Leopard

photo: archive

The famous General Grant visited the Sultan of Turkey in March 1878. The Sultan Abdul Hamid II was a great admirer of the general and offered him a horse from his stables. General Grant was impressed by a stallion that was given to the Sultan by the Turkish governor who acquired him from the Anazeh Bedouins. This dapple-grey, five-years old stallion went by the Turkish name of Djeytan but was then renamed to Leopard.
Leopard was shipped to the United States where he arrived in New Haven, Conn. in May 1879 with another Arabian stallion named Linden Tree.
According to different sources, Leopard was either of more or of less quality than Linden Tree. This dapple-grey stallion excelled by having a long neck and a nicely built shoulder. His trot was impressive with good knee action and a lot of hock flexion. He was 14.75 hands high but appears bigger. Besides his good points, Leopard lacked at his hindquarters which could be better. He had a rather sloping croup, soft pasterns and poor feet.
General Grant did not show much interest in his two stallions. He gave both to Rudolph Huntington who used Leopard on his Clay Trotters to add nobility and trotting action. The resulting products, Huntington called Clay-Arabs which became one of the foundation breeds of the modern Standardbred.
Through Leopard, Huntington became interested in purebred Arabian horses. Unfortunately, no purebred mare was within his reach. So, Rudolph Huntington imported the mare Naomi (Yataghan x Haidee) from England.
Naomi was bred to Leopard resulting in the colt Anazeh born in 1890. He stayed the only purebred foal by Leopard. Anazeh was the earliest born and registered American Purebred in the Arabian horse Club Registry of America.
Anazeh sired four registered sons, of which only Naaman (x Nazli) sired purebred foals. His only son Naaman II produced no foals and the sire-line of Leopard died out with him.
The line to Leopard only lives on through the three daughters by Anazeh, in particular through Narkeesa (x Naomi). Narkeesa produced the stallions Araby (by Hamrah), Leucosia (by Haleb), El Sabok, El Sakab and the mare Leila (all by El Jafil). Leila was used as broodmare at the Kellogg Stud. From Narkeesa's sons El Sabok is the most important. He sired the stallion Stambul who is the sire of Alla Amarward.
In 1894, Leopard was acquired by General Colby of Beatrice, Nebraska and was rejoined with Linden Tree who was sold six years earlier to the general.
The exact date of death of Leopard is not known.