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32.
Tribute To
Alf Crabb
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15/10/2002 |
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Story
By Brian Russell
Alf Crabb, a leader of the South Australian breeding industry for more than 50
years, has died at the age of 93.
Born into a hotelier family at Port Lincoln in 1909, he stood stallions and bred
winners for nearly 60 years.
At various times a publican, farmer, accountant and gold prospector,CRabb spent
most of his horse breeding life on Tudor Vale, a stud he established at
Smithfield on the north eastern perimeter of Adelaide.
Through the years he stood nearly 20 sires including two of the big names of the
1960s, the imports Makarpura and Masthead.
Sent to Australia along with Star Kingdom in 1951 by Stanley Wootton, Makarpura
moved to Tudor Vale after initially standing at former jockey Ted McMenamin’s
Glencroft Stud at Wodonga in Victoria.
Magic Symbol, a daughter of Makarpura bred by Wootton, became the dam of Biscay,
Star of Heaven and Tattenham.
The winners by Makarpura and Masthead saw Tudor Vale become South Australia’s
leading stud in the 1960s.
They were followed by an era of achievement at the stud by three Grey Sovereign
male line sires, his son Bucks King and two grandsons by Sovereign Path, Francis
Bacon and Sovereign Plea.
Scornful, a mare they bred using another imported sire installed at the stud,
the Abernant sprinter Warwick, produced for them the dashing Francis Bacon Perth
two-year-old Scornvale.
She also produced the Sovereign Plea winner Scorn Plea, the dam later of stakes
winners Scorndale, Scorn Some and Scorn Bold.
A top grade perfomer by Sovereign Plea bred by Alf Crabb was Regal Jester,
conquerer of Dulcify in the 1978 South Australian Derby.
Hartbalm, a year-older half-brother to Regal Jester, added to this Crabb's
laurels by winning the 1978 Oakleigh Plate.
Hartbalm was by My Heart, an England-bred son of Princely Gift transferred to
Tudor Vale after being used initially at the Woodlands Stud in the Hunter
Valley.
The last two stallions he acquired were Rubiton’s brother Euclase, now
standing in WA, and the now deceased Geiger Counter.
Crabb, then in his eighties, was responsible for the initial visit of Geiger
Counter to Australia but had him for only one season.
Arrowfield in the Hunter Valley secured the son of Mr Prospector the next year.
Crabb also served for many years on the Gawler Jockey Club and the South
Australian Breeders Association committees.
He was honoured in 1995 with the prestigious Matrice Award for services to the
SA industry.
The name of the Award derives from Masthead’s greatest son Matrice, himself a
champion local sire.
Crabb was predeceased by his wife Edna, who died in 2000. He is survived by his
partners of recent years in Tudor Vale, his sons Mac and Bill, and their
families.
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