Space does not allow details of the stud visits and all the horses seen, but I will try to mention a few at each stud that were highlights to me; in some cases these will not even be all that I liked at each stud. While most of the mentioned horses will be Crabbet or part Crabbet, not all will be.

This year at Geoff Brown's small Erinsdale Stud in Victoria I liked his 1987 chestnut stallion PAMPAS SABAN (*Mahabi El Shaklan 328360 x Sh Stephanique 285926). Both of his parents came from the U.S. This horse was well balanced and had a nice head with small ears. He also appeared to be a good sire. I had liked him in 1991 when I had seen him as a 4 year old and now I liked even better because full maturity has done him full justice. Geoff also had a 1994 chestnut daughter of Pamas Saban. She was ERINSWOOD OBSESSION (x Wincar Ramify). This mare was elegant and beautiful, well balanced, and of very good quality.

At the 100% Crabbet Mill Park Stud of Shirley Douglas, in Victoria, I saw several I liked, but only have room to mention three: MILL PARK ZARIFA (Arfaja Haluj x Wellworth Lilac) was a 1987 chestnut mare. She was way too fat, but I liked her a lot.

Mill Park Pertrice, age 5, with Shirley Douglas.
Carol Mulder photo.

MILL PARK PERTRICE (Ruberto x Pernelle) was a 1995 brown mare.She was outstanding - one of the ones I liked best this year. MILL PARK TALI (Ruberto x Amareece) was a 1995 dark bay. This was a mare of quality.

Paywit Stud in Victoria is owned by Nick and Dorothy Byrnes. They have the stallion FENWICK RASINDH (Sindh x Fenwick Rasifa), a 1985 chestnut. This was a big horse. Here I saw the excellent mare TANNENBAUM SOLITAIRE (Fenwick Renaissance x Silver Lining), a 1991 bay; I liked this mare a lot. I did not learn the name of the sire of the new foal at her side.

At the Victoria farm, Beldanar, of Belinda Orders I again saw MEADOW VIEW KARNAK, one of my favorite stallions this trip. Also there was a gray 2000 filly, only a month or so old, by this stallion (x Avonsleigh Gailetta); the filly looked quite promising. I also liked Belinda's other stallion, JOMAIN ALLE MASSIAH (Niarob Ben Alex-Zhinn x Arabian Park Serene), a 1992 chestnut.

The Clarendon Arabian Stud of Arthur and Sheila Castle is near Bena in Victoria. They bred CLARENDON RAZETTA, the Reserve Champion 75% Crabbet Filly at the show. Here I saw CLARENDON KARLA (Simsaar x Silver Seraph),

Clarendon Karla, age 8. Carol Mulder photo.

a 1991 bay mare. This was a nice mare, very similar was her 1989 bay paternal half-sister CLARENDON LATIIF (Simsaar x Dynaska). The latter's maternal half-sister, 1984 chestnut CLARENDON DYNARA (Amir El Shaklan x Dynaska) was quite pretty.

Pevensey, the stud of Leon Bennett, is near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. Leon is partner with Rob and Yvonne Day of Moonlite Stud. At Pevensey I very much liked the 1998 bay filly PETRA BENAY (Magic Prophecy x Santarabia Porfira). This nice filly had a neat look to her. Leon had SARAFIRE (Samiri x Devotion), a 28 year old bay stallion foaled in 1972. Due to age this old horse was thin, but I liked him as he stood. He had good bone and large joints, with good feet. He had a nice head and neck, and his neck came out of his shoulders well. I was glad to get to see this well known old horse.

Francis R. and Elizabeth K. Staunton have Torryburn Stud near Tarcutta, New South Wales. Francis is a retired veterinarian. He asked me about the great American sire Abu Farwa, the old Kellogg Ranch in California, etc. - subjects on which I can speak with firsthand authority (in fact, I am the last Arabian horse person still living who can so speak). At Torryburn they breed both Arabians and Anglo-Arabs. There were several fine mares here, but space prevents mention of all those I liked.

Here I saw 1998 chestnut TORRYBURN GINDARI (Baskeer x Torryburn Wamida).

Torryburn Gindari, age 2, with Francis Staunton.
Carol Mulder photo.

This colt was one of the most brilliant and correct natural trotting Arabians I have seen in years (we saw him at liberty in a large paddock); certainly he had the best trot I saw in Australia this year. This is the inherited trot for which the Arabian horse was renowned and appreciated for centuries by practical European horsemen who sought and utilized it in the development and improvement of some other breeds, such as the Russian Orloff Trotter which was primarily developed from the Arabian. It seems to me that this colt's superior and fabulous trot must be bred on, particularly in a breed which is now alarmingly losing the genetic potential for this ancient breed trait because too many people today select away from it, not understanding the trot, a fact for which we can blame modern artificial and arbitrary show and "horsemanship" standards that have little or nothing to do with utilitarian usefulness or efficiency (but a lot to do with destructive modern fads). This colt's trot made my spirits soar and filled me with joy. He moved almost identically like Alyf, the 1938 Kellogg chief sire I used to ride. Francis observed that they thought this trot came through from Crystal Fire in this colt's pedigree. A look at Crystal Fire's pedigree certainly indicates this probability because it shows multiple crosses to Crabbet action sources *Berk 343 and on back to the desert bred Crabbet foundation sire Azrek, renowned for his superlative trot as a progenitor in the breed for same.

TORRYBURN FESTIVITY (Baskeer x Torryburn Gaiety), 1992 chestnut, was a blood-sister to Torryburn Gindari. This feminine mare had a lovely head, neck, and forehand. She, too, was turned out for us to see her trot and she also moved unusually well, but not with quite the same stunning brilliance of her brother. At Torryburn there was a 2000 chestnut colt (Bremervale Pretender x Torryburn Jalida) which appeared to show promise. He featured outstanding hindquarters, among his other good traits.

Rob and Yvonne Day, partners of Leon Bennett, have Moonlite farm near Wantabadgery, New South Wales.

Here we saw the 21 year old chestnut mare SANTARABIA PORFIRA (Ruberto x Peridot) foaled in 1979. 1 had already seen and liked two previous daughters of Santarabia Porfira: Portia Benay at the parade and at Leon Bennett's Petra Benay. Therefore, it was a gratifying privilege to see this good mare who has been such a particularly fine producer - for me, one of the most noteworthy producing mares I saw in Australia this year. At her side she now had a stunning chestnut 2000 filly (by Arfaja Robard), aged one-month and with a lot of white; this special filly had a real "look at me" appearance and carried herself with great verve and style.

Another good foal, also one month old, was the 2000 gray filly (Silver Somerio x Lyndale Razala).

At Moonlite we saw SILVER SOMERIO at home, turned out in his large, grassy paddock on sloping ground. At the Convention parade this stallion had seemed low-key, but at home he came alive with considerable verve and beauty. He was impressive. This horse also moves well. He was was one of the best stallions I saw in Australia this year.

At the Star Park Stud of Astra Temple, near Depto, New South Wales, we saw the 1984 bay stallion PURE STAR (Manfred x Kim-Dande Flash magic). I wanted to see him because I had seen his sire (named after one of Lord Byron's famous literary successes) at Lady Anne Lytton's in England in 1975, when he was a yearling, and had then liked him. Of Astra's four Pure Star daughters, I liked best 1994 chestnut STAR PARK KATARYNA (x Mandrina, by Manfred); thus, this is a double Manfred pedigree.

I think my dear (deceased) friend Lady Anne Lytton, daughter of Lady Wentworth, would have been pleased that I saw these Manfred descendants in Australia.

The small farm of Richard and Jill Cerveny at Menangle Park is near Sydney, New South Wales. Arriving there, I almost instantly spotted MEADOW VIEW SILVER NICKEL (Nickelsilver x Nijinska), 1989 chestnut mare. She was one of the best mares I saw in Australia this year. She was of good size, well balanced, and correct. The Cervenys had recently refused to sell this mare for export from Australia. They also had a 2000 gray colt (Naazim x Nijinska) which looked quite good; thus there were two Nijinska produce here that I liked.

At this same farm was another of the best stallions I saw in Australia in 2000. He was the last horse I was to see during this trip to Australia. NAAZIM (Mustafa x Naadirah), a 1975 gray, was 25 years old. A well known and popular book, Naadirah, The Arabian Dream, by Tanya Hawley, about Naazim's dam, was published in Australia some years ago. Naazim was beautiful, well-made, and had a lovely head. Due to his old age he was rather thin, and due to a relatively recent injury he was very crippled in his right hind leg which did not work right (it seemed a strange version of something like string-halt), but he did not let it stop him in the least.