Equine hostages taken from Libyan stud includes mare with direct bloodline to Phar Lap
One of the horses stolen in a bloody raid by terrorists on Libya’s No. 1 thoroughbred farm is a direct relative of Australia’s greatest ever racehorse, Phar Lap.
NSW
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One of the horses being held hostage after a bloody raid by terrorists on Libya’s No. 1 thoroughbred farm is a direct relative of Australia’s greatest ever racehorse, Phar Lap.
Miss Wyndam, a 15-year-old Australian-bred mare, is a descendant of broodmare Entreaty, who is the mother of Phar Lap.
She was among the horses taken by the armed terrorists, who first staged a raid on the Al Shaab Stud near Tripoli on Saturday evening, making off with six stallions, including Golden Slipper placegetter Churchill Downs, and a dozen pregnant mares.
The terrorists returned on Wednesday to steal the remaining 30 horses.
The terrorists are yet to make contact with the stud’s owner, Dr Amad Ashaab.
One of the three Australian mares being held hostage, Arencielle, is also a blue blood of global stature.
Her father, Thunder Gulch, won the Kentucky Derby and her dam-sire is Danehill, who counts Churchill Downs among his record tally of 394 stakes-winners.
Arenceille was trained by Racing’s First Lady Gai Waterhouse and showed promise early on winning on debut at Wyong in 2006.
The other Australia mare, Al Mamzar, was bred by Emirates Park Stud whose own former resident stallion, Eavesdropper, was among the six stallions snatched in the first raid on Al Shaab.
Earlier this week Dr Ashaab held out hope for a safe return for the safe return of the horses “but there has been no contact”.
Al Mamzar was trained for Emirates Park owner and UAE dignitary His Excellency Nasser Lootah by Kris Lees. The daughter of star racehorse Danewin also won her first at her then home track at Newcastle.
Miss Wyndam’s current predicament is a far cry from what she experienced in Australia. She was housed at Angaston in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and only raced twice.
The missing trio were among 15 broodmares purchased at auction by Dr Amad when he attended the 2010 Magic Millions National Sale with the intention of raising the profile and improving the bloodlines in Libya.
His efforts were beginning to bear fruit — he even enticed Magic Millions director David Chester to visit Libya and attend one of Al Shaab’s first public auctions in Tripoli in 2010.
