray Purity, owned by Queensland artist and Arabian breeder, Judith McKee-Eaves. She in turn has bred a whole dynasty of glorious gray daughters for Judith’s stud. Yet another daughter is Ralvon Divinity (from Psyche), a three state Australian champion, winner of both the Rami and Musgrave Clark sashes and exported to New Caledonia.
Shown, albeit very sparingly, but with great success, by Ralvon Stud, The Puritan took out the rare distinction of the Grand Slam. As a 2 year old he took home three Royal Show Championships – Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne – and in later years still displayed that superb elegance at the WAHO Parade held as part of the conference in Sydney in 1984.
Given that The Puritan was the first part Egyptian stallion to stand at stud in Australia, his popularity showed; he topped the leading sires list for several seasons.
New Zealand, too, has its touch of Abu Farwa blood through The Puritan. DC Solomon, foaled in 1974, closely resembles his sire with his pure white coat. He is from the Sala mare, Clio (x Mira Kataf x Melika). DC Soloman was bred by Mr. Stollznow in New South Wales, Australia, and imported to New Zealand in 1977 by Mrs. Hide of Rangiora. Soon after his importation he was sold to Robin and Shirley Smith for use over their Pony and Arabian Mares.
The second infusion of Abu Farwa blood came with the importation to Australia of the bright chestnut stallion, Aur Vanity 266815 (shown as the header photo at the top of page, photo courtesy Sandy Warren of Warren Park Stud, Sanger, California). Foaled on April 17, 1982, he was bred by Mr. Ernest Golden of Anza, California, and imported from Warren Park Stud, Sanger, California, by a group of Australian breeders under the banner, The Australian Arabian Stud, in 1984.
A glance at Aur Vanity’s pedigree shows two lines to Abu Farwa.
One is through his dam line, GF Silver Mystery 123332 (*Silver Vanity 22555 x Miss Mystery 19600, she by Ga’Zi 5162 x Ur Rabbah 6308). Ga’Zi was quite a great horse in his own right. The son of Abu Farwa and Ghazna 2694 (Chepe-Noyon 1303 x Ginnyya 1192), he is credited with being one of the top siring sons of Abu Farwa, siring more National Champion get than any other Abu Farwa son.
Aur Vanity’s other line to Abu Farwa comes through his sire, Aulrab 194466, who was out of Alarieha 34649, a granddaughter of Abu Farwa. Aulrab was sired by the superlative Aurab 12488.
Aur Vanity’s female line is interesting in that his dam, GF Silver Mystery, was sired by the great *Silver Vanity (Oran x Silver Gilt), bred by Lady Wentworth and foaled at Crabbet Park. *Silver Vanity’s second dam, Silver Fire, founded her own dynasties – it is from this superb mare that Australia gained the great Sindh, a stallion who died in 1987, but who still exerts a big influence through the bloodlines of Australia. *Silver Vanity was sold to Bazy Tankersley’s stud in the United States.
Aur Vanity, although a comparative newcomer to the breeding scene in Australia, has begun to make his presence felt, both in the show ring and breeding barn. Show results see him excelling under saddle and in harness. A foal sired by Aur Vanity from the Fenwick-bred mare, Fenwick Sabuh (Greylight x Georgette), won the foal class at the recent Crabbet Arabian Show held in Sydney, Australia, and another colt, The Entertainer (ex Fenwick Fantasia), also took home some top awards.
Australia and New Zealand are indeed fortunate to have, through The Puritan and Aur Vanity, the blood of Abu Farwa – surely the stallion for whom the ‘Super Horse’ tag was created.
Author Acknowledgements: Coralie Gordon, Pat Slater, Carol W. Mulder
Read More About Abu Farwa, His Descendants, and Influence:
Abu Farwa 1960, An American Great by Carol Woodbridge Mulder
Abu Farwa: His Influence On The Breed by Arlene Magid
Fairview Farm: The Abu Farwa Legacy by Jim Robbins
Overlook Farwa (Abu Farwa x Al-Marah Zaibaq) – The Next Chapter by Kim Johnson
The Abu Farwa Influence in Australia and New Zealand by Jacquie Beckett
**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.**
