Anne saw Palma Benay as a 6-week old foal with her dam, Petra Benay, and her sire, Pevensey Safari, at Leon's stud, before the World Crabbet Convention in Toowoomba in 2005. Safari, by the Australian multiple champion Sarafire, paraded at the Convention where his half-brother, Prince Benay, won the Overall Supreme In-hand Championship.

Anne also had the chance after the Convention to stay at Anneka Arabians, the home of the handsome show horse and endurance champion, Magic Prophecy (15.1hh), sire of Petra Benay, so has met most of Palma's immediate family. Petra's dam, the exceptional mover, Santarabia Porfira by Ruberto, was a star of Brother Peter McIntosh's stud, and descended from the imported mare Carlina (Rissam x Shamnar), bred by Lady Wentworth.

Palma Benay arrived after an extended period in quarantine near Sydney, due to a horrendous outbreak of equine 'flu which hit Australia in August 2007. This confined horses to their location and prevented any exports.

Luckily Palma Benay escaped the virus which engulfed all surrounding districts. Shippers Crispin Bennett cleverly found an escape route via Hong Kong, Sharjah and Amsterdam, and arranged permits for the release of Palma Benay and Erin Park Excel, a bay 2-year old Crabbet colt destined for Pam & Paul Flower's stud in Wales (www.llainarabians.com).

With her illustrious endurance lines, a performance career is planned for Palma Benay. Hopefully she will first produce a couple of foals to ensure the continuation these valuable bloodlines and to restore the rare bay gene in elegant pure Crabbets. This has been all but lost with the export of Gadebrook's world-beating endurance champion, Hachim, to Abu Dhabi.