The Second Crabbet Park Sale
26th July 1884 at 2pm
The second of fifiteen sales to be held at Crabbet Park by Lady Anne and Wilfrid Blunt
From Lady Anne Blunt's Journal entry
July 26th
Preparations for the Sale. Many people looking at the horses. Wentworths arrived at 12. Tattershall and Lord Strathnairn at 1pm. Many people besides.
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We have kept Kars and Basilisk, though perhaps after all the Duke of Westminster may take Basilisk. He will not get her for less than the reserve of £200. The only horse I mind going for so small a price as he was knocked down at (too hastily by Mr Tattershall I thought) is King Solomon. It is said that Mr Alexander Bell has purchased him for someone in Mauritius. A good many people came after the sale as I was 'at home'.
Taken from:
LADY ANNE BLUNT
Journals and Correspondence 1878-1917
Edited by Rosemary Archer and James Fleming
Page 171
The second Crabbet Park Sale brochure
Courtesy of Rosemary Archer
The following fifteen horses were listed at the second Crabbet Park Sale:
We have obtained the sale values from marked up copies of the sale catalogue and this is our best assessment of the actual sale price.
Note: A 16th horse was listed in the main sale, Blue Bell, a 2 year old bay filly by Kars out of Blossom, an English half bred mare.
At this sale, the Blunts listed other owners horses in the Crabbet sale catalogue. One of these, Wild Thyme (previously sold at the Sale in 1882) was listed on behalf of Hugh Charrington along with her foal Wild Honey (by Kars). Wild Thyme was repurchased by the Blunts at this sale, together with her filly Wild Honey.
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Wild honey was sold the following year to Miss Dillon who renamed her Rashida and she went on to win prizes for jumping.
Also listed on behalf of Sir Donald Currie was Purple Iris, a Bay Mare foaled in 1880 by Kars out of Purple Stock who was sold to the Earl of Bradford 'for the purpose of breeding'.
* Kars was sold privately in June the following year to Mr D Mackay of New South Wales, Australia for a 250. He left Crabbet on 22nd June 1885 along with Hadban who was also purchased by mr D Mackay at this sale.
Lady Anne missed Kars very much:
"Kars and Hadban and Webb have gone. The central figure in the stud has disappeared; the glory of it seems to be put out with Kars absence. 'Goodbye Kars'. I could not sleep on Saturday for a sort of headache at Kars going."
Taken from:
LADY ANNE BLUNT
Journals and Correspondence 1878-1917
Edited by Rosemary Archer and James Fleming
Page 182
Painted Lady 1881 (Pharaoh x Purple Stock) as a yearling
Sold to Mr. Gordon who purchased her for 80gns for one of the Rothschilds
Picture from Crabbet Archives
Lady Anne watercolour of Purple Stock (sold to Australia at the first sale in 1882) with her filly Purple Iris, sold at this sale to the Earl of Bradford
Picture from Crabbet Archives
In the press:
From the St. James Gazette, July 28th 1884
Newspaper Image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved.
With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk).
Article text
SALE OF ARAB HORSES.
Mr, Wilfrid Blunt, who has formed a breeding stud at Crabbet Park of pure Arabian horses, held his second annual sale on Saturday, and though the prices realised were not high, there was a very good attendance, including Lords Bradford, Hardinge, Strathnairn and Wentworth, Sir Curtis M. Lampson, Sir Adrian Dingli, Admiral Tryon, General Ainslie, Colonel Maude, Mr. Percy Wyndbam, Count Szapary, four agents of the French Administration of Haras, and several other foreigners.
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Mr. Blunt offered eight male and eight female horses, but three or four of them were bought in, including Kars, a sire imported by Mr. Blunt from Aleppo. Lord Strathnairn bought two fillies of considerable promise for 85 and 55 guineas ; while Fordham, the jockey, gave 105 guineas for two-year old colt called Nebuchadnezzar, who is considered by good judges to be the best Arabian horse ever bred in England. Two or three of the other colts were purchased for the Hungarian and Spanish State breeding establishments. After Blunt’s own horses had been sold, several other Arabs belonging to Sir Rivers Wilson, Sir Donald Currie, Major Meysey-Thompson, and Mr, H. Charrington were offered ; but the few lots sold did not fetch high prices.