In search of Black Beauty by Elizabeth Freeman DVM

During the 17 years spanning 1954 to 1969, two mares were foaled in County Cork who between them produced more approved RID stallions than any other modern mare line in the breed. The recorded dam of these mares was an unnumbered (and assumed unregistered) mare named Black Beauty. Admittedly, Black Beauty was a popular mare name in Ireland there are at least 6 individual occurrences of this name in Charlotte Moores mare book and even more to be found in the various published editions of the Irish Draught and Irish Sport Horse mare books. The question that remains to be answered is this: Is our Black Beauty the matriarch of both mare lines and thus the founder of this one phenomenal stallion producing family? The definitive answer will have to be provided by mitochondrial DNA. But in the meantime, here is the story of Black Beauty and her descendants, as provided by Irish and English studbook sources. Records show that our Black Beauty was sired by the influential Irish Draught sire Gortlee (426). Gortlee, a bay horse, had a long and influential career in Cork during the 50s, 60s and early 70s. During this time he sired a great many approved stallions and mares. Samuel Kingston, the Cork man listed as breeder of Black Beautys daughter Irish Sunset (5471), may have owned our Black Beauty for at least some of her working years. Samuel Kingstons family own and breed Black Beautys female descendants in Co. Cork today. Another Cork resident, Michael Mennis, is listed as the breeder of Black Beautys second daughter Rena Grand (7762). Little else is known about our matriarch except that she lived in Co. Cork during the post World War II years. Assuming there was only one unregistered Gortlee daughter bearing purebred foals in Cork during the 50s and 60s, our Black Beauty lived during a time of great hardship for the Irish Draught sisterhood, a time when the mares of the countryside were sent by the thousands to the factory.

Irish Sunset
Black Beautys first registered daughter was the grey mare Irish Sunset (5471). Irish Sunset was bred by Samuel Kingston in Cork and was sired by the grey stallion Irish Pearl (193) who also stood in Cork. Irish Pearl was 21 years of age when Irish Sunset was conceived in 1953. Irish Sunset produced three foals: all purebred draught and all full siblings by Gortlee (426), which means they were all inbred to Gortlee. Irish Sunsets first RID daughter was Glounphooka Dolly (6122), born in 1963, grey like her dam. Irish Sunsets only son, the bay RID stallion Carrigbawn Lad (595), was born in 1966. Carrigbawn Lad, his son Moorpark Boy, and Moorpark Boys son Moorpark Image all demonstrate Gortlees strong bay coloration. The USA-based Moorpark Image is now the sole RID representative of Carrigbawn Lads male line. Irish Sunsets last offspring was Flirty Gertie (8028), born in 1970. Flirty Gertie was black in color as was, one would assume from the name, her granddam Black Beauty. Flirty Gertie was the only of Irish Sunsets female offspring to produce purebred foals. She produced some important ones an RID stallion and 3 RID mares (two of whom went on to produce RID stallions themselves). Flirty Gertie was owned by the very same Kingston family who bred her dam and

granddam. Her productive years occurred during a time of great decline in the Irish Draught herd, as working draughts were replaced by tractors and motor cars all over Ireland. Flirty Gertie was the dam of five foals all purebred draught. Three became RID mares and her only colt was approved as an RID stallion. Flirty Gerties first approved daughter, the grey Carrigbawn Coleen (9418) was born in 1974, two years before the formation of the Irish Draught Horse Society. Carrigbawn Coleen was by popular broodmare sire Ben Purple (580), who was also grey and stood his first year with the late John McCarthy in Co. Cork the year Carrigbawn Coleen was conceived. Carrigbawn Coleen was the dam of 10 foals. She produced three consecutive colts that later became RID stallions: Riverbank (748) was born in 1981, and the full brothers Diamond King (756) and Silver Glider (770) by the Conqueror (725) were born in 1983 and 1984. Carrigbawn Coleen produced one RID daughter Creagh Dolly (10727) in 1985 who was a bay full sister to grey brothers Diamond King and Silver Glider. She produced one AID daughter Groobany Coleen foaled in 1989 and sired by Young Golden ISH. Groobany Coleen produced one RID granddaughter for Carrigbawn Coleen, Cusher Pride (120009) by Annaghdown Star (791), but sadly Carrigbawn Coleens female line ends here as Cusher Pride has not produced a replacement, and Creagh Dolly produced no purebred fillies at all. Flirty Gerties second RID daughter was the black Tullough Lassie (9663), who was foaled in 1975, and like her sister was sired by Ben Purple. Tullough Lassie produced three RID daughters and one RID stallion son from five foals. Tullough Lassie Two (10543) by Kintara (696) was foaled in 1982, and full sisters Irish Mollie (10898) and Tullough Black Beauty (10975) by The Conqueror (725), were foaled in 1987 and 1988 respectively. Like their Cork cousins, these mares failed to produce any RID daughters to carry on Flirty Gerties female line. Tullough Lassie did however produce an RID stallion, the IDHS(GB)approved Tullough Hero, a black horse foaled in 1980. By Grove Hero (629), Tullough Hero stood in England and showjumped with John Whitaker. Flirty Gerties next RID offspring was the stallion Carrigbawn Prince, a grey horse foaled in 1978 and exported to England where he was later approved as an RID stallion. Flirty Gerties third RID daughter, the grey Carrigbawn Lady (10345), was born in 1979. Carrigbawn Lady was sired by Flagmount Boy (683). Out of seven foals, Carrigbawn Lady produced one AID daughter, Sunset Girl (by the Thoroughbred horse Amazon) and one RID daughter, Bean Rua (11639) by Red Hackle (792). Sunset Girl went on to produce a sibling to Bean Rua in the RID mare Carrigbawn Doll (11905) also by Red Hackle (792). Bean Rua born in 1992 and Carrigbawn Doll born in 1994 are the only RID female descendants of Irish Sunset still breeding in Ireland as of the 2006 edition of the Irish Draught Horse Marebook. Bean Rua gave birth to a grey filly foal by Glidawn Diamond in 2005 and Carrigbawn Doll was due to foal to Fast Silver in 2006.

Rena Grand
Black Beautys second female offspring was the Rathlin daughter Rena Grand (7761) who was born in Co. Cork in 1969. Rena Grand was the dam of 14 foals, giving birth to her last foal at age 23. Of these, she produced an RID stallion as well as four RID daughters and a number of ISH. Her RID son was the chestnut grand prix jumper Rathlin Star (707), who was foaled in 1977 and sired by Armada Star (566).

The chestnut mare Missihippi (10914) was foaled in CO. Cork in 1976. The first of Rena Grands RID daughters, she was by the Gortlee grandson Armada Star (566) and was thus linebred 3x3 to Gortlee like her full brother Rathlin Star. Missihippi was the dam of eight foals. Two of her daughters were approved RID and one was approved AID. Her RID daughters were the chestnut threequarter siblings Missihippi Cross (11481) by Holycross (765) and Glenogras Keepsake (12004) by Holycross son Pride of Glenogra (811). These two mares were foaled in 1991 and 1994 respectively. Missihippis AID daughter, foaled in 1988, was Deerpark Heidi by Leabeg ISH. Missihippi Cross went on to produce four RID daughters out of seven foals as of 2006: Crosstana (12117) and her full sister Derryhea Kelly (12451), both by Castana (837), both chestnut, and foaled in 1995 and 1997 respectively; Cooper Mullinary Maid (12450) by Rockrimmon Silver Diamond (846) foaled in 1999; and Cooper Classic Star (12916) by Classic Vision (827) foaled in 2001. Of these four mares only Crosstana has any recorded progeny most recently a colt by rare line stallion Clonakilty Hero (860) born in 2005. Rena Grands second RID daughter Rena Grove (10408) by Grove Hero (629), was born in 1980 and produced no RID descendants from her five foals. Rena Grands third RID daughter, Rena Grey (10544), foaled in 1982 by Kintara (696), bore one RID daughter, Blarney Bumble (11855), a 1994 grey by Dangan King (613). Blarney Bumble produced no known foals so Rena Greys female line ends here. Her branch of the family is carried on through her son, RID stallion Young Prospect, a 1990 grey by Prospect Pride (738), now standing with Alison Ives in Yorkshire, England. Rena Grands fourth RID daughter was Grey Curragong (10604), foaled in 1983. Grey Curragong was by The Conqueror (725), grey like her dam, and she produced nine foals of which two went on to become RID stallions and one became an approved ISH stallion. The RID stallions are the Glidawn Diamond (754) sired full brothers, OLearys Irish Diamond (845), foaled in 1994 in Co. Kerry and now standing at Kinson Stud in Montana, and K.E.C. Bluejay Diamond (869) foaled in 1997 and standing with the Leacy family in Co. Wexford. Leeside Ranger ISH is Grey Curragongs third approved stallion son. Though approved as an ISH stallion, he is a purebred draught by Silverstone (656).

Modern Representatives
Only three of Black Beautys female RID descendants produced foals in 2005, the last year of data reported in the Irish Draught Mare Book. These mares were Carrigbawn Doll (still owned by the Kingston family who bred her great great granddam in Co Cork), Bean Rua, and Crosstana. Carrigbawn Doll and Bean Rua are representatives of the Irish Sunset side of the family, while Crosstana is the sole representative of the Rena Grand side of the family currently breeding. None of these mares had produced an RID daughter who was breeding as of 2005. Black Beautys female family is represented by at least three horses in the United States: RID stallion OLearys Irish Diamond (out of Grey Curragong) stands in Montana, RID mare Glenogras Keepsake (out of Missihippi), makes her home in New Mexico, and RID gelding Glendubh (out of Sunset Girl) resides in Virginia.