…Precipitation and Bay Ronald

When we look at the antecedents of the modern Sporthorse, there are two names that crop up over and over again, the two Thoroughbreds, Precipitation and Bay Ronald.

Precipitation

Precipitation has had an enormous influence not just on jumping breeding but also on dressage mainly through his son, the French Thoroughbred, Furioso. Furioso’s son Furioso II is the most influential stallion in modern sporthorse breeding, but let’s not forget Furioso II’s full-brother, Mexico, who stayed in France where he sired, Le Mexico who went to Holland where his greatest influence has been in the dressage arena – think Ferro, Negro, Rhodium, Rousseau, Blue Hors Zack and Ampère.

Furioso II

Why is Furioso II the most influential? In jumping – think – For Pleasure, Voltaire, in dressage, Purioso, Cocktail, Jazz…

The English Thoroughbred, Precipitation was the winner of seven races out of 10 starts. According to ‘Thoroughbred-Breeding of the World’ edited by Rainer L. Ahnert: “Hurry On sired the three Derby winners Captain Cuttle, Coronach, Call Boy and the excellent stayer Precipitation, to name his most outstanding male progeny. The last-named was not entered for the early classics, and he was not fit to run in the St Leger, whose winner Boswell he beat most readily three weeks after the great Doncaster event. Precipitation did not come to hand when two years old, and in his third year he required the patience of his very fine trainer.”

“He then won many long-distance races against the best in the land, crowning his distinguished career with a triumph in the Gold Cup at Ascot. It fell to Precipitation to maintain and continue the great Matchem’s influence on the breed, and this big and well-balanced son of the unbeaten Hurry On did not disappoint his many admirers. His son Chamossaire was leading sire in 1964, the year Santa Claus won the Derby.”

“His grand-son Larkspur, winner of the Derby, went to Japan. Precipitation’s dam Double Life was a very good racehorse, she won the Cambridgeshire and £5,647 and became one of the great brood-mares of our post-war era. Her great-grand-daughter Meld foaled Charlottown after one of the most outstanding race-course careers ever accomplished by a filly, winning three classics. Bred to Bahram, Double Life foaled Persian Gulf who was a very good race-horse and, later at stud, of great influence in the preservation of his great sire’s diminishing importance.”

Double Life was the foundation mare of one of Britain’s most famous studs, Someries Stud near Newmarket. The mare herself was a wiry, insignificant looking, washy chestnut with a plain head, and she never measured more than 15.3 hands, but she was a good racehorse, an even better broodmare…

Furioso

No doubt the most important son of Precipitation in the breeding of performance horses, has been Furioso. Unlike his sire, Furioso was a failure on the track – zero wins in 21 starts – but became a fabulous sire of jumping horses in France, with his son, Lutteur B, winning the showjumping individual gold medal at the 1964 Olympics. As we will see the influence of Furioso is still strong in Germany and Holland.

Lutteur B

In the Southern hemisphere, Precipitation has mainly exerted his influence on the racetrack. His three New Zealand based sons, Count Rendered, Summertime and Agricola were all top racing sires – but the Agricola son, Apache, showed that the stallion could produce international level showjumpers when he won the Grand Prix of Rome with Vicki Roycroft in the saddle in 1987. Brilliant Invader, the very successful sire of showjumpers and eventers in Australia and New Zealand (including Atlanta gold medallist, Reddy Teddy) is by Vain but out of an Agricola mare.

Furioso II at his licensing in Oldenburg

Furioso II was out of the great mare, Dame de Renville, who produced a series of wonderful horses when mated with Furioso. The first of these was Mexico, who standing at the French National Stud of Le Pin, sired 20 approved sons, 20 dams of stallions, and famous international showjumping horses, including Laeken, Jexico de Parc and Heur de Bratand. His son, Le Mexico, has been a hugely influential sire of jumping and dressage horses in Holland.

Mexico

Furioso II was imported to Oldenburg by master breeding Georg Vorwerk. He was attractive to the Oldenburg breeders as they wanted a half-blood stallion to help make the transformation of their mares to more modern lines, without too much direct Thoroughbred blood.

Since the experience breeders gained with the French stallion, Condor was encouraging, Oldenburg stallion owners once again turned to French stallions towards the end of the 60’s – enter Furioso II. He was to stand at Georg Vorwerk’s stud in Cappeln from 1968 to 1985. He was leased to Zangersheide in 1986, and died in Belgium, that year.

Initially he was mainly influential as the sire of jumping horses. For many years, Furioso II was ranked in the top three sires of leading money winners in Germany. Furioso II had winners in all disciplines. His showjumping stars included: FBI (with Thomas Frühmann), Heissman (ridden by Eric Van Der Vleuten, then Michael Matz) and For Pleasure.

Although For Pleasure has been a hugely successful jumping sire in Germany, as has another son in Holland, Voltaire, of recent years the attention has shifted to the dressage arena, thanks largely to his Westfalien grandson, Florestan, sire of a string of excellent sons, most notably Fidemark, and grandsons – Farewell, Fidertanz, Falsterbo.

Le Mexico

In Holland it has been Le Mexico, mainly through his son Ulft, sire of Ferro, who in turn is the sire of Negro, sire of Valegro, and Rousseau, sire of Blue Hors Zack.

Another Furioso II son, Purioso was exported to Holland where he was the sire of Grand Prix star, Cocktail, in turn the sire of Jazz, sire of Johnson, Olivi and Tango.

Current flavour of the month, Vivaldi, is by Krack C, but his damline is concentrated Furioso, his dam is by Jazz out of an Ulft mare…

Another of the key Thoroughbred jumping sires, and perhaps the most influential of all, was Bay Ronald…

It is almost impossible to imagine the modern Holsteiner without the influence of Bay Ronald, think Son-in-Law, Ladykiller, Cottage Son. In Germany, think Woermann, Werther, Weltmeyer, Donnerhall, Lauries Crusador xx, even Breitling who is has Bay Ronald on top and bottom by Bolero but out of a grand-daughter of Der Löwe…

By the hurdler, Hampton, Bay Ronald raced for four years, and more than paid his way. A winner of the Lowther Stakes, the Limekiln Stakes, the City and Suburban Handicap, and at the age of five, the Epsom Cup. Described as a useful handicap horse, he was a sensation at stud, founding a line that still flourishes. His most influential sons were Bayardo, Dark Ronald (sire of Son In Law) and MacDonald II.

But before his worth could be proven, Bay Ronald was sold to France for £5,000 where his career as a sire really bloomed. In France he sired the mare Rondeau, dam of Teddy – one of the most important influences in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and the USA.

In Germany, we regularly find both Teddy and Dark Ronald, often on dressage pedigrees. Take the pedigree of Donnerwetter, the sire of Donnerhall. His dam, Melli is by Matador (Marconi-Marcio xx-Aventin xx-Teddy xx, and Aventin’s dam’s sire is Dark Ronald!) and out of Lilli by Der Löwe whose dam, Lehnsherrin xx is by Herold xx by Dark Ronald. World Cup I (and his brothers II-IV) is by Woermann whose dam, Mandat is by Marabou xx-Oleander xx-Prunus xx-Dark Ronald. World Cup’s dam is Sendernixe out of Lünenixe by Lugano 1 by Der Löwe.

Or another of the great modern sires of the Hanoverian breed, Werther who is out of Meisterkrone by Marcio xx – once again two crosses of Bay Ronald in the breeding of Marcio’s sire Aventin.

Another influential Thoroughbred in Germany is Valentino xx – by Nuvolari xx by Oleander xx by Prunus xx by Dark Ronald. Waidmannsdank xx is another, who appears on many Hanoverian pedigrees – his dam, Waldrun is by Alcehmist by Herold by Dark Ronald, while his sire, Neckar xx is out of Nixe by Arjaman by Herold. Neckar is by Tricino who is out of Terra who in turn is by Aditi who is an own son of Dark Ronald.

Bay Ronald’s dam, Black Duchess was also the third dam of Blandford, sire of four Derby winners, including Bahram, sire of Persian Gulf, the grandsire of Marlon xx, an influential sire in Holstein breeding. Marlon’s dam, Maralinni is out of Misguided, by Knight of the Garret by Son-In-Law by Dark Ronald.

Even more influential in Holstein breeding has been Ladykiller xx. Ladykiller is by Sailing Light whose dam, Solar Cygnet is by Hyperion, by Gainsborough by Bayardo – while Ladykiller’s dam, Lone Beech is by Fartuch by Apron by Son-in-Law by Dark Ronald.

Another of the Thoroughbreds that transformed the Holstein breed was Cottage Son by Young Lover, by Son-In-Law by Dark Ronald.

In more recent times there was the great jumping sire, Capitol I by Capitano (Corporal – Cottage Son xx) and out of Folia, who is by the Manometer xx son, Maximus.

Dark Ronald, Bay Ronald’s most influential son in German performance horse breeding, was bred by Edward Kennedy in County Kildare, and was sold at the Doncaster Yearling Sales of 1906 to Sir Abe Bailey, for £1,300. He won the Hurst Park Foal Plate as a two year old, then broke down and did not re-appear on the track until he was a four year old. He then won the Royal Hunt Cup and the Princess of Wales Stakes, before being retired to stud at Tickford Park where he stood three years before being purchased by Burchard von Oettingen for the Prussian Stud at Graditz for the princely sum of £25,000. The Graditz Stud produced horses for the racetrack and also stallions suitable for Warmblood breeding.

In Germany, Dark Ronald became the most successful imported stallion of all times through his sons, Prunus, Herold and Wallenstein. His British born progeny won over 70 races and £30,000 while his son, Magpie was exported to Australia to an enormously successful stud career. Dark Ronald was champion sire five times, twice second and once third.

But it was through one of his British born sons, Son-In-Law that Dark Ronald was to dominate the bloodlines of the sport horse world. Son-In-Law was described as a plodding middle distance horse, but he became known as a sire of slow maturing horses of great stamina.

Three of the most important sires in modern Holstein breeding trace to Son-In-Law: a grandson,
Cottage Son, Ladykiller (though his second dam) and Cor de la Bryère whose sire, Rantzau is a great grandson of Son-In-Law.

Son-In-Law was himself a ‘Cups Specialist’ winning eight races out of 18 in his career for total earnings of £5,546; his sons won four Ascot Gold Cups and two Goodwood Cups. No other stallion produced so many sons of almost unlimited staying power.

Son-In-Law’s son Beau Pere was a real plodder, starting his career as a three year old, winning once, and at four winning two of four starts for lifetime earnings of just over £1,000. In his first two foal crops he produced six foals, of which two were relatively minor winners. Beau Pere was then sold to New Zealand for £500, where he was an instant success, topping the leading sire list twice after just three seasons. He was sold to Australia, where he was leading sire three seasons in a row. Beau Pere was purchased by Hollywood mogul, Louis B Mayer and exported to California, where his daughter, Iron Reward, was dam of the brilliant Swaps. Through his sons and daughters, Beau Pere influenced American showjumping. Mary Chapot’s White Lightning was by the Beau Pere grandson, Grey Tower. Katie Monahan’s jumper, Encore is out of Shirlee Steel, by the Beau Pere son, Polished Steel (Shirlee Steel is also the dam of Kerry Milikin’s eventer Landlady). Beau Pere’s son Doctrine sired Sundancer (twice a winner of the American Invitational) and his full brothers, Easy Doc (a member of the Canadian equestrian team) and British team member, Turn on the Sun. Doctrine’s daughter, Mity Doc, produced international showjumpers, Revlon Adam, and full-brother, Mity Wind, exported to Europe and licensed by Studbook Zangersheide.

In Hannover the influence of Dark Ronald has been strong. The influential Thoroughbred sire, Der Löwe, is out of a daughter of Herold, by the Dark Ronald son, Dark Legend. Another daughter of Herold, produced Abendfrieden, sire of Pik As, sire of Pik König.

In 1905, Bay Ronald bred to Galicia, produced Bayardo, who was the sire of consecutive winners of the English Triple Crown, Gay Crusader (1917) and Gainsborough (1918) who was the sire of Hyperion. So small was Hyperion that he was almost gelded, fully grown he was just 15.1½ but it didn’t stop him on the racetrack where he won the Derby in record time and the St Leger. He was equally successful at stud, where he was ranked amongst the top 10 sires for sixteen years.

Hyperion’s influence on the jumping world has been huge in the United States, where his son Heliopolis was twice leading sire of racehorses. The great showjumper, Jet Run was out of a mare by Heliopolis’ son, Heliodorus. Heliopolis’ son, Grey Eagle, was the sire of A Little Bit, a silver medalist at the Pan American Games.

Another Hyperion son, Khaled has through his sons, sired the jumpers, Black Market and Encore (winner of the Grand Prix at Fontainebleau and a USET team member). Khaled’s most important son was the Derby winner Swaps, whose pedigree boasts two branches of the Bay Ronald line, through Khalad and also through his dam, Iron Reward, a daughter of Beau Pere. Swaps’ son, Kudu sired the Canadian equestrian team horse, Stoic. Tudor Success, dam of Anne Kursinski’s Olympic horse, Eros, is by the Swaps son Marbrino.

Another Hyperion son, Owen Tudor has been influential since in performance horse circles right around the world. The Owen Tudor daughter, Idealist foaled Compromise, the sire of the Dutch jumping stallion, Lucky Boy xx. The Owen Tudor son, Abernant sired the USET jumper, Aberali, winner of the puissance at Aachen. Abernant also sired Abgar xx, another major jumping sire in Dutch breeding. Abgar has another Bay Ronald cross on his dam’s sire, she is by the Djebel son, Roc du Diable xx. Abgar also sired Pion, whose son Aktion was a dressage star for Gylla Dallos. Abgar was also important as a broodmare sire, particularly when they were bred to his stablemate, Joost. The cross of Ramiro over an Abgar mare produced the stallions, Zeoliet, Armstrong and Rolando.

In Australia, the most successful eventing breeder has been Bud Hyem – her broodmare, Sandrift, is the dam of Olympic gold medal winners, Kibah Tic Toc, and Kibah Sandrift. Sandrift is by Big Hat by High Hat by Hyperion. Big Hat is out of Gay Natasha by Prince Chevalier by Prince Rose who is out of the Bayardo granddaughter, Indolence. Gay Natasha is out of First Blush by Bobsleigh who is by Gainsborough, by Bayardo by Bay Ronald.

Sandrift is out of Drift by Beau Gift by the Melbourne Cup winning stallion, Marabou, who is out of Vivandiere, by Bucks Hussar by Son In Law.

Owen Tudor’s son, Tudor Minstrel is the sire of Lauries Crusador, an extremely important ‘refining’ sire in Hannover, and a producer of real dressage talent.

Another influential horse on many performance pedigrees is the French stallion, Djebel. Djebel was the champion two year old in France, leading money winner at three and five, and was three times leading French Thoroughbred stallion. Djebel’s dam Loika is by Gay Crusader by Bayardo out of Coeur a Coeur by Teddy.­­­­­

Djebel is the great great grandsire of the influential Hanoverian dressage stallion, Bolero (by Black Sky xx-Blast xx-Djebe xx-Djebel xx). Bolero returns the Dark Ronald line on his dam’s side also – he is out of Baronesse by Bleep xx who is out of the Hyperion mare, The Satellite xx.

Djebel is the sire of My Babu xx, a French Thoroughbred, born in 1945. A sensational racehorse in England, My Babu sold to the United States for over $600,000 in 1955 – this was at the time the second highest price paid for a Thoroughbred. As a racehorse sire, My Babu was extremely successful, with his progeny winning over $3,000,000 by 1965. Through his sons, he is also an influential sire of eventing stars, the most notable of which is Bruce Davidson’s World Champion, JJ Babu (by Babu Dancer).

So profound has been the influence of Bay Ronald that it is almost a relief when you find a jumping pedigree that does not feature his name. He is certainly one of the most influential jumping progenitors of all time!