1824 black stallion. By Hajlan out of Polka.
Primary sources clearly reference Szumka II. Roman Sanguszko Sr. specifically states that Szumka II was not a pure Arabian horse.
Roman Sanguszko Sr.’s history of the stud in 1876 gives the following information on Szumka II: “The black Szumka II was the one that stood out the most from the Hajlan progeny, he came from the mare Polka. Polka was not a pure Arabian mare; her sire of a cherry-bay coat and bought in Vienna, Austria around the year 1790.”
Roman Sanguszko Sr. repeated this account in the Russian version of same text in 1876: “From the Keheilan’s offspring, the most famous was Shumka 2 out of the mare Polka. Polka was not a pureblood Arabian mare; her sire was a bay with dark-red coat and was bought in Vienna around 1790.”
Lady Anne Blunt visited Antoniny in the fall of 1884 and her observations about Szumka II are remarkably similar to Roman Sanguszko’s writings 8 year prior to her visit. From her journals: “Some pedigrees of the mares at Antonin. Unfortunately it seems that most of them are faulty having a flaw some generations back.” She comments again, “…by Shumka II (Szumka II) out of Beyanka, Shumka II by Kheylan out of ‘Polka.’ Here the pedigree is lost to view, the previous part being in older book kept under lock and key by Coutess Potocka. Polka sounds like a Polish mare and Shumka II is a doubtful sire. The Shumkas, (Szumkas) and the Kerukh Khan strain added to the Engl. Crosses of John Bull and Anna form a considerable stain in the pedigrees we have looked through.”
She concludes in her journal entry on 1 October 1884: “The intendant caissier and the director of the Stud dined, looking over the Stud Book found that hardly any one of the mares but has a cross in her pedigree – it would therefore be absurd to us to buy anything now; perhaps later on if one of the finest were for sale one might buy her as a specimen, but a colt from any of these would not be valid for breeding. Palatine is the same, here is the flaw in his descent from Shumka II (Szumka II) if not otherwise. In fact, Pharaoh seems to be the only actually pure bred Arab here.”
