The American Saddlebred: May 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Double Duty Mares

5/30/13 By now, you know I love my broodmares, especially the old timers who did things the old fashioned way with no help from modern breeding technology. The American Saddlebred Horse Association, ASHA, has a designation for some of it's finest broodmares who have entered the Broodmare Hall of Fame. There are 305 mares, so far, that have the BHF label. There is another designation for horses who have shown and won at least 15 points. They are Champions. There are also the Double Duty mares, who were show horses before they were broodmares and 22 of them carry both designations. Here are some pictures of that elite group. Note how many of these mares are World's Grand Champions or Reserve World's Grand Champions!

America Beautiful, WGC 3 gaited

By Desert Song, more info is in the 1/12/13 post.

Belle Le Rose, WGC 5-gaited

She was by American Born, more info in the 1/29/13 post.

This picture shows her winning her WGC title.

2nd place went to CH Sweetheart on Parade and

3rd place was CH King's Genius. Great class.

Chantilly Rose, 5 gaited

Also by Denmark's Bourbon Genius.

Dream Waltz, WGC 5 gaited

Sired by Anacacho Shamrock,

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Highlands and Harlems

5/21/13 Looking through my files I came upon a meager amount of horses whose names started with an "H". Harrison Chief was so old it was merely a drawing. Hideaway's Firefly Supreme was pictured in my 4/9/13 post. Harrodsburg was pictured on 4/20/13. That left a few horses with Highland as their prefix. Meager dwindled to sparse. Not much to go on, so the search continued. Harlems! Of course. There are a bunch.

Highland Dale
Liberty Dale X Marian Higland by Lord Highland, he was foaled in 1943.

His movie star good looks landed him is movies like Black Beauty and TV shows like Fury.

Highland Denmark
foaled in 1890, he was sired by Black Squirrel

Two of his daughters were BHF, Lena Jemison was the dam of American Born, and Japanette was the dam of another BHF, Kathryn Haines.

Highland Squirrel King
Here is another oldie foaled in 1899 and sired by Forest King. He also produced two daughters that made it to the BHF. Hazel Simmons produced Anacacho Princess (BHF), the dam of Beau Fortune and Beau Gallant, both pictured back on 1/29/13. A full sister to Hazel Simmons was Sally Cameron (BHF), dam of CH Anacacho Shamrock.

The youngest of the Highlands mentioned here was foaled 70 years ago. The Harlems mentioned here began with Harlem Globetrotter in 1980. This wonderful stallion just passed away last year.

Harlem Globetrotter
New Yorker X Putting on Airs (BHF) by Mr. Magic Man

Harlem Globetrotter was a World's Champion, winning the 5-gaited stallion stake twice. He had a wonderful career as a sire.

CH Harlem Town
Harlem Globetrotter X CH Town Dance by Yorktown

Also a World's Champion, he was a winner in the Amateur 3-gaited division. He has sired Champions Brookhill's King of Kool and Ninety Eight Degrees.

Harlem Spats Waller
Harlem Globetrotter X Raven Wing by Wing Commander

He traces back to Carolina (see her page on 4/18/13) and CH Wing Commander appears three times on his registration papers. Can't find his picture, but it is somewhere, so I'll keep searching. *note: I found his picture and put it with the Carolina post*

Harlem Globemaster
Harlem Globetrotter X Tashi's Gift by Kourageous Kalu

This stallion stands in Texas at Blue Bonnet Farm. .

Harlem's Hot Dice

Harlem Globetrotter X Dice Girl by Genius Bourbon King

His daughter CH Audrey Hepburn is breathtaking.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Finally back to G

5/15/13

One of the reasons I was able to start my blog is that my kids upgraded my technology at home. My home is located in a bit of a dead-zone as far as wireless or cable computer hookup availability. My dial up (yes, dial up) service was so slow that it could take minutes for a page to turn. Right before Christmas, they set me up on a wireless broadband through Verizon. Ever the skeptic, I figured it wouldn’t work, since we had tried different things before. Literally, when you zoom in on the map showing broadband availability, there is a 4 square mile triangle bulls eyed right over my home. Lo and behold, it worked great and I too could watch You Tube videos, upload and download, and generally get things done in a timely fashion. That is, until this past week when Verizon’s service took a dive on me. Couldn’t do anything! So now, it’s back to my blog and finishing up the G’s. It’s been so long, I had to look where I left off.

Genius of Stonyridge

King’s Genius X Kate Haines (BHF) by Sunflower

Genius of Stonyridge was a good breeding and show stallion and a full brother in a famous family of full brothers, Bourbon Genius, The Genius, Leatherwood Genius and Leatherwood King . There was good reason his dam was BHF and his sire was probably my all-time favorite stallion. Sounds like a topic for another day. But for now, let’s reel me in and back to Genius of Stonyridge. His daughter, Rachael’s Genius made it to the Broodmare Hall of Fame. She had several nice colts who showed, and two daughters who were good producers. Katie Boone was the dam of #1 sire Stonewall’s Main Event. Daughter Becky Boone produced Lady O’Flirtation who was the dam of a nice stallion here in Michigan, Callaway’s Chancellor.

Callaway's Chancellor was sired by Will Shriver

and out of a daughter of Becky Boone

Stonewall's Main Event

Starheart Stonwall out of Katie Boone

Greystone’s Conestoga

Valley View Supreme X Lady Talmage by Wing Commander

This fellow didn’t sire a lot of colts, but had a few horses with show records. He sired breeding stallions Captain Conestoga and Greystone’s Irish Commander who was renamed The Irish Commander. He sired colts under both names, which is darn confusing and they don’t allow it anymore.

Golden Stonewall

Stonewall King X Silver Moon (BHF) by The Courier

Golden Stonewall sired Sandalwood Stonewall, who in turn produced breeding stallions New Yorker and Sandalwood Supreme. He also sired CH Imperial Stonewall who was shown in five gaited classes.

Half brothers New Yorker (by Yorktown) and Sandalwood Supreme (by Valley View Supreme). Their dam was Sandalwood Stonewall by Golden Stonewall.

Stonewall Imperial by Golden Stonewall

Grape Tree’s Fox

Wing’s Fleet Admiral X Clarma’s Harmony by Clarma

Grape Tree’s Fox sired a number of CHampions and the good breeding stallion Fox Creek. He also sired a lesser known stallion named Grape Tree’s Contract, whose 3^rd dam was Cacho Kate. I will talk more about her later. Fox’s daughter Camilla Fox produced full siblings by Attache` including show & breeding mare Moet, breeding stallion Finally Attached and show gelding CH Unattached.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Reverie's Desdemona BHF

5/4/13 Reverie's Desdemona, foaled in 1942, was never shown and she was bred as a two year old. Her dam and grand dam were both in the ASB Broodmare Hall of Fame, as was one of her daughters, although the BHF wasn't established until decades later. However, smart breeders knew who the good producers were long before the establishment of the BHF. She produced 15 colts over a 21 year period and changed hands many times, having 8 different owners. Her sire King's Genius was owned by Roger Selby of Portsmouth Ohio, the shoe magnate. Her dam was sold with her in utero to Freeman Keyes, owner of Reverie Knoll Farm. Reverie Knoll owned Anacacho Denmark as well for several years, and he sired some of her most successful offspring. She was also owned by Leatherwood Farms, Oman Stables, Jim Aikman and Earl Teater. She changed hands for the last time when she was 25 years old. Why anyone would buy a 25 year old broodmare is beyond me. I hope they wanted to give her a good home, since she certainly had earned her retirement. She had a beautiful bunch of colts, and in looking at pictures of Anacacho Denmark, I think they got their looks from her and probably her sire, King's Genius.

Reverie's Desdemona pictured at age 22
King's Genius x Spirit of Kentucky (BHF) by Rex Peavine

Many of her colts have already been pictured in previous posts, but here they are again, in order of birth.

1945 CH Kate Shriver (BHF)

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
Kate was the dam of CH Will Shriver. More about the Callaway Hills farm on the 2/19/13 post.

1946 Ridgefields Denmark

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
Ridgefields Denmark was owned by Ridgefields Farm his entire breeding career. Buddy always reminded me of Ridgefields Denmark (in my dreams, I guess), even more so than his grandsire Golden Thunderbolt.

1947 Reverie's Camelia
Also sired by Anacacho Denmark. She was the dam of breeding stallion Edna May's Starheart.

1948 Golden Thunderbolt

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
Owned most of his breeding career by Grand View Farms. Sire of Grand View's Majorette and of course, grandsire of Buddy.

1949 Easter Nosegay

Sired by Leatherwood King.
This was her first foal by a stud other than Anacacho Denmark and Reverie's Desdemona was now owned by Leatherwood Farm.. There is no further info on this mare and they went back to breeding Reverie's Desdemona to Anacacho Denmark until he died.

1951 Clarma

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
He was also bred by Leatherwood Farm and stood at Dr. E. L. Robinson's Starlet Acres in Missouri for most of his breeding career. His daughter A Perfect Mate to A Perfect Jewel was in the BHF. His more often used photo can be seen in the 2/19/13 post.

1953 Oman's Desdemona Denmark

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
Bred by Oman Stables and owned by them for several years until after John Oman was killed in a plane crash. Later owned by by Reata Horse Farm in Ohio and Joan Farris in Indiana, he was probably the most famous of Reverie's Desdemona's stallion sons. He was the top ranked breeding stallion for several years on Saddle & Bridle's stallion issue. More about him in the 3/10/13 post on Dixie Duchess.

1954 Oman's Magic Star

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
She was shown as Lady in Lace and it was pure luck coming across this photo while searching for pictures of Spirit of Denmark and Sovereign Path. The small photo was labeled with her show name, but mentioned her breeding. She was a Reserve World's Champion in Fine Harness.

1955 Oman's Anacacho Kate
Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
couldn't find anything more about this mare, but whenever I search the ASHA site for Cacho Kate, she pops up too. More on Cacho Kate later.

1957 Spirit of Denmark

Sired by Anacacho Denmark.
He was in the last foal crop of Anacacho Denmark and was used as a breeding stallion.

1958 Hide-A Way's Supremacy
Sired by The Supreme Ace , she was bred by Jim Aikman.

1959 Hide-A-Way's Free Ride
Sired by Hide-A-Way's Cameo Command
Also bred by Jim Aikman, but no further info on this one.

1963 Hide-A-Way's Desdemona
Sired by Hide-A-Way's Firefly Supreme
This mare was the last one bred while Reverie's Desdemona was owned by Jim Aikman. Her first foal, Living Legend, ended up as a breeding stallion here in Michigan, and was owned by Dave Bedell. H-A-W's Desdemona was also owned for a time by some Michigan breeders.

1964 Sovereign Path

Sired by Genius Bourbon King
He was purchased as a 3 year old by Mrs. Judson Large, who had owned his sire Genius Bourbon King. She stood him as a breeding stallion, probably as a replacement for his sire.

1966 Wing Reverie
Sired by Wing Commander
None of Reverie's Desdemona's daughters produced like she did, in either quantity or quality. Kate Shriver and Reverie's Camelia came closest. Wing Reverie produced four colts, including show and breeding stallion Mahogany Wing, who was owned for several years by the flamboyant Dr. Gene Scott.