12/28/2014 The Top Ten List

12/28/14  Hard to believe The American Saddlebred Blog is two years old.  What started as a whim to just post pictures has evolved into a weekly missive that hopefully entertains and informs.  In case anyone stumbles across this blog and wonders what I'm rambling on about, here are some acronyms that frequently appear in posts. 


BHF  Broodmare Hall of Fame
CH    Champion
F        foal date
KSF   Kentucky State Fair, where the World's Championship Horse Show is held each year in   
          Louisville, Kentucky
WC    World's Champion (a class winner at the Kentucky State Fair)
WCC  World's Champion of Champions  (overall winner if there are several class winners in the           same division)
RWC    Reserve World's Champion
WGC    World's Grand Champion (Winners of the 5-gaited, 3-gaited and Fine Harness stakes)
RWGC  Reserve World's Grand Champion (2nd in the above 3 classes)

Please note that you can search for a particular horse in the search field on the blog.  Also, you can look at any of the posts by clicking on the list on the right side of the blog.  There are 118 posts as of today, so this is a recap of my Top 10 list and the reason why I chose each post as a favorite.

10.  Sometimes I come up with a theme, like gray horses, or holidays, or horses with a particular word in their name.  This is about flowers.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/05/51114-may-flowers.html

 
9.  Old magazines are a frequent source of material, and occasionally I highlight a particular issue.
I chose this one because it had an Ottawa Creek Farm horse on the cover.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/06/6714-june-1954-saddle-bridle-plus-60.html


8.  Horse shows are another interesting topic, and my favorite show is Lexington.  This post looks at the 1953 Lexington Jr. League show that was judged by Dr. Robert Elrod Sr.  It was a 3-part series, but this is the Saturday night installment.
http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2013/08/saturday-lexington-jr-league-horse-show.html



7.  The blog features horse pictures, and when all else fails, I use the alphabet to group horses.  In the last two years, we've made it from the A's through the U's.  This group began with the letter "T".  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/06/62814-truly-time-for-ts.html


6.  Breeding stock is always a topic of interest, and the all-time most read post is about a stallion I feel has made more contributions to the breed than any other in terms of showing and breeding.  Yes, it's CH Wing Commander.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2013/04/42313-happy-birthday-ch-wing-commander.html


5.  Mares don't always get enough press coverage, but they do on my blog.  The problem was figuring out which BHF mare to feature.  Dixie Duchess?  Golden Firefly?  Kate Haines?  Judy O'Lee?  Nope.  I chose Buddy's 5th dam, Kalarama Rex' dam, and subject of the 100th post.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/08/82214-nancy-thurman-bhf-hits-100.html


4.  I have gotten feedback from a number of blog posts, but the one that surprised me the most was when a picture I posted prompted a response from the owner of a horse that hadn't even been born yet when the picture was taken.  Read on.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2013/04/41813-blogspot-allows-me-to-see-which.html


3.  Of all 118 posts, only one has been about a person.  Jack Thompson was an inspiration, and he has left a lasting legacy to the American Saddlebred.  I hope no one ever forgets what he accomplished.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/04/41214-s-j-jack-thompson-jr-and-knob.html


2.  Most of my posts contain info I gathered out of magazines, books and catalogs.  This post had information that had never been shared before.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2014/07/72614-whyworry-who.html


1.  Buddy, Best Ever Saddlebred.  I bought my first Saddlebred when I was still a teenager and in college.  He was my "Buddy" for 18 years.  Not a show horse by any stretch of the imagination, but perfect for me.  This was my second blog post, and it was posted exactly two years ago today.  http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2012/12/so-after-leasing-my-sweet-little-mare.html


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12/21/14 Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly

12/21/14  Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly


This week looks at the noted sire Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly, what he produced during his career at stud, and how he is represented in today's Saddlebreds. He was another "Denmark" sire tracing back on his sire line directly to Rex McDonald and back to Denmark F.S.  Here is a stallion so well known, so exceptional, at the top of the sire rating in his day, and yet barely represented on the top side of modern pedigrees.  He is, however, very well represented in pedigrees on the bottom side.  He's always been a favorite of mine since he was Buddy's (Best Saddlebred Ever) Grandsire.  Even on Buddy's registration papers, he showed up on the bottom side. 


Vanity's Sensation's dam was the phenomenal Fine Harness mare CH Meadow Vanity (BHF), shown simply as Vanity, who won five World Grand Champion titles.  On several occasions, she was shown to these victories by her amateur owner, Mrs. Victor Weil.  She probably could have won a sixth title, but the World Championship Horse Show wasn't held in 1942 due to World War II.  After Mrs. Weil's death in 1943, she was retired and bred.  She changed hands a few times until she was purchased by James K. Robinson, the owner of Crebilly Farm in Pennsylvania.  When she was bred to Crebilly Farm's sire Sensation Rex, she produced a colt in 1947.  Originally named Crebilly's Frankie after Frank Conner, Vanity's trainer during her show career, the colt's name was changed to Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly when it became apparent that he showed promise in the show arena as a five gaited horse.  He was trained at Minton Hickory Farm by Robert A McCray, who showed him as a 3- and 4-year old. 


Vanity's Sensation began his career at stud, and although still owned by Crebilly Farm, he stood at Minton Hickory Farm for a couple of years before going home to Crebilly Farm in 1954.  At that time, Beau Fortune was the lead sire at the farm, and Sensation Rex was euthanized and buried on the farm the same year his son returned. While at Crebilly, Vanity's Sensation sired Crebilly's Sweet Sensation, CH Vanity's Gift, Lady Aflame and Sprucehaven's Wild Fashion.  Elliott Bonnie of Glen Grove FArm in Urbana Ohio bought Vanity's Sensation and promoted him at stud.  He was noted for a kind disposition and was ridden around the farm by Mrs. Bonnie.  While at Glen Grove Farm he sired Glen Grove's Lord Vanity, Vanity's Vanguard and Vanity's Virginia.

In 1960, Vanity's Sensation was sold to Dodge Stables and moved to Lexington Kentucky.  He was a stable mate to CH Wing Commander and was used with great success when crossed with Wing's daughters and full sisters.  He sired two WGCs, 3gaited CH Lover's Sensation and fine harness horse CH Melody's Winged Sensation.  Vanity's Sensation was ranked as a top sire for much of the time he was at Dodge Stables, and lead the sire rating in 1970.  He was ranked second on the sire rating in 1969 and 1971.  Vanity's Sensation died in 1972. 

Vanity's Sensation is represented through the stallion sons of some of his daughters, including Family Jewels though Priceless Gem, Santana's Charm though Vanity's Belle, Caramac through Stonehedge Vanity, and A Grand Affair  and Merchant Prince through granddaughters. Modern stallions available today that will put Vanity's Sensation on your colt's pedigree include the Caramac sons Undulata's Nutcracker and Designed, and Santana's Charm's sons Sir William Robert and Marc of Charm,  He had a fairly large number of sons that became successful breeding sires, but none matched his overall success.  Stallion sons included Vanity's Vanguard, Glen Grove's Lord Vanity, Clear View Vanity's Choice, Vanity's Vision, Pinetree's Bourbon Vanity, Baron de Bastrop, Prim Style, Vanity's Invasion, Primrose Trail, Meadow Romeo, Rare Sensation, Last Sensation, All is Vanity, Vanity's Blue Flame and Melody's Mr. Sensation.  His son Vanity's Scandal was sold to South Africa, and the good news is that through that stallion there is still a direct sire line to Vanity's Sensation available to breeders.  These representatives are (SA) Calif First Night Out, Tango's Parting Kiss, (SA) Tomcat and Jon Bugatti.  Lets keep these lines alive!

Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly 3/14/1947	Sensation Rex	Rex Firefly	Rex Peavine
			Golden Firefly (BHF)
		Ware's Sensation (BHF)	King Phelps
			Rexie Madison
	CH Meadow Vanity (BHF)	Meadow Majesty	Kalarama Rex
			Spelling Bee (BHF)
		Live Wire Beauty	White Cloud
			La Grand

Vanity's Sensation 

from an ad while standing at Dodge Stables in the 1960's.

Vanity's Sensation

Vanity's Sensation

being shown by Robert McCray

His stallion sons

Baron De Bastrop out of CH Primrose Path

Glen Grove's Lord Vanity out of Stonewall's Emerald Queen

Meadow Romeo out of Meadow Blossom

Pinetree's Bourbon Vanity out of Brynfam Susie K

Primrose Trail out of CH Primrose Path

Vanity's Blue Flame out of Sweet Confusion

Vanity's Golden Heir out of Brynfan Dresdan Lady

Vanity's Vanguard out of Precious Miss (BHF)

Vanity's Vision out of CH Dream Waltz (BHF)

Last Sensation out of Fredmar's Sweet Sue

Some of Vanity's Sensation's show ring stars: 

CH Clover Mist out of Clover Princess (BHF) 

CH Jewel Sensation out of Priceless Jewel

Ch Lover's Sensation out of CH Lover's Lane

CH Melody's Winged Sensation out of Melody Elaine 

CH Vanity's Gift out of Daneshall's Gift of Roses (BHF)

First Captain  out of Really Mine

Glen Grove's Lord Vanity  out of Stonewall's Emerald Queen

Lady Aflame out of Lady Coventry

a half sister to CH Kourageous Kalu 

Representing Vanity's Sensation through his daughters:

Caramac out of Stonehedge Vanity

Caramac still has a number of breeding sons including Designed & Undulata's Nutcracker

Santana's Charm out of Vanity's Belle

His breeding sons include Sir William Robert and Marc of Charm

Family Jewels out of Priceless Gem

Modern day descendants

Tango's Parting Kiss

f. 2001 His sire is (SA) Arborlane Tangos Wee Pee  who is a great grandson of Vanity's Sensation

out of  One Parting Kiss (BHF) by Radiant Sultan

(SA) Calif First Night Out

f 2000  His grandsire is (SA) Arborlane Tangos Wee Pee

 out of (SA) Majel's Autumn Love tracing to Cameo's Farewell

(SA) Tomcat

f. 2004  His sire line traces to Vanity's Scandal by Vanity's Sensation

and he is out of (SA) SJ Tango's Dream Girl by (SA) Francona Scandal's Last Tango

This handsome stallion is line bred to Vanity's Sensation

on both his sire and dam's sire lines.  

Jon Bugatti

f. 1999  His sire is (SA) Arborlane Tangos Wee Pee  who is a great grandson of Vanity's Sensation

and his dam is My Bugatti Royale (BHF) by Local Hero.  She was also the dam 

of WGC 3 Gaited champion CH Our Charming Lady.  

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12/14/14 Firefly Genius, forward, backward and sideways

12/14/14  Not being sure what to write about this week, I pulled out one of my volumes of Famous Saddle Horses by Susanne and flipped it open.  There was a picture of a broodmare and her young foal.  The caption identified her as Princess Firefly, and she was pictured because there was a short article on one of her older colts which had already made it to the show ring, the five gaited mare Firefly Genius.  Topic chosen.


First a quick look at Firefly Genius' dam, the mare whose picture got my attention.  Princess Firefly was the daughter of Golden Firefly (BHF), subject of an earlier post as the Iron Mare.
http://theamericansaddlebred.blogspot.com/2013/04/4913-today-immulti-tasking-by.html
Golden Firefly was a Denmark bred mare, and she was always bred to Denmark bred stallions such as Rex Peavine and his sons Jean Val Jean and Rex Firefly.  She was also bred to Denmark based stallions American Born and Ben Sory.  The only exception to the rule was when she was bred to Bourbon King.  The product of that mating was Princess Firefly.  Princess Firefly went on to produce 10 colts by 9 different stallions.  One of her daughters was Firefly Genius.


Firefly Genius foaled in 1942 and was sired by Bourbon Genius, making her line bred to Bourbon King.  She was trained early in her career by Lee Roby who exhibited her in junior five gaited classes for owner Clifford Mooers.  Mooers was also the owner of her grandsire, King's Genius.  Firefly Genius went on to show in Amateur 5-gaited classes, and was in the ribbons several times at Louisville in large, competitive classes.  She was owned in her life time by a number of saddlebred luminaries, including J. L. Younghusband, Tom and Donna Moore, and Art Simmons.  As a broodmare, she never made it to the top, but she did have a couple of daughters and a couple of sons who were used as breeding horses.  Firefly Genius was bred to a variety of stallions, including Ensign's Storm Warning who sired Tropical Gale, the dam of Chubasco.  FireflyGenius was also bred to Marine Ace, sire of CHampions Ann Gray, Jimmy Gray and Evelyn Gray.  When bred to Genius Bourbon King, she produced the breeding stallions Fire of Genius who in turn sired Ding Dang Doo, CH AVF Flaming Glory and CH Simpsonville.

Firefly Genius had another sister named Princess Morevine, who landed at Ottawa Creek farm in the 1940's and   1950's where she was the dam of many nice colts by Dr. Elrod's stallions Grey Mac, Jean Lafitte and Dr. McChord.  If you've read much on this blog, you know that Dr. Elrod and Ottawa Creek Farm are near and dear to my heart. 

However, Firefly Genius' full sister was the most famous of the bunch.  She was Dixiana's Spring Cheer (BHF), so she made it to the Broodmare Hall of Fame.  Also by Bourbon Genius and foaled in 1939, this older sister made her mark by producing Hide-A-Way's Firefly Supreme, the handsome breeding stallion owned by Jim Aikman of Acton, Indiana for most of his life.  He lead the futurity sire ratings for several years and died of a heart attack at age 18 at Hide-A-Way Farms.  Dixiana's Spring Cheer also produced Hide-A-Way's Curtain Call, the dam of Jim Aikman's last stallion, Hide-A-Way's Wild Country.  Wild Country was also a good sire of futurity colts, and among his get were the breeding stallion Hurricane Country, CHampion Cary Grant, broodmare Wild & Lovely PH, the dam of Phi Slama Jama, and BHF member Callaway's Country Gal.  Wild Country was lost in a fire at Hide-A-Way Farms in 1988, also at age 18.

Firefly Genius

f. 1942   Bourbon Genius X Princess Firefly

Firefly Genius	Bourbon Genius	CH King's Genius	Bourbon King
			Princess Eugenia (BHF)
		Kate Haines (BHF)	Sun flower
			Kathryn Haines (BHF)
	Princess Firefly	Bourbon King	Bourbon Chief
			Annie C. (BHF)
		Golden Firefly (BHF)	Guided By Love
			Princess Irene

Princess Firefly

f. 1928  Bourbon King X Golden Firefly (BHF)
her dam

Golden Firefly (BHF)

f. 1911  Guided by Love X Princess Irene
her 2nd dam

Bourbon Genius

f. 1933  CH King's Genius X Kate Haines (BHF)
her sire

Genius Bourbon King

f. 1943  Bourbon Genius X Blessed Event (BHF)

He sired Fire of Genius out of Firefly Genius, 

Fire of Genius sired Ding Dang Doo

Ding Dang Doo

f. 1977, sired by Fire of Genius who was out of Firefly Genius

Princess Morevine

f. 1937  Moreland Peavine X Princess Firefly
her half sister

Hide-A-Way's Firefly Supreme

f. 1959  CH Valley View Supreme X  Dixiana's Spring Cheer (BHF)

Dixiana's Spring Cheer was a full sister to Firefly Genius 

a son of her half sister

Hide-A-Way's Wild Country

F. 1970  Denmark's Bourbon Genius X Hide-A-Way's Curtain Call

2nd dam Dixiana's Spring Cheer (BHF)

3rd dam Princess Firefly

Hurricane Country

f. 1983  Hide-A-Way's Wild Country X Lura Supreme by HAW's Firefly Supreme

He goes back to Princess Firefly on both sides of his pedigree.

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12/7/14 Anacacho Revel revisited

12/7/14  One of my earliest posts pictured a number of horses whose names began with the letter A.  It was really at the beginning of this blog when I went down the alphabet looking for horse pictures to post.  That was before I started getting inspiration by thumbing through old magazines.  One of the horses on that post from 1/21/13 made quite a splash, and his picture keeps popping up. 
This week, while paging through the Jan/Feb 1992 issue of the American Saddlebred magazine, (wish they still published it), I came across another picture of Anacacho Revel.  This one was from his exhibition days as a three gaited horse, showing off the roached mane and tail of that era.

Anacacho Revel was bred by Revel L. English of Chino California, who owned his sire Edna May's King and his dam Highland Jane.  Since Highland Jane was by Highland Squirrel King, the sire of Sally Cameron (BHF),  Anacacho Revel was a 3/4 brother to Anacacho Shamrock.  Revel English sold a group of horses to R. W. Morrison of Anacacho Ranch in Spofford, Texas including both Edna May's King and Highland Jane.  When Anacacho Revel was born in March of 1930, his new owner named him for the ranch where he foaled and the man who had bred him.

Anacacho Revel sold in 1935 to L. E. Davis and the horse went into training at B. B. Tucker Stables in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Several trainers worked for Tucker including Lane Bridgeford, Lee Butler and Speck Markham, who trained Anacacho Revel.  Over the next few years, Anacacho Revel was shown in 3 gaited classes in Texas and California with good success and in 1938, Tucker Stables relocated in California.  Late in 1938, the movie Gone With The Wind began filming, and they needed a classy horse to be ridden by the dapper Ashley Wilkes.  Anacacho Revel was selected because he was flashy with his chestnut coat and four white stockings.  He was also well broken and dependable.

After his brief moment on the silver screen, Anacacho Revel returned to Texas and was sold. He resumed his show career, and on occasion, he would be billed as the horse from Gone With The Wind to help boost horse show attendance.  He continued to show in three gaited and combination classes and did very well.  Fans of the movie would come to see him, sometimes even pulling hair from his tail as a souvenir.  Anacacho Revel got irritated with the crowds surrounding him and once bit a kid who came too close.  He changed hands a few more times, but ended up living near Corpus Christi Texas and lived out his life on the Texas Gulf Coast. 

Anacacho Revel 1930	Edna May's King 1918	Bourbon King	Bourbon Chief	Harrison Chief
				Belle
			Annie C. (BHF)	King (Wilson's)
				Kate
		Edna May (BHF)	Rex Peavine	Rex McDonald
				Daisy 2D (BHF)
			Lee Wood	Peavine 85
				dau of Warren Harris Denmark
	Highland Jane	Highland Squirrel King	Forest King	Squirrel King
				Stella French
			Nellie P.	Rockaway
				Nellie
		Gracie Rex	Admiral Togo
				Ella Patrick
			Juno	Rex McDonald
				Thelma H.

Anacacho Revel was well bred, but was a gelding.  His dam also produced three full siblings and Anacacho Revel's full sister Anacacho Laurel was quite prolific.  She had many descendants, but the last of the lot foaled sometime in the 1990's, so there are no more horses left with a tie to the star of Gone With The Wind.

Anacacho Revel starring with Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland

Anacacho Revel being shown by Spec Markham

Edna May's King, his sire

Bourbon King, his grandsire

Edna May, his grandmother

Bourbon Chief, sire of Bourbon King

Annie C (BHF), dam of Bourbon King

Harrison Chief, sire of Bourbon Chief

Rex Peavine, sire of the great show mare Edna May

Rex McDonald, sire of Rex Peavine

He also sired Admiral Togo and Juno who appeared on the

bottom half of Anacacho Revel's pedigree.

 

Highland Squirrel King, sire of Highland Jane

Forest King, sire of Highland Squirrel King.

He was also the grandsire of the great Stonewall King.

Squirrel King, sire of  Forest King

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