Davenports and the Darley Awards

THE ENDURING INFLUENCE OF A STORIED IMPORTATION

Of the 18 nominees for the 2021 Darley Awards, all but one have something in common: they descend from a group of horses brought to the U.S. more than a century ago by political cartoonist and Arabian horse breeder Homer Davenport, one of the founders of the Arabian Horse Club of America (now known as the Arabian Horse Association).

Davenport, born in Oregon in 1867, was a lifelong horse fancier who finally came face to face with Arabians at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. He recalled being transfixed by their “big sparkling eyes and gracefully carried tails.”

In 1906, with the diplomatic aid of President Theodore Roosevelt, Davenport realized his dream of owning Arabians. He traveled to what was then the Ottoman Empire and purchased twenty-seven head, a journey he chronicled in his book, My Quest of the Arabian Horse. His breeding stock has had a profound impact on Arabian horses in the U.S.—even though Davenport died at age 45, a mere six years after his landmark importation. Fortunately, his breeding pro- gram was continued by his friend Peter Bradley, who had financed Davenport’s trip. A number of early-twentieth-century breeders, such as F. E. Lewis and W. K. Kellogg, acquired Davenport horses for use in their own programs. In fact, according to Robert Cadranell, between 1925 and 1945, the Kellogg Ranch “owned, bred, or acted as agents in the sale of no fewer than 45 horses” of 100 percent Davenport bloodlines. Today, the Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy continues to promote public awareness of these horses and their importer. Three well-known Davenport stallions appear in the pedigrees of many of this year’s Darley nominees. The desert-bred stallion *Muson was ridden by Buffalo Bill in his Wild West Show. Jadaan became famous as Rudolph Valentino’s mount in the 1926 film The Son of the Sheik. And Hanad (*Deyr x Sankirah) was the star of the Kellogg Sunday Shows, performing feats like standing on a pedestal, doing the Spanish Walk, and even jumping rope.

The first stallion of all-Davenport bloodlines to make a mark on Arabian horse racing (in both the United States and Poland) was Antez (Harara x Moliah). Bred by F. E. Lewis,

Antez was later owned by Kellogg, who used him for breeding and also as a riding horse. In 1930, Kellogg sold Antez to breeder General J. M. Dickinson.

Dickinson had become interested in the Polish State Studs’ use of racing as a method of evaluating breeding stock. After purchasing Antez, he ran the 12-year-old stallion in a series of time trials. Despite his inexperience as a racehorse, Antez equaled the Arabian world record for the half-mile. In 1934, Dickinson sold Antez to the Arab Horse Breeders Society of Poland. While in that country, Antez sired 11 registered foals (two of them were exported to the U.S). Of the nine that remained in Poland, a filly named Ukrainka was a race winner, a colt named Haschim Bey won the 1940 wartime Polish Derby, and an unraced filly named Oda III produced Verona, winner of the 1946 Polish Oaks. Antez’s son *Latif, imported from Poland in utero, is in the pedigrees of many stakes winners, including Ben Hib Ku, U.S. National Champion Racehorse, and Tiki Tessar, a Racing Hall of Fame inductee.

By Tobi Lopez Taylor tobi.lopez.taylor@gmail.com

After being sent back to the U.S. in 1938, Antez sired a colt named Sartez (x Saraf), advertised as “The World’s Fastest Arabian,” owing to the numerous speed records he was said to hold. These ranged from 220 yards to 1 ½ miles. A 1947 article in the Albuquerque Tribune noted that “Sartez ran a 50.1-second half-mile that bettered the Arabian horse half-mile world record by nine tenths of a second. The previous mark…was set by Sir Hugh in Singapore in 1844 and tied by [Sartez’s sire] Antez in 1933.”

In the late 1950s, the Arabian Horse Owners Foundation, spearheaded by Bazy Tankersley of Al-Marah Arabians, arranged to hold the first official (exhibition) Arabian races in the U.S., at Laurel Park and Pimlico in Maryland, and Tropical Park and Hialeah in Florida. One of the winners of these pioneering races was the colt Michael (Raffey x Abuseyna), who clocked 2 ½ miles in 4:51 4/5 and defeated the well-known American-bred Ofir (a grandson of the Polish Ofir). Michael—a descendant of the previously mentioned movie horse Jadaan— ran for three seasons and compiled a record of three wins and a second from four starts, at a time when races were few and far between. Another Davenport-related track star from that era was The Electrician (Bacaram x Pampanga), owned by John Rogers, who would go on to establish the Arabian Horse Racing Association. Earlier in his career, The Electrician—whose pedigree included *Muson, Buffalo Bill’s mount—had been a foxhunter and a successful show jumper before he turned to racing. In September

Antez (Harara x Moliah) in race training for General J. M. Dickinson in Tennessee. Photo courtesy of Andra Kowalczyk Martens.

Above: Jadaan (*Abbeian x Amran) ridden by Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik. His saddle is on permanent display at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library at Cal Poly State University.

1960, running in the 2 9/16-mile Arabian Special at Timonium in Maryland, this 15.2-hand gelding added to his laurels, prevailing decisively over a field of six.

Rogers owned another horse of Davenport breeding who blew away his competition in 1960. His gelding Ankthor (Ankar x *Thorayyah)—a grandson of Antez—tied for first (with a Mustang) in that year’s 100mile Tevis Cup ride. Their ride time was more than two hours faster than the previous record.

With the start of the modern era in American Arabian racing in 1967—when the first parimutuel races were held at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana and Phoenix’s Turf Paradise—came a number of Davenport-related racing champions. At the top of the list from this time period is Kontiki (Camelot x Almiki), whose pedigree includes a dozen of Davenport’s imported horses. A U.S. National Champion Racehorse and Arabian Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Kontiki was defeated only once—by *Orzel—in his storied career. Although his life was cut short at age 10, and he sired just 23 foals, Kontiki left an indelible mark on Arabian racehorse breeding worldwide. His descendants dominated American tracks in the 1970s and 1980s. One standout was his son Tiki Sahiber Ku (x Meteors Sahiba Ku), a three-time U.S. National Champion Racehorse. The latter went on to sire top horses like the stakes winner Tikisflaming Jet (x Flaming Emotion)—who set a track record for 1 ½ miles at Tampa Bay Downs—and his full brother, the stakes-winning Flaming Streak. Another grandson of Kontiki, By Golly (Juan de Shawn x Molly-R), set multiple track records, was named 1984 U.S. Racehorse of the Year, and appears in the pedigrees of more recent champions. In addition, stakes winner and noted sire Sam Tiki, out of the Hall of Fame mare Kyla Tiki, by Kontiki, was named to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

It isn’t just stallions like Kontiki that have continued the Davenport legacy. The Hall of Fame mare Monat (Moneyn x Tezeyna)—a great-granddaughter of Antez and a cornerstone of Stanley and Robbie Kubela’s breeding program—founded an influential family that includes stars like the aforementioned Kyla Tiki and By Golly, as well as the Hall of Fame mare Samcherie and MD Blue Chip and Triple Five, both named Darley Horse of the Year. And to show that Monat transmitted more than racing ability, her grandson Serazim sired Vermiculus, an Anglo-Arabian gelding who named to the 2018 U.S. World Equestrian Games three-day event team, as well as his full brother Snooze Alarm, who competed at the four-star level in eventing.

It’s no surprise that Davenport descendants have excelled in a myriad of disciplines that require a high level of athleticism, endurance, and trainability, such as endurance riding and grand prix dressage. To cite two recent examples, the 2021 Tevis Cup winner, Treasured Moments (DA Adios x Hidden Treasure), who won on the track before turning to endurance, is a great-granddaughter of Serazim, mentioned above as a sire of eventers. And Crescendos Allegro, 2021 U.S. National Champion Dressage Horse at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals, has a pedigree filled with horses that arrived in this country courtesy of Homer Davenport. In the years since the Darley Awards were established, back in 1987, Davenport-related horses have taken home over 60 percent of the Darley Horse of the Year awards. (That percentage could be even higher if the other Darley categories, totaling hundreds of horses, were analyzed.) Furthermore, many contemporary leading sires—such as Burning Sand, TM Fred Texas, Grilla, TH Richie, and Vazs Mane Son—continue to perpetuate these treasured bloodlines.

As Arabian horse authority Carol Woodbridge Mulder wrote about Davenport, “Time and history have proven that this man was, without question, one of the most important and essential of the turn-of-the-century American Arabian horse fanciers; his beneficial influence has been far reaching in both scope and extended time.” Tobi Lopez Taylor is a former columnist for Arabian Finish Line, an award-winning writer and editor, and the author of two books on the horses of Ed Tweed’s Brusally Ranch. She is currently at work on two more books: one on Antez (with Teresa Rogers) and one about *Naborr.

Above: Hanad (*Deyr x Sankirah) jumping rope during a Kellogg Sunday Show.

Left: *Muson, imported by Homer Davenport, shown here with William “Buffalo Bill” Cody in the saddle.

Darley Nominated Darley Nominated 4-Year-Old 4-Year-Old RB Wild Card RB Wild Card

MULTIPLE WINNER, GRADED STAKES PLACED DARLEY NOMINEE

Sired by: AKIM DE DUCOR 7 victories in 7 starts at 3, in 3 countries with 4 Group 1 wins 1�� Qatar Total French Arabian Breeders Cup, Qatar Derby Gr.1, German Derby Gr.1 & Coupe de France des Chevaux Arabes Gr.1.

Grandsire: AKBAR - 13 victories including 1�� HH The Emir's Sword, Qatar; 1�� HH The Presidents Cup, Abu Dhabi; etc. Sire of MIZZA, 1�� The Hatta Int’l St Gr.1; JARNIN, 1�� Prix du Président des EAU Gr.1; SERAPHIN DU PAON, 1�� Dubai Kahayla Classic Gr.1; Group 3 winners KEPASSA, SNOOPI, etc.

Dam: ABRA CAADABRA - 9 victories, 9 seconds, 9 thirds, earnings $133,560. Multiple stakes wins including Cre Run Oaks Gr.1, Delaware Park. Darley Champion as a four-year-old.

AKIM DE DUCOR

ABRA CAADABRA

AKBAR

ISHRA

BURNING SAND

CAARABINE CS

DJELFOR FANTASIA TORNADO DE SYRAH ISHHARA SAN LOU ROMIRZ DU SMARAGDA ANETO CAAPELA

RB WILD CARD... SIRING SOLID RACE PROSPECTS!

WMA PINATA, 2 year old grey filly out of a NORPHE daughter WMA JOKER, 2 year old bay colt out of a CHNDAKA daughter

RB WILD CARD

Owned & Trained by Rita Deleon At Stud in Texas USA Private Treaty | Live Cover WELCOMEARABIANS.COM WELCOMEARABIANS.COM

photo © JACK COADY

Darley Nominated Darley Nominated 4-Year-Old 4-Year-Old RB Wild Card RB Wild Card

MULTIPLE WINNER, GRADED STAKES PLACED DARLEY NOMINEE

Sired by: AKIM DE DUCOR 7 victories in 7 starts at 3, in 3 countries with 4 Group 1 wins 1�� Qatar Total French Arabian Breeders Cup, Qatar Derby Gr.1, German Derby Gr.1 & Coupe de France des Chevaux Arabes Gr.1.

Grandsire: AKBAR - 13 victories including 1�� HH The Emir's Sword, Qatar; 1�� HH The Presidents Cup, Abu Dhabi; etc. Sire of MIZZA, 1�� The Hatta Int’l St Gr.1; JARNIN, 1�� Prix du Président des EAU Gr.1; SERAPHIN DU PAON, 1�� Dubai Kahayla Classic Gr.1; Group 3 winners KEPASSA, SNOOPI, etc.

Dam: ABRA CAADABRA - 9 victories, 9 seconds, 9 thirds, earnings $133,560. Multiple stakes wins including Cre Run Oaks Gr.1, Delaware Park. Darley Champion as a four-year-old.

AKIM DE DUCOR

ABRA CAADABRA

AKBAR

ISHRA

BURNING SAND

CAARABINE CS

DJELFOR FANTASIA TORNADO DE SYRAH ISHHARA SAN LOU ROMIRZ DU SMARAGDA ANETO CAAPELA

RB WILD CARD... SIRING SOLID RACE PROSPECTS!

WMA PINATA, 2 year old grey filly out of a NORPHE daughter WMA JOKER, 2 year old bay colt out of a CHNDAKA daughter

RB WILD CARD

Owned & Trained by Rita Deleon At Stud in Texas USA Private Treaty | Live Cover WELCOMEARABIANS.COM WELCOMEARABIANS.COM

photo © JACK COADY