NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH

NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH (ASH 190599)

DOB: 1/08/1996

Colour: Black

Height: Approx. 15.3hh

Sire: NABINABAH CHALLENGER – HSH (Jaipur – TB/Nabinabah Zephyr – HSH)

Dam: NABINABAH SHADOW – HSH (Nabinabah The Gun – HSH/Nabinabah Gale – HSH)

Over the period from the 1970’s into the 1990’s Robert and Jane had purchased and played numerous polo ponies from the Nabinabah Stud. Two particular favourites were actually geldings, Nabinabah Black Jack (Nabinabah The Gun/Nabinabah Sparrow) and Nabinabah Storm (Nabinabah Legend/Nabinabah Windy – SOD Nabinabah The Gun). So, in 1998 when Ian (Iggy) Archibald offered a young black colt with a double cross of The Gun, during a time that was the end of the Nabinabah stud era, Robert, without hesitation, jumped at the opportunity to purchase the colt for his own breeding purposes.

Above: Robert (right) on NABINABAH BLACK JACK – HSH (Nabinabah The Gun/Nabinabah Sparrow)<

Above: NABINABAH STORM – HSH (Nabinabah Legend/Nabinabah Windy SOD: Nabinabah The Gun) winning Champ ASH, Warwick Farm Polo

NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH was meant to be delivered as a broken in 2 year old, but unfortunately after only one ride he received a serious paddock injury to his front foot and his riding days came tco a definite halt. He was put straight to stud on arrival at Robert and Jane’s property, ‘Wallaroi’, North Star, northern NSW and his first drop of foals hit the ground in 2000.

He is a typical Australian Stock Horse in his presence and conformation – he has that beautiful heritage-style strong bone, sloping shoulder and long rein which exemplifies his progeny. He has such a kind and sensible temperament which he also passes on.

Rockafella is true to the ASH breed with his versatility as a sire over a wide range of disciplines and his progeny have proven this over the past 10 years. They are predominantly excelling on the polo field both nationally and internationally; in addition, he has had successful campaigners in A Grade men’s polocrosse, eventing, and show jumping, but also in pony club, sub-junior polocrosse and even just leisure riding.

Some of his polo pony prize winning progeny: BARNINEDOT BLITZ – Quirindi Champion A Grade Pony 2008, Gunnedah Champion A Grade Pony 2010, BARNINEDOT SIZZEL – Quirindi Club Pony 2009, Gunnedah Champion C Grade Pony 2012, BARNINEDOT BELLBIRD – Quirindi Club Pony 2010, BARNINEDOT SERENE – Tamarang Club Team of Ponies 2009, Tamarang Club Pony 2012 and Champion ASH Wirragulla Polo 2013. He also sired 4 out of the 5 horses in the 2009 North Star A Grade Team of Ponies and all of the 4 horses in the 2012 Goondiwindi C Grade Team of Ponies (who were all novice horses at the time).

ROCKAFELLA’S FAMILY:

Sire: NABINABAH CHALLENGER – HSH was out of NABINABAH ZEPHYR – HSHand by the well performed thoroughbred sire, JAIPUR – TB.
- Nabinabah Zephyr (Nabinabah The Gun – FS HSH/Nabinabah Comma – FM HSH) is a full sister to Nabinabah Breeze, Belltrees Musket – IS, Nabinabah Gunner – IS, Nabinabah Top Gun, Nabinabah Cool Gun – IS, Nabinabah Shogun, Nabinabah Cool Change, and probably the most notable of them all, Nabinabah Breezette.
- Nabinabah Breezette was owned and campaigned by Bob Palmer. She has an unrivalled record at Sydney Royal winning Champion Led, Champion Working and was the 6 times winner of the World Championship Campdraft. She was also the winner of 2 Warwick Gold Cups and is renowned as one of the few horses that successfully transitioned between campdrafting and polo…..and was brilliant at both!
- Nabinabah Zephyr is also the dam of Nabinabah Purdey who won polo pony awards such as Champion Novice Pony at Scone, Best First Season Pony as well as Champion Ridden Mare, Station Horse and overall ASH Champion at Sydney Show 1984. Purdey also won a Maiden and two Novice campdrafts and numerous other Stock Horse Classes.
- Other notable polo progeny out of Zephyr include Alan McGregor’s, Nabinabah Tracker, in South Australia, Nabinabah Silhouette who went on to play at Ellerston, Nabinabah Blizzard and Nabinabah Mohammed.
- Her gelding Booerie Creek Cyclone performed well in ASH working classes and the well-performed stallion, Booerie Creek Winchester, was very successful in ASH events such as the Super Horse Challenge, Open Challenges, Led and Working classes and National Championship Stallion Campdrafting.
- JAIPUR – TB has 105 progeny in the ASH stud book – many performing well in drafts and ASH working challenges. However, he was also a very successful polo sire. A quote (circa 1998) by the late Mike Harley “…..in terms of a sire of Polo horses, I’ve never had anything better than Jaipur. I’ve never had a failure. Two of my geldings are as good as anything playing in Australia”. Mike’s horses were the Champion Team at Melbourne, and his Treasure was Champion at Scone.

Nabinabah Challenger as a weanling

Above: Nabinabah Challenger as a Yearling (Circa 1983). Photo Courtesy of Mr Greg Read.

Dam: NABINABAH SHADOW – HSH was out of NABINABAH GALE – HSH and by NABINBAH THE GUN – FS HSH.
- Shadow was owned by Ian Archibald and he quoted “Shadow was a very good polo mare who I played for a number of years. She was very athletic, tough and light in the mouth”. Her most notable polo pony prize was for The Champion Team of Ponies at the prestigious Dudley Cup for a 2 goaler or less.
- Shadow had a full sister called Nabinabah Mistral – HSH who was a champion polocrosse mare initially owned and campaigned by the Law family and then taken to the top of her game by the McNeil family of Quirindi.
- Also quoted by Ian Archibald back in 1998 when we were purchasing Rockafella “I am told by Doug Knapton, who had her (Mistral) at one stage that it would be no exaggeration to say that she won at least 50 Champion Polocrosse prizes and that at about 80% of the Carnivals she went to she came away with the prizes”. At Nationals one year she came away with Overall Champion, Best No. 3’s horse and Best Australian Stock Horse.

SERVICE FEE:

NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH stands at stud at ‘Glenaladale’, Pine Ridge via Quirindi NSW.

Price: $1100 inc. GST. LFG. Vet/Agist extra. Live cover only.

NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH