I am lucky enough to have 4 old sale catalogs produced by Mr. Roberts from the 1970's. The last post looked at Garland Bradshaw's sale, which followed a lifetime in the Saddlebred industry and showed the many successes he achieved. The catalog highlighted in this post shows the other end of the spectrum. Although the horses came from top notch bloodlines, for the most part the results were bitterly disappointing. Four S Farms got into the Saddlebred business in a big way in the late 1960's, but by 1973 they were calling it quits. Just what went wrong is hard to say. They experienced a devastating fire, which appeared to be the last straw, but as we know, many great horseman, including Garland Bradshaw have dealt with this same tragedy.
Four S Farms had nearly forty broodmares and four stallions at the time they dispersed. Although many mares were relatively young, only seven of them continued producing into the 1980's. Six mares sold through the sale never produced another colt, and ten never produced past 1974. These were not very good statistics. The stallions didn't fare much better, with Special Commander, the featured sale horse, only siring 3 foals in 1974 and nothing beyond that. Was he gelded? Did he die? Four S Farms also liked to change the names of horses they purchased by adding the Four S prefix. It didn't guarantee success, more likely it was a bit of a curse.
Sale catalogs are fascinating, so here's a look at some of the horses that went through the Four S Dispersal sale. Pictures of mares are pretty rare, so in many instances their get will be pictured instead, or horses from their pedigrees will be listed.
Commander's Best
f. 1965 Wing Commander X Daunsay by Prince of Genius
This stallion was purchased by Four S farm in February of 1973, just a few months prior to the dispersal. He sold for $9500 and continued siring colts until 1983. He was sold multiple times, but was always owned by some of the best names in the Saddlebred industry.
Special Commander
f. 1968 Wing Commander X Chocolate Kiss by Royal Kalarama
Bred by Castleton Farm, he was purchased for Four S Farm as a yearling.
He sold through the auction for $5200. He had bred several mares and sired 3 colts in 1974, but nothing after that. His dam Chocolate Kiss also produced CH Sweet Commander, Wing's Charmer and Our Grey Dawn.
Our Grey Dawn was also out of Chocolate Kiss
Meadow Romeo
f. 1968 Vanity's Sensation X Meadow Blossom by Anacacho Shamrock.
Here is another stallion bred by Castleton Farm. He was a full sister to RWC Meadow Glitter.
Meadow Romeo continued siring colts until 1988.
Meadow Glitter, full sister to Meadow Romeo, also sold through the auction.
She sold for $16,000. Another horse bred by Castleton Farm, she was a Reserve World Champion
before she was owned by Four S Farm. Kathy Stansbury of Four S Farm also showed her to
a RWC title in 1972 in the Ladies 3 Gaited division.
* * * * *
Bold Society
f. 1956 Society Rex X Happy Surprise by Heart of Glory
Bold Society was not listed in the sale catalog, but had sired several of the colts being sold.
Four S Farms is listed as his current owner, so perhaps he never sold. The last colt sired by him was born in 1975 and listed Jim B. Robertson as the breeder.
. 
CH Razor Sharp was sired by Bold Society, foaled in 1975
and Jim B Robertson was listed as the breeder.
* * * * *
Now for some of the Four S broodmares
Listed 2nd in the catalog was Contract's Virginia Dare
f. 1957 Private Contract X a daughter of Madison Denmark.
She sold for $15,100, which seems like a lot for a 16 year old mare, however, she was the dam of the current WGC 5 Gaited horse, Vale Dale's Sure Fire. She never produced another foal.
Val Dale's Sure Fire was out of Contract's Virginia Dare.
He was registered as being by Denmark's Golden Sun, however, many people feel he was really sired by Night of Folly. A black mare, sired by Night of Folly and out of Contract's Virginia Dare sold through the dispersal sale, so Four S Fire Away was possibly a full sister to Sure Fire. She sold for $12,000, and while she doesn't have a show record listed, she did produce a lot of colts.
* * * * *
CH Four S Earth Angel
f. 1955 Bobby Sea's Bambino by Bobby Sea X Highland Heart BHF by Heart of Glory
Her show career was long over, and she had produced many colts by the time she was purchased in 1969 by Four S Farm. Her daughter Four S Vanity's Angel, sired by Vanity's Sensation, sold in the sale for $10,000 and later produced many colts of her own. Four S Earth Angel sold and produced her last colt in 1976.
* * * * *
WC Dainty Breeze
f. 1951 Ridgefield's Denmark X Hide a Way's Laura Belle by Indiana Ace
She was the oldest mare going through the sale, and was a former World's Champion. She was another broodmare purchased by Four S Farms in 1969. Her gelded son, Four S Rail Splitter also sold through the dispersal sale for $12,500. No price was listed for Dainty Breeze, however, she did continue producing colts, her last one in 1975.
* * * * *
Highland Debutante
f. 1956 Stonewall Supreme X Emily's Daughter BHF
This mare was purchased in September of 1973, just one month before the sale.
She had already produced the good horse CH Highland's Plain and Fancy, and was in foal when she was purchased. She continued producing foals until 1978 and came from a very strong maternal line.
CH Dream Hill's Ann Thompson was out of Emily's Daughter BHF, making her a half sister to Highland Debutante.
Starheart's Daughter was also out of Emily's Daughter BHF.
* * * * *
Proud Eugenia
f. 1952 Genius of Stonyridge X Milady Betty by Pure Denmark
Proud Eugenia's last foal was born in 1973. He was sired by the Four S Farms stallion Bold Society, and went on to become a Reserve World's Champion. His name was Forever Came Today and he also sold through the dispersal sale. Proud Eugenia was another mare with a strong maternal line. Her first dam Milady Betty was a show mare, as was her 2nd dam Milady Minton BHF
Hayfield's Kentucky Lady was out of Proud Eugenia
Milady Betty was the dam of Proud Eugenia
Milady Minton BHF was 2nd dam of Proud Eugenia
She was owned by Minton Hickory Farm and was also the dam of
Lady Chatterbox BHF, the dam of WGC CH The Lemon Drop Kid.
* * * * *
Gigi's Secret
f. 1962 Secret Society by Society Rex X Guilford's Gigi by Veiled Prophet
This mare had the misfortune of losing 2 of her colts in the Four S Farms' fire, and having another badly burned. However, she continued producing foals until 1985.
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The next dispersal catalog will look at a large and very successful farm.
