The Story of Sakrou

The 1972 stallion Sakrou (*Sakr+++ x Bah Rouse) as photographed by Lee Harrison

In May of 1969, three months after purchasing the mare, Sirhabba, Floyd Reid received a phone call from Homer Watson, then, the manager of the Babson Farm. Floyd, who with his wife, Margaret, had visited The Babson Farm in the summer of 1968, saw many horses he liked but unfortunately, the farm would not part with any of them. Homer remembered the visit and wanted to make good on the promise he made to Floyd, should any of the Babson horses become available. So, here he was, like a magician, pulling the proverbial white rabbit out of the hat, except this was no rabbit, it was the chance to purchase the yearling filly, Bah Rouse (Ansata Abbas Pasha x Bah Roufa). Despite a Banker's salary of $9,000 per year, Floyd purchased the mare and never looked back. Floyd bred and raised 6 foals, before selling Bah Rouse to Jarrell McCracken of Bentwood Farm. The first foal that Bah Rouse delivered was the 1972 chestnut son of *Sakr+++, named Sakrou. Floyd, at 6' 1", was a taller-sized man and had grown weary of riding smaller-sized horses, all of whom measured slightly over 14 hands. He decided to breed Bah Rouse a little differently, hoping for a taller horse that he could ride more comfortably. Floyd was impressed with the scope of some of the newly imported Egyptian stallions like *Farazdac, *Darrag, *Thabit, all of whom he considered for Bah Rouse. Ultimately, he was struck by the sight of a 6-foot Tom McNair riding *Sakr+++ in a saddle seat class and so, he chose the stallion *Sakr+++. Having seen another rider with a similar physical frame as his, convinced  Floyd that *Sakr+++ would sire the height that he desired for Bah Rouse's first foal and his personal riding horse. It's an interesting cross, that of the Sameh son, *Sultann, crossed with a half Babson mare. It's not a cross that is well represented in straight Egyptian breeding. If anything, the line of *Morafic via Enayat does share common ground with the Moniet el Nefous daughter, Lubna, the dam of *Sultann and *Ansata Bint Mabrouka, the dam of Ansata Abbas Pasha. However, I don't believe that Sakrou satisfied the yearning that Floyd had for a taller horse at the time, as Richard J. Veselovsky of The Abracadabra Farm (Richard also owned the Gleannloch imported stallion, *Thabit), ended up not only with the 3-year old Sakrou but also his maternal brother, Fadl Moniet, Bah Rouse's colt by *Ibn Moniet El Nefous from 1973. It's interesting to consider that of the six foals Floyd bred from Bah Rouse, he kept Bah Rouse's 1975 filly, Shahroussa, sired by Ansata Shah Zaman. 

***Many thanks to Brittany N Thompson for posting Sakrou's photo in the Fans of Gleannloch Arabians group***