Kasztelanka – God took a handful of the South Wind…

bay mare, 1929

sire line: Koheilan Adjuze (db)
dam line: Elsissa I (db, a Hadbah Enzahiyah)

breeder: Janow Podlaski, PL

The mare Kasztelanka was one of five Polish Arabians imported by Henry Babson after his visit to Poland in 1938.
Along with Kasztelanka, the mares Azja IV (Landsknecht x Asra) and Polish classic and Oaks winner Kostrzewa (Koheilan I x Dziewanna) were also acquired for Henry Basbon’s stud farm.
Azja IV is well known for beeing the dam of Azraff (by Raffles).

Kasztelanka -compared to her paternal half-sister Kostrzewa- was a moderately successful racing mare but she had bigger influence than Kostrzewa in the Arabian breeding program in the United States.

Before introducing her offsprings let’s have a closer look into her pedigree first.

Her sire: Koheilan I

Kasztelanka’s sire was Koheilan I. The grey stallion was born 1922 in Babolna stud. He was by Koheilan IV, a grandson of the desert bred stallion Koheilan Adjuze, out of 10 Gazal.

10 Gazal’s dam was 214 Scherife, a mare that founded a damline in Poland, mainly through her great granddaughter Bulwa (Kuhailan Zaid x 12 Siglavy Bagdady) with her daughter Alga (by Witraz) and her granddaughter Busznica (Faher x Bulgotka).
Koheilan I was sold to Janow Podlaski in 1924 where he quickly became chief sire and produced the stallion Lowelas (x Elegantka), licensed for Trakehnen. In Trakehnen Lowelas not only sired Trakehner warmbloods but also produced purebred Arabians, among them the Polish derby winners Ikwa (x Elstera, granddam of Lagodna, the dam of Naborr) and Jagoda (x Kalina) and the stallion Kanzler (x Khamza).
Kanzler was very well-build and an excellent dressage horse. He is known to be one of the foundation horses of the post-war German breeding program through his daughter Smoky (x Hathor).

Besides Kasztelanka, Koheilan I sired the mare Karmen II (x Kasyda) whose daughter Karramba (by Witraz) was imported by Patricia Lindsey to the UK and started the boom of Polish Arabians in the UK.
Koheilan I was sold again to Babolna stud in 1937 where he was registered as Koheilan VIII. In Babolna he produced the mare Khema (x 203 Ajeeb) who was purchased by Getraude Griesbach of Achental stud, Germany where she became a foundation mare.

Her dam: Biologradka

Kasztelanka’s dam was Bialogrodka. Bialogrodka was bred by Prince Roman Sanguszko at Guminska Stud.
Her sire was Orjent, a son by desert bred stallion Antar, and out of Republika. Latter one was a mare of solid Sanguszko/Chrestowka bloodlines whose daughter 15 Malta (by Handzar), owned by Radautz Stud in Austria (now Hungary), was the granddam of Koalicja by Koheilan IV (sire of Koheilan I, see above), dam of well-known stallions Enwer Bey and Miecznik and the mares Federacja and Konfederacja.
Bialogrodka’s dam Pojata was by Muzafer-Pasha who was sired by Rymnik, prize winner at France World’s Fair and grandsire of legendary Skowronek through his daughter Jaskolka. Pojata damline is the one of Elsissa I, a Hadbah Enzahiyah mare imported to Poland from the desert in 1874.

Having presented all these influental Arabian horses in Kasztelanka’s pedigree let’s introduce her offsprings.

Halef, the “Iron comarade”

Before she was exported to the U.S. Kasztelanka had 3 foals registered in Poland, a stallion and a mare by Hardy and the bay stallion
with the unpronouncable name (at least when you are not family with the Polish language) Towarzysz Pancerny (by Enwer Bey). Towarzysz Pancerny is the Polish term for “Iron Comarade”.
The bay stallion, described as a solid and correct horse with less Arabian type tough, was born in 1937 at Janow Podlaski. In Poland he left only 2 registered foals.
During the chaos of WW II, he came to Germany – ridden by a corporal. In Germany he was acquired by Gertraude Griesbach for her Achental stud and renamed to Halef.
Halef became an excellent producer at Achental. He sired the mares Koralle (x Kho-Rha), Kassandra (x Khabitha) and Joschi (x Jacaranda).
All these mares became broodmares at Achental. Another daughter with influence was Sabine (x Sabha), privately bred by Dr. Kurt Entress, Nuertingen/Germany.
Sabine’s bloodline continues in Sawih Ibn Wisznu (by Wisznu, a Witez son), a German Elite stallion.
One son by Halef bred at Achental should also be named here: the chestnut Kalif (full-brother to Kassandra). Kalif became chief sire at Achental stud later continuing Halef’s influence there.
Leaving appealing foals at Achental Halef was leased by Marbach stud between 1951-56. There he left eight broodmares including Hamdi (x Jadine) and Hathor (x Jatta), and two sons: Haladin and Hadif (both out of Jadine).
Hamdi was the maternal granddam of Dschadaah (by Hadban Enzahi), the only Marbach bred mare that ever was named World Champion mare in Paris.
Hathor produced several daughters of significance in Marbach such as the already mentioned Smoky (by Kanzler) and the Hadban Enzahi full-sisters Shari and Sanacht. Latter one was purchased by the Loeber family in 1962 and became foundation mare at their Plum Grove Farms in the U.S..

Halef spent his final years at the Osthoff manor near Osnabrueck, Germany where he died in 1964 at the age of 27.

Due to his outstanding offsprings Halef was awarded German Elite stallion.

When Henry Babson acquired Kasztelanka she was in foal to Ofir. The result was born in 1939, a colt named Warsaw.

Kasztelanka’s influence in the “New World”: Fadheilan

In 1942 Henry Babson covered Kasztelanka with Fadl. This was an interesting mating because Kasztelanka’s foal would be half Polish and half Egyptian. Until then all of her foals were pure Polish.
Fadl (1930-1963) was bred by Mohammed Ali, Egypt. He was imported by Henry Babson in 1932. His sire was Ibn Rabdan and his dam was Mahroussa, a mare of exquisite beauty. Fadl, 100-mile endurance winner, had the biggest influence in the Babson imports, siring Fa-Serr, Fa-Turf, Fay-El-Dine and Fa Aana, just to name a few.

Fadheilan was born on Christmas Eve, 1942; a bay, vibrant stallion with a lot of presence that he passed to his offspring.

Fadheilan was sold to Harry Linden who used him as his favorite ridding horse for his big cattle ranch.
If Fadheilan won’t ring a bell to you yet, then surely his son Fadjur (x Bint Sahara) does. Fadjur was born at the ranch of Harry Linden in 1952. He was an incredible, correct stallion, known to many as “The Fabulous Fadjur”.

Fadjur was acquired by Marjorie Tone of Jack Tone Ranch when he was just 10 months of age. At the Jack Tone Ranch he became chief sire and he was used as long-year partner to the Ferseyn daughter Saki (x Ferdia), producing 14 full-siblings.
He was also shown in halter and became U.S. Reserve National Champion stallion in 1960.

To highlight a Fadheilan daughter of influence, Fadneeka (x Raneeka) should be mentioned here. She was covered by her half-brother Fadjur and produced the bay mare Jurneeka.
Jurneeka is the dam of a legend: US & Canadian National Western and Halter Champion stallion Khemosabi (by Amerigo).
This bay stallion is a top producer (1265 registered foals), siring winning gets in halter and performance. He is known to enjoy the audience, making him a “people’s horse”.

In 1963 Fadheilan was awarded Grand Champion at the Cow Palace where he was shown by the Tones family which owned him at that time.
Fadheilan died one year later at the age of 22.

After Fadheilan, Kasztelanka produced another foal by Fadl in 1944, a mare named Estanzuela. Then she was sold to Traveler’s Rest Farm of Mr. Dickinson where she gave birth to another mare by Czubuthan in 1946, named Kamylya.
Both daughters bred on but with little influence compared to Fadjur.

Her final years Kasztelanka spent in Cuba where she was exported to in 1949.

Kasztelanka was a mare that would not pop-up first when speaking of aristocrat mares but her legacy lives on in the broodmare herd of Marbach and through her grandson “The Fabulous Fadjur”.

Kasztelanka	Koheilan I	Koheilan IV
		10 Gazal
	Bialogrodka	Orjent
		Republika

Web links

http://ahdb.eu/details.php?searched=Kasztelanka
http://ahdb.eu/details.php?searched=Halef
http://ahdb.eu/details.php?searched=Fadheilan

Her sire: Koheilan I

Her dam: Biologradka

Halef, the “Iron comarade”

Kasztelanka’s influence in the “New World”: Fadheilan

Further reading

Web links