By Suzanne Phillips
Mercury Farms
e-mail SUZIENP@aol.com
*Salon (Negatiw x Sonata) was born April 27, 1959 at the Tersk Stud in the former USSR. His sire, Negatiw (Naseem x Taraxzcza), was a primary sire at Tersk at that time and was known for putting quality foals on the ground. His dam, Sonata (Skrzyp x Odaliska), was of that hazy Polish/Russian breeding, her sire having been captured by the Russians during World War II and taken back to Russia in 1939.
At Tersk, where there were many good colts and stallions, *Salon still managed to stand out. His race career, while not a blazing success, was acceptable, having a race record of one win, five seconds and three thirds out of the 19 starts in his two-and-three-year-old years. He was retired from the track in 1962 and was evaluated as a possible sire. Under the stringent requirements of the Tersk officials, the grey colt passed and was labeled ìElite,î a title he would eagerly prove.
Breeding just one colt that first year to a high of ten a few years later, the Russians knew they were looking at a top sire. Their best mares were brought to *Salon, and each year he managed to live up to his heritage of quality and substance which were handed down to him by his own sire and dam.
In 1969, at the age of 10 years, *Salon was shown at the Moscow All-Union Exhibition where he won a Certificate of First Degree. Two of his four-year-old daughters, shown at the same time, also received their Certificates. Over the next several years, some of *Salonís most beautiful daughters would win Certificates and Championships at the All-Union.
By 1971, the stud at Tersk had 54 *Salon get plus 10 additional mares bred to him for 1972 foals. Satisfied with his career at stud, *Salon was reluctantly allowed to be exported to West Germany where he arrived with much fanfare. Despite the publicity and the fact that he was rated ìClass Iî which meant he was licensed to breed Arabians, Shagyas and Thoroughbreds, *Salon was used very little over the next six years, in fact, only 24 purebred get were bred during all that time.
It was not until American breeder Robert Stratmore of California tracked *Salon down after seeing some of his sons and daughters in Russia, that *Salonís use as a stud took a turn for the better. *Salon was 21 years old now, and although he had been well taken care of, the thoughts of bringing him back to the United States in good health were of primary concern. Despite the worry, *Salon made the trip in wonderful shape and by September of 1980, the stallion was residing in sunny California at Make-Believe Farms, a farm already known for its high quality Russian-bred Arabians.
Although *Salonís stud fee was a hefty $15,000, he remained busy, getting 119 purebred foals over the next three years. But, by the middle of 1983, the old stallion was failing in health. He stopped breeding and was officially retired. That same year, Robert Stratmore sold his entire breeding operation to Lasma, and, although *Salon was part of the sale, Lasma agreed that the grand old horse could live out the rest of his days in his own stall. He died the following summer, on the Fourth of July, 1984 at the age of 25.
*Salon will be remembered for his good sons and daughters. Many were nationally acclaimed show horses, winning everything from local events and right up to the big one, the US Nationals. His get have been exported all over the world, passing on his stamp of quality, substance and beauty.
*SALON FAST FACTS:
Born: April 27, 1959
Died: July 4, 1984
Registered in USSR in RASB Volume 1 page 156
Registered in West Germany in DAV Volume 1 page 215
Registered in West Germany in GASB Volume 1 page 161
Registered in United States as #213493
Sired 64 purebred foals in USSR
Sired 24 purebred foals in West Germany
Sired 119 purebred foals in USA
Sire Line is Ibrahim Desertbred imported to Poland. Via Skowronek, sire of Naseem
Dam Line is to Emese Desertbred-imported to France. Via Kankara, granddam of Sonata
Exported to West Germany in 1971
Exported to USA in 1980
Race Record: 19 (1,5,3,0,10)
Rated ìEliteî in USSR
Rated ìClass 1î in West Germany
Rated ìFoundation Sireî in USA
Sire of *Muscat, *Namiet, *Moment, *Podsnejnik, *Plastika, *Pesenka,
Ponomarev, and *Muslin, to name a few
