Hello Sanctos has been retired. Meet the family who bred him.
Willy and Nasia van het Gravenhof, dam of Hello Sanctos. Photo supplied by his daughter, Lieve.
Willy Taets, daughter Lieve and grandson, Joachim
Willy Taets was named WBFSH Breeder of the Year in 2014, as breeder of Hello Sanctos. He took his first ever aeroplane ride to receive his award, “It was an experience for my father, first time in a plane to Geneva, it was something special,” says Lieve.
How did this family of horse breeders start?
“My father is a farmer, they had some milking cows, a small farm. He was also a horse rider. A very long time ago he bought a mare, a Lipizzaner and she had a foal – that was the start of the breeding here. The foal became my brother’s horse. That was the beginning, we then had a lot of foals. My father bought another horse to ride – Balin – and that was the grand-mother of Sanctos.”
Half sisters to Sanctos by , and Berlin.
Balin was by the Selle Français stallion, Fier de Lui, by Rantzau xx, and out of the Belgian mare, Nalinne, who was by another French stallion, L’Ormel (by Harphortas xx) out of the Gelderlander mare Dorina.
Nabab de Réve and Phillipe Le Jeune competing at the 2002 WEG
Bred to Nabab de Rêve, Balin produced Nasia van het Gravenhof, the dam of Sanctos.
“Every year my father had more foals and he sold some – but the nicest mares, he kept. It started with one horse, then at one time there were twenty horses here, a little bit too much.”
What were the most important stallions your father used?
“His favorites were the French ones. He always tried to use the young stallions, he was not afraid to take a risk, he said – give me the young ones and maybe they will turn out good. He used a lot of Nabab de Rêve in his younger years.”
Joris de Brabander with Nabab de Réve
Willy bred to Quasimodo on the advice of master breeder, Joris de Brabander. Lieve explains: “Quite a long time ago, the father of Joris came with his stallions and made a display, and we made an agreement. Okay we have three mares, you can pick a stallion you think is suitable for the mare, then when we have the foals we can decide if we want to keep them or sell them.”
“We sold Sanctos when he was two years old.”
Was he special then?
“No-one could guess that he was so special. Even after we sold him, he was sold on and all the people who had him, and rode him, could not guess that the horse would be so great. It was only with Scott Brash that there was the magic combination. My father always says, ‘breeding is gambling’.”
“I want to especially mention my late mother because she was the brains behind our breeding, she was the commercial one, she would never sell a horse too cheap, she believed in what was born here. You can ask everyone who has tried to buy a horse here, my mother was a tough one, she wanted good money because she was convinced she was selling good quality horses.”
Hello Santos Gallery
