ARABIAN STUDS & STALLIONS
Three years ago, Arabians Studs & Stallions began ranking the most successful sires within our breed in Australia. This study was borne from a desire to use cold, hard facts as a measuring stick as to the horses that were siring successful horses in the show ring at the time.
Crave FF Story by David Gillett
93
W
e have all heard, or had, opinions on the kind of stallions that people were breeding their mares to. Sweeping statements such as ‘everyone is using imported semen or stallions’, while others believe that particular studs dominate the halter ring or that it was impossible to breed your own superstar, and that purchasing from overseas was the only way to compete, or rather to win. The study has gone on to become one of the most anxiously awaited-for articles in the magazine, and each year has included more show results in a bid to include as many breeders and horses as possible around Australia. For the third time running, the charismatic bay stallion Crave FF has topped Arabian Studs & Stallions Leading Halter Sires Chart…both in the Purebred and Derivative categories. (Editor’s note: in 2017 Crave FF tied for first in the purebred category, however due to a miscalculation of scores at the 2017 Australian National Championships, Crave FF was in fact the singular winner in retrospect). An outstanding result in itself no doubt, however when faced with the assumptions outlined earlier regarding the stallions being used in Australia, Crave FF defies the odds every time. Crave FF is not only born and bred in Australia, so are his parents, and even his grandparents. He is three generations Australian bred. And while today his owners and breeders may be amongst the most well-known of Arabian horse personalities, at the time of his birth, they were just a young couple in love. While they each had separately enjoyed a myriad of success in the show ring, at the time they were just starting off on their Arabian journey together, and their earliest forays into breeding. It was during this time that Kate and Doyle Dertell, now of Future Farms Arabians, began a search to find a purebred mare who had the makings
Previous Page: Crave FF (Mash x Bremervale Charmed) Right (top): Quartz Hill Farm Dark By Design (Crave FF x Quartz Hill Farm Georgia Peach) – Photo: Samantha Taylor Right (bottom): Australian Champion Volcom FF (Crave FF x Benguine OH) Far Right: Jalilah FF (Crave FF x Mystica Jamarlee)
94
Each season seems to unveil a new superstar by Crave FF ...
ARABIAN STUDS & STALLIONS
of a matriarch, a mare who could ‘put their farm on the map,’ as Kate remembers. ‘We needed a superstar, nothing less. I wanted her to be a top show filly, but she also needed the qualities to breed on, to come from a good family of sound, strong horses of impeccable beauty.’ The journey ended in 2002 at Bremervale Arabians, where a black bay weanling filly ticked all the boxes. ‘We purchased Bremervale Charmed that weekend and brought her home…it just felt right. I have never looked back,’ says Doyle. When looking at her pedigree, it is no surprise that this filly has turned into the show star and broodmare she promised to be. Bremervale Charmed’s paternal grandsire is WN Dasjmir (GG Samir x Arawiszja), an Australian Champion Stallion and one of the all-time greats of Australian breeding. Of predominantly Polish and Spanish lines, he has bred exceptionally well with mares of many different bloodlines, lengthening necks and flattening croups, and passing on his gorgeous Spanish eyes. When bred to Bremervale Aquarius, a daughter of USA export Bremervale Destiny (Oxford Decimus x Bremervale Zendi) and Polaca (Hacho x Batista), one of Bremervale’s original Spanish imports, and arguably the most beautiful, they produced not only one, but two Australian Champion Stallions…the grey, Bremervale Hercules and the bay superstar sire Desperado, sire of Bremervale Charmed. Charm’s dam Bremervale Spellbound is a daughter of Rave VF, an imported son of the great Bey Shah and from Raffoleta-Rose (Raffon x Leta Rose). Spellbound’s dam, Bremervale Conquita, was the only produce of Piconera (Hacho x Veleta), another one of three pure Spanish mares Bremervale imported in the late seventies. Conquita was also by the predominantly Crabbetbred Oxford Decimus, and was a very successful showmare in her time including Australian Reserve Champion Mare. Amongst other wins, Bremervale Charmed was shown to Australian Champion Junior Filly, before beginning her career as a broodmare. ‘Charm herself is a mix of predominantly Spanish blood, with Crabbet and a dash of Polish through Dasjmir. While searching for a compatible stallion, we wanted to keep the qualities of these bloodlines that we find attractive,
while adding a little spice to the mix. While we are predominantly a phenotype breeding program (rather than a genotype), in this instance we did go looking for somewhat of an outcross on purpose.’ Mash was 19 years old when the young couple decided he was the stallion to use on their precious young mare. At an age where many stallions can be long since forgotten, as luck would have it Kate and Doyle were starting a gelding for Kathmar Park, who owned Mash, and the old stallion stood out as the right horse at the right time. Mash’s dam was one of the all-time great broodmares in Australia, Dynasty Jamin (Baskhan x Dunwingeri Farhlima) who produced 15 registered foals, nearly all of whom became profoundly successful. Mash was her first foal, and he was sired by US and Australian National Champion Simeon Sanegor, in turn sired by National Champion Simeon Sa’ar (El Shaklan x Damirah). The then three-year-old filly was bred, settled quickly and so the journey began. ‘Crave was an exquisite foal right from the start, always having something special about him which stayed with him as a
future show horse. Crave FF won every major title in Australia on the East Coast including State, QLD Challenge, Victorian Classic, National, East Coast, Australasian Breeders Cup and Australian National Champion. Some of these multiple times...both as a junior and a senior.‘ Show ring wins are of course important, but for a breeding stallion, his most important role is to put quality foals on the ground. A handful of mares were selected to try with Crave FF in his two-year-old year and since then the results speak for themselves. Already Crave FF, still a somewhat young stallion himself at 13 years of age, has produced progeny that are winning across the globe. He has progeny in Australia, USA, Canada, UAE, New Zealand, Europe and the UK and in 2017, the illustrious WAHO Trophy was awarded to Crave FF for his progeny’s achievements. Show ring beauty is unquestionably important, however his offspring are now old enough to be proven performance horses which they are excelling at, in both the show ring as well as endurance with many offspring already having been sold into international endurance 95
Champion Gelding Georgio KA and Jalilah FF, 2018 Silver Australian Champion. A formidable producer of derivatives, Crave FF is the sire of many National Champions amongst most registries. These include the Arabian Riding Pony Tokyo Joe (ex Sia-Nara) who has been a Multi and Supreme Champion and East Coast Supreme Champion, while his younger full brother Kizashi has attained similar success, culminating with a Gold Australian Championship. The Arabian Warmblood Fever FF is also an Australian Champion, as well as a sire of several Australian Champions himself. Not content to be a sire of distinction, Crave FF’s journey has entered into the grandsire phase of his career, with sons such as Avondale Cruise (from Avondale Grace) entering our Leading Sires tally board for the first time with several champion winning progeny. As mentioned above, his Arabian Warmblood son Fever FF is also producing incredible horses, and sits within this year’s top ten leading derivative sires himself.
stables. Not only successful as a purebred sire, Crave FF has passed all tests as an excellent sire of derivatives, having produced multi national champions across most registries, once again not only as halter horses, but also as performance horses winning in open competition and dressage at the highest levels. Each season seems to unveil a new superstar by Crave FF. His international winners have included Gameelah KA (ex Bint Georgie Girl), Scottsdale Champion 3 and 4yo Mare and Silver Supreme Mare, and Las Vegas World Cup Reserve Champion 3yo Mare, now in Bahrain, and Clarissa FF (ex Caro Lynn DPA) – Las Vegas World Cup Champion and Bronze Supreme Filly ATH.
Above: Gameelah KA (Crave FF x Bint Georgie Girl) pictured at Scottsdale Right: Crave is a quiet, no fuss kind of horse who enjoys life and the people he spends it with
96
Back at home, the latest superstars by Crave FF include the current Australian National Champion Junior Colt Volcom FF (from Beguine OH (US)) and the exciting black 2017 Gold Australian National Champion and 2018 East Coast Champion Junior Colt Quartz Hill Farm Dark By Design (from Quartz Hill Farm Georgia Peach), Gold 2018 Australian
Today, Crave FF has nothing left to prove. He lives his life out in his pasture, is a quiet, no fuss kind of horse who enjoys life and the people he spends it with. A relatively young stallion, the story of Crave FF is far from over… perhaps we are even yet to see the best of what he can do. A ‘charmed’ life indeed…the future is especially bright for Crave FF, and we can all be quite certain that his influence will be felt for many years to come. v