Anita Baldwin and *Ibn Mahruss
This photo was found on the website for the City of Arcadia, located within their Arcadia History Collection. In it, Anita Baldwin can be see holding the reins of *Ibn Mahruss (Mahruss II x Bushra). His sire, Mahruss II, did not have a particularly exceptional breeding career, and his is probably best felt in bloodlines through his sons *Ibn Mahruss and Rijm, both of whom were born in 1901.
*Ibn Mahruss was imported in-utero along with his dam, *Bushra, where both found their way to Homer Davenport. He had at least two breeding seasons with Davenport before being sold to Eleanor Gates Tully, a playwright in California who owned, among other horses, the stallions *Obeyran and *Nedjran. He enjoyed several years as a breeding stallion, with a limited foal crop spanning 1910-14. 1914 is also the year that Gates divorced from her husband, Richard Tully, which is likely when the horses were dispersed.
From there, he found his way to Arcadia, California, under the ownership of Anita Baldwin. From her obituary, 25 October 1939, published in Madera Tribune, Volume LXXIV, Number 150:
“Mrs. Anita M. Baldwin, daughter of the late E. J. (Lucky) Baldwin, colorful mining and turf figure of the old west, died early today of a heart attack. Mrs. Baldwin was 65 years of age. She died in her palatial home on the big Rancho Santa Anita, inherited from her father along with his millions. Part of the rancho she sold for the famous Santa Anita Bark racetrack. For some years Mrs. Baldwin had been suffering from a heart ailment. At her bedside when she died were her son, Baldwin M. Baldwin, and daughter, Mrs. Dexter Winters Jones. Mrs. Baldwin was born in San Francisco, the only daughter of the late “Lucky” by his third wife, Jane Virginia Dexter. She was the belle of the bay area in her youth, but moved with the family to Arcadia when the Baldwin hotel was destroyed by fire in 1898. She married a cousin, George Baldwin, and when this marriage was annuled, wed Hull McClaughery, a young San Francisco lawyer, who was the father of her two children. Upon divorcing him, she resumed her maiden name of Baldwin. Anita Baldwin’s death removed the last direct link to the days of her famed father, and his fabulous mines and horses. Baldwin won his nickname in the early mining days, principally when he made $2,500,000 on a single plunge in Ophir mining stock during the Comstock Bonanza boom. He had come across the plains from Racine, Wisconsin, in 1853 with a wagon load of brandy and another filled with tobacco and tea. The brandy he sold to the Mormons in Salt Lake City for $l6 a gallon; the tobacco he sold for $1 a plug. He later acquired a string of blooded horses in Kentucky, bought 8500 acres of oak-dotted pasture land between Pasadena and Arcadia in 1875, and added to it tor his estates, stables and breeding farm until he was the lord of 54,000 acres stretching out over the San Gabriel valley. When he died in 1909, Baldwin left about $10,000,000 each to Anita and to her eldest daughter, Clara Baldwin Stocker, now dead. Anita inherited her father’s love of horses and flair for spectacular generosity. When she left a $35,000 diamond ring in a service station washroom at Gila Bend, Ariz., and the attendant returned it to her, she rewarded him with $5OOO. For many years she kept the old Santa Anita homestead intact and finally broke it up to permit erection of the palatial Santa Anita I Park racetrack because it carried! on the old Baldwin turf tradition. Her death will take some of the I color from the annual $lOO,OOO Santa Anita handicap. She always crowned the winner.”
Alas, Anita Baldwin died the year before Seabiscuit won the Santa Anita Handicap, so he could not be crowned by her.
How tall was Ibn Mahruss? He looks a big fellow in this photo.
Kate: Have seen references to Ibn Mahruss being 15.2- way tall for an Asil. IIRC there was a photo of him at halter in which he exudes ,’type,’ to the point that he makes Mesaoud look like a plug.
best
Bruce Peek
Brace, are you thinking of the ones that were taken when he was with Eleanor Gates Tully?
Truly horrendous facebook image link below:
https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/30715549_1893519040679686_2835918522742210560_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=2&_nc_sid=b9115d&_nc_ohc=455jP9Hz2dQAX-TIXXt&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-2.fna&oh=b27e45e967af842c3bd28cb9ea253b9f&oe=6035490B
Thank you, Bruce! So a strapping horse, in line with some of the Bahraini asils, in terms of height.
The best image of the picture Bruce is referring to can be found in the first American Arabian stud book called The Arabian National Stud Book, vol. 1, 1913. Ibn Mahruss does appear tall, but then Said Abdallah who is standing beside him is quite short. This sire line from Mahruss APS is responsible for some quite tall Arabians such as Nurredin II.
Moira: Ok so my first reply somehow failed to post.. I’m referring to the picture of Ibn Mahrus and Said Abdallah from Davenports quest book and page 34 of Carol Mulders foundation stock book. In the picture we see Ibn Mahrusses’ perfect 45 degree shoulder slant, his strong and powerful coupling, teeny bit sickle hocked back legs so he can easily step under his belly button and carry his weight and his riders’ weight in Grand Prix level collection. Mulder states that Ibn Mahrus had an underslung neck- that is flat out wrong! he does have more underneck muscling than for example Morafic did.. but his under neck muscling is the kind that bad handed riders cause their horses to develop due to the bracing the horse does to try and protect his mouth. Mulders underslung thesis is further exemplified in the photos of Ibn Mahrus in overweight condition with blocky hindquarters and underneck fat deposits. A true underslung neck can be seen in some of the Polish mares which were imported to this country sight unseen. If you run a plumline horizontally from the low end of his coupling to the base of his neck you see that the neck baseline is about 2 inches lower than his coupling – so he’s essentially level in conformation which means he will not have to work as hard as a downhill horse would to elevate his forehand for high school movements . Finally note his expression alert and stallion like. When ridden by a true horseman instead of a ham handed butcher Ibn Mahrus would have been a mount for a KIng!
best
Bruce Peek
IMO Bashir al-Dirri (I think Edouard posted about him a while ago) greatly resembles *Ibn Mahruss. Bashir is the last breedable Al Khamsa horse who traces in tail female to *Bushra, *Ibn Mahruss’s dam.
does that mean his mother is no longer breedable?
Unfortunately. We had a full repro exam and uterine biopsy done.
Time to round up some mates for Bashir! I’d love to have some Basilisk t-f mares breed to him.
Jenny, I sent you an email with the list that I have. You might want to look into discussing things with Crockett Dumas and his Outlaw Trail horses, or whoever picked up the Destiny Arabian mares. I think Bev D. has a few of them, but don’t quote me on that. Edouard would know.
Thanks, Moira! (hugs)
Ginger or her daughter are in line.