BABE AZAB was 18 when he bought her and he described her as being pure white and "Everything that you've ever read about the ideal Arab; a beautiful, expressive head and full of fire and spirit, yet so very gentle and willing." For two years Mr. Dixon tried to get her in foal and thinking that she wasn't in foal (he even had a 'vet' check) he finally agreed to sell her ... for $1,100. He never has gotten over the fact that she had a filly six months later, and two colts after that.

           My curiousity aroused, I did some futher checking and found that both BABE AZAB and FASAL (Porthos' other maternal great-granddam) had been owned by the Robert Wilsons who bred Arabs on their Long Meadow Ranch near Prescott, Arizona, not far from where we live. Tracing down the descendants of these long ago mares has been quite interesting as they have both established highly successful lines.

           The oldest of the two mares was FASAL 330, foaled in 1918. She was bred by the Hingham Stock Farm which was owned by Peter Bradley, financial partner of Homer Davenport. Her sire was *HAMRAH 28, and her dam was AMRAN 123 (*Deyr 33 x *Wadduda 30). FASAL ws purchased by W.K.Kellogg in 1924, and it was at Kellogg's that she produced her only two daughters.

           Her first daughter was MARKADA, by JADAAN, and she was sold to Dickinson's Travelers Rest. MARKADA's daughter by BAZLEYD was MARAQ who became a foundation mare for Martha Decker Asmis and produced their good stallion DEVACHON. She is also great-granddam of the well known stallion NEVER DIE IBN RIH.

           FASAL's other daughter was FASALINA by FERDIN, and she had 13 foals, the last one at the age of 26! Her most famous offspring was SYBELLE by the ANTEZ son ANSAR. SYBELLE, when bred to MONEYN (*Raseyn x the 7/8 - Davenport mare Monica) produced WOENGREN who is the dam of the two famous sires, GARAFF and RAFDEN, WOENGREN thus had three crosses to *DEYR, and four each to *HAMRAH and *WADDUDA.

           Another daughter of FASALINA was JACOB'S SHEBA who produced the Legion of Merit gelding SHAYTHOONI, sired by JEDRAZAL (1/8-Davenport). SHAYTHOONI was Reserve National Champion Trail Horse and Top Ten Pleasure Driving in 1967, and was shown by a junior exhibitor.

           Of the sons of FASAL that were bred at Kellogg's, PEP, by LETAN was used as an exhibition horse and later sold to the Philippines. A full brother to PEP was KASAR who was one of the chief stallions at the Hearst Ranch. Certainly his most influential offspring was GAMIL, dam of the beautiful IBN HANAD. He is the sire of six halter champions, including a Canadian Top Ten Mare, and such well known sons and daughters as TSALI, SUNNY ACRES AENEAS, EGYPT (dam of "Living Legend" Al-Marah Erka), and the unforgettable SUNNY ACRES PAPAYA who sold at the Lasma Sale for $25,000 at the age of 18.

           FASAL had one other son of particular interest to Davenport breeders. This was SALAN by ANTEZ. He sired KAMIL IBN SALAN, now owned by Dr. Fred Mimmack, and the mares DHALANA, SARANAH and TARA who are all owned by Charles Craver. All are now in their twenties.

           In 1934 FASAL came to the Wilson's Prescott ranch and it was here that she produced CARAVAN, probably her best known and most influential son. He was by RIBAL and foaled in 1938 when FASAL was 20 years old. CARAVAN was one of the foundation sires for the Draper's Jedel Arabian Ranch, and his daughters have been exceptionally good broodmatrons. His name appears in the pedigrees of innumerable champions such as National Champion Mare MI-FANCI . . . and he was still siring foals when he was 30 years old.

           The other sons of FASAL that were foaled on the Wilson Ranch were all gelded for ranch use, but five of her eleven foals, sired by five different stallions, have established lines that anyone would be proud to claim.

           The other great-granddam in my study is, of course, BABE AZAB 567 who started it all. She was sired by *LETAN 86 and was out of TAMARINSK 331 (*Hamrah 28 x *Werdi 41). BABE AZAB was foaled at Kellogg's in 1926 and her dam died shortly afterward so she was raised on a milk goat. Anyone wondering if its worth all the trouble to raise an orphan foal has only to look at the record of this mare!

           Her first foal (and only straight Davenport foal) was BADIA 760, sired by JADAAN. BADIA was owned all her life by P.F.Grey who bred her to several stallions. Her daughter FERDIA, by FARANA, produced SAKI, one of only two mares voted the honor of "Living Legend." She is the dam of at least seven champions including IBN FADJUR, FADL, FADKI, etc. FERDIA is also granddam of the good sire FERTIF (by an Antez son).

           Another daughter of BADIA's was BABEYN by RALET (*Raseyn x the Davenport mare Sherlet). BABEYN and her four daughters have all been champion producers. BADIA's son DISEYN, by FERSEYN, was an early California halter champion and was the sire of DIZA, an outstanding park horse.

           BADIA's last foal was in 1949 and this was ASARA by KASAR... son of FASAL. ASARA had several foals before Charles Craver acquired her, and she is the dam of our stallion PORTHOS and three other straight Davenport offspring. Her son TYBALT, by TRIPOLI, has been a champion park horse at a number of shows. I do not believe that ASARA was ever broke to ride which is too bad as she was a beautiful moving mare, with extremely powerful hock action.

           BABE AZAB's second foal was JANEO, the only foal of the Kellogg's exhibition horse KING JOHN. JANEO's claim to fame is his daughter, RESHAN AZAB out of FEISAL, a mare of 3/4 Davenport breeding. RESHAN AZAB is the dam of the Lucas' highly successful racing stallion BEAU RESHAN.

           In 1933, BABE AZAB arrived in Prescott with the Wilsons and her next eight foals were by RIBAL. Mrs. Wilson, now of Tucson, remembers her very well and thinks she was probably the prettiest of all their mares (they had ten) and the favorite of the family, FASAL was 15 when they got her and she had already had seven foals so she wasn't ridden while on the Wilson ranch.

           BABE AZAB's sons, ROYAL AMBER and BORKAAN, by RIBAL, were quite well known during the 40's, but it was her daughter WARDAT BADIYA that was most influential. WARDAT BADIYA was sold to Robert B. Field of Levenworth, Wash., and there she was bred to HANRAFF who was out of the 7/8 Davenport mare CHRALLAH and by *RAFFLES. This combination produced the well-known full sisters CHI-ENNE, MESA ROSE, KONDI, and WIRDIH JAMEEL, all out-standing producers. KONDI is the dam of AL-MARAH KONTIKI, WIRDIH JAMEEL is the dam of National Champion Mare, FAME, and the handsome young park horse champion, THE JUDGE, both by *BASK, and also the park horse champion, AARIEFLA by AARIEF.

           The Wilsons sold all their horses in 1944 and it was at this time that Mr. Dixon acquired BABE AZAB.

           There are now over 60,000 living Arabians in the United States, and to have so large a number of the really famous ones descended from these two mares is a remarkable accomplishment - a record equaled by few others.

My thanks to Mrs. Robert Wilson, Mr. Warner Dixon, Mrs. John Payne in particular for pitures and information.

Davenport
 
CMK

Early Writings

The Western Arab: '40s and '50s

Peter Bradley:The Forgotten Man

Pat Payne & Tripoli

Those Davenport X's