Queen of Sheba

photo: Crabbet Archives

It took two years until Wilfrid and Lady Ann Blunt acquired a desert bred mare from the Sheikh of Gomussa called Beteyen Ibn Mirshid. They always referred to her as Beteyen's mare. When they finished negotiations in 1878, they brought the mare to their Crabbet Park stud in England. This brown mare with her four white feet was then named 'Queen of Sheba'. Queen of Sheba was born in 1975 and was an Obeyah Sherrakiyah. She was a big mare for that time (15hh) with a good head and fine nostrils and ears. Her back and quarter were strong and she carried her tail high. The Blunts considered her as the most superior mare they had seen during their visits in the desert.
At Crabbet Park Queen of Sheba gave birth to three full-brothers by the desert bred import Kars and two daughters who both died young. One daughter was by the desert bred Pharaoh and the other by Roala (a son by Kars).
Her most influential foals however were born after 1890, two were by the desert bred Azrek and four by the Egyptian stallion Mesaoud. The Azrek daughter was named Asfura and was the only daughter of Queen of Sheba that survived and secured the maternal line of Queen of Sheba, mostly through her great-granddaughter Astrella by Raseem. The Azrek son Ahmar sired excellent broodmares like Bereyda, Namusa, Siwa and Bukra but left no son of importance.
The Queen of Sheba's son that stuck out from the others, however, was the bay stallion Astraled by Mesaoud who is considered Straight Egyptian. He was the sire of Sotamm and Rustem who were exported to Egypt in 1920 where they become significant sires. Astraled also sired important daughters like Rim, Riyala and Selima who founded their own families. Astraled was exported to the U.S. in 1909 were he sired Gulastra, his most influential son.
Astraled was Queen of Sheba's last foal born in 1900. She was put down in 1901 at the age of 26 having lived most of her life at Crabbet Park.