Christopher Hector analyses the latest collection of numbers,
Gemma Alexander constructed the graphs…
While the FN breeding values for young horse dressage sires produced a somewhat eccentric collection of stallions, many destined to sink without trace, there is a real similarity in the jumping list between the young horse chart and the HEK and competition charts… I am not entirely sure what this tells us.
Qualito (Kiki-Beelitz photo)
The exception to this rule is the number one on the young jumping values Qualito, since he died before he had a chance to fulfill his potential. Writing in Der Hannoveraner after Qualito topped the young horse standings for 2019, Ludwig Christmann noted:
“It definitely is quite a surprise, which is unfortunately connected with sadness, that Quaid’s son Qualito (breed value 160), born in 2011, holds the leading position in the breed value estimation young horse classes. He immediately rushed to the top position, as soon as his breed values were published. Sadness arises, because this promising young producer passed away far too early in 2018; his sire, the also highly successful Quaid also died last year.”
“Helmut Habermann from Haenigsen bred Qualito out of St.Pr.St. Starlight by Salito/Calypso II. He stems from the superior damline of Norm, which calls the Habermann farm its home already since 1921 for exactly 100 years. Internationally successful sport horses emerged from this line like Elwood by Esprit, the winner of the Grand Prix of Neumuenster in 2003, or Firth of Lorne by For Pleasure, the winner of the Grand Prix of Hamburg in 2017 with rider Katrin Eckermann.”
“The 2006-born St.Pr.St. Starlight obtained the optimum score of 10 for her jumping ability in the mare test. She delivered a total of seven foals by the sire Quaid including the 2013-born Qualibro and the one-year-older IB Qualita. Both already are successfully competing at the S-level at a young age. Qualibro lives at the barn of world champion Simone Blum and already competes at the international level. IB Qualita also found a home in a top barn. She has already won an international, S-level class with rider Tim Rieskamp-Goedeking and placed very well in the Grand Prix of Opglabbeek/BEL and in the Grand Prix of Oldenburg in November of 2020.”
“The performances of the individuals as well as its relatives are considered for the breed value estimation. It includes successful siblings as well as descendants. Qualito obtained outstanding assessments in his 30-day test in 2014 (overall score for jumping 9.58) and in jumping horse-classes. With rider Heiko Tietze, he won a total of ten M-level jumping horse classes. An approved son, the 2017-born Quudo Boe, out of a dam by Embassy (breeder: Helmut Boettcher, Rehlingen) received above average scores for his talent for jumping (9.0) in his 14-day test in 2020.”
“A total of 13 mares from the vintages of 2015 and 2016, which were stronger in numbers, were awarded the Hanoverian premium. Ten of them completed the mare test, including eight obtaining a jumping score of 9 and better. The top score of 10 was awarded three times. 26 descendants – mainly from the foal vintage of 2016 – are already successful competitors, mainly in jumping horse classes at the A-level in accordance with their ages. Often Qualito’s sons and daughters were either the winners or placed well.”
Quaid
“Let us take a quick look at Qualito’s sire Quaid. The national champion from 2009 (breeder: Friedhelm Vehlber, Espelkamp; owner: Stud Staj Mustang, Czech Republic) is missing in the chart, since he was not registered for 2020 and 2021. His breed values for jumping 144 (Hanoverian breed value estimation) and 127 (FN, highest obtained level) would have been high enough for his inclusion in the chart. The Yearbook Stallions shows 33 descendants with successes at the S-level for the 2004-born stallion including four with successes over 1.55 meters. His most successful descendant is IB Querido (prize winnings of 37,153 Euros) out of a dam by Graf Sponeck.
Lissaro van de Helle
The dam is out of St.Pr.St. Marquesa, who also produced Lissaro van de Helle. IB Querido lives in the barn of Tim Rieskamp-Goedeking and already has impressive international successes to show. In January 2020, as a nine-year old, he won the Grand Prix of Kronenberg/NED. Later on, he added second placings in Opglabbeek/BEL and in the Grand Prix of Braunschweig to his show record.”
Qualito’s 2021 number one ranking of 156 comes on the shoulders of 100 of his progeny, and must be regarded as somewhat speculative, hence a reliability percentage of 85%. This is certainly not the case with number two, Stakkato, whose 153 value comes from 1076 competing progeny.
Stakkato
Three stallions are tied in second on 153, Stakkato, Diacontinus and Stanley…
Stakkato lead the Hanoverian jumping breeding recovery – with considerable assistance from Dr Christmann who put into place the Hanoverian jumping breeders program to persuade Hanoverian breeders to cover their good jumping mares with jumping stallions, rather than rushing to dressage sires for a quick return at the foal auctions.
Stakkato by Spartan – his sire, Servus is from the old Hanoverian S line established by the Trakehner, Semper Idem out of a mare by that other Hanoverian jumping stalwart, Gotthard, but the breeding on his dam line is more left field. Stakkato’s dam sire, Pygmalion is by another Trakehner, Patras, out of a mare by Absatz (by the Trakehner, Abglanz). When the Hanoverian Verband refused to license the handsome grey stallion, his infuriated owner, the famed Hans-Joachim Köhler set up a new studbook, the ZfdP – the Association for the Breeding of German Horses.
Stakkato and Eva – from one of Kiki Beelitz’s fabulous calendars…
Stakkato who was born in 1993 at a time when the stallions at the State Stud Celle did not compete, since the director, Burchard Bade believed it adversely affected the quality of the semen, but jumping rider, Eva Bitter was lucky, Stakkato was not an attractive type: “I think it was my trainer, Heinrich Willem Johannsmann, I was training with him at the time, he talked to Dr Bade, and okay when he was three no-one knew, he was such a superstar, and he was not like a really special breeding stallion… he was a good sport horse, you could see that he was an amazing jumper, but he was a little bit small, not a really big stallion type. This was our chance.”
It was one of those great rider/horse combinations, and soon the mare owners were flocking to the bay, and he proved not only a great sire of competitors but a sire of sires…
Stakkato’s breeding value is based on the results of 1076 competitors, and not surprisingly, the reliability is an impressive 98%.
I asked Eva, when you started – did you imagine then that you would be riding sons and grand sons of this horse?
“No, for sure not, but this is really so nice. I am really proud too of Satisfaction, his son, he is a really special horse. I’ve had many special ones from Stakkato.”
What are the things he gives as a stallion to his progeny?
“It’s really on the inside, they want to do good – I don’t know one Stakkato that doesn’t want to jump, one that is afraid or stopping. When you have a problem it is that they want to do too much, they go too much into the fence, they want to do too much, but this is what he gives to his sons and daughters and grand sons and grand daughters. They really want to jump.”
Diacontinus
Diacontinus is by Diarado out of a Contendro I / Argentinus mare, his breeding value of 153 is based on 419 competitors for a 93% reliability. Like his sire, Diacontinus has not been a star in the jumping arena, in his last year of international competition, 2018, he appeared in one 1.45m class and two 1.40m classes, finishing 21st, 19th and 53rd while Diarado in his last year of competition, 2016, competed thrice at 1.50m for a 49th, 44th and 21st. On this year’s FN young horse rankings, Diarado (Diamant de Sémilly / Corrado I) is in 64th on a value of 138 (96%) with 1113 competitors.
Stanley (Equitaris Photo)
Another Stakkato, Stanley (Loredo / Graphit) has a breeding value 153 (88%) with 109 competitors.
Stakkato is also the sire of the 6th ranked Sampres from a Libero H / Calypso II mare, 17, 150 (76%) and the most successful of the sons, Stakkato Gold from a Werther / Libero H mare. Stakkato Gold is ranked 8th on the young horse rankings on 149 (92%), 328 competitors.
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Diamant de Plaisir
It took a while, but French blood is now well and truly welcomed by German breeders, and the 5th ranked stallion is Diamant de Plaisir, by Diamant de Sémilly out of a For Pleasure / Landor S mare. Bred by Gerd Sosath, he descends from the foundation mare of the Sosath Stud, Fureida (Furioso II / Adrian xx). Diamant de Plaisir competes 1.55m with Holger Wulschner, their best a 5th in a 1.55m GP at Riesenbeck in September 2021.
Equal 6th with Sampres is Come and Fly, by the great Cornet Obolensky out of a Calido / Lord Liberty mare. He competes 1.45m with Swede, Denise Svensson. Twenty-three representatives contribute to his value of 150 (72%).
Perigueux
Number eight to Eva Bitter’s latest stallion star, Perigueux (Perpignon / Stakkato / Akzent II) – breeding value, 149, competitors, 491, reliability 94%. Although the handsome chestnut competed 1.60m, Eva says he is more of a 1.50m horse, she likes riding his progeny: “They are so careful, they are so quick, also they want to do good, they always want to work with you. They are interested, not phlegmatic.”
There are two more stallions with a 149 value, Grey Top from a Graf Top / Singular Joter / Calypso II mare and Stakkato Gold who we discussed earlier. Grey Top has 315 competitors for a 93% reliability.
Cornet Obolensky, two representatives, and 30th place himself…
To make my point about the similarity in the young jumping horse, and higher level rankings, in 14th we find Ogano Sitte (Darco / Avontaur – 50 / 145 / 77%), = 15th, Catoki I (Cambridge / Silvester – 496 / 144 / 95%), = 15th, Heartbreaker (Nimmerdor / Silvano – 67 / 144 / 88%). There are two sons of the great Cornet Obolensky, both of whom competed at the highest level, sharing 18th – Comme il Faut (Cornet Obolensky / Ramiro – 461 / 143 / 93% and Cornado I (Cornet Obolensky / Acobat I – 221 / 143 / 86%). The great one himself, Cornet Obolensky (Clinton / Heartbreaker – 1120 / 141 / 97%) occupies 30th on the young horse rankings.
Turning to the values for sires of competition horses, we find a veritable who’s who of the good and great, but it must be noted that the overwhelming majority of the stallions on this German FN ranking are born outside Germany! There are six from Holland and five from France. Of the German books, there are three from Holstein, two from Westfalia, and the two Hanoverians, including the highest ranked ‘German’ German, Stakkato Gold, in equal ninth on the competition values…
Another star for Kashmir – All In
Number one to the Belgian sire star, Kashmir van het Schuttershof (Nabab de Rêve / Tenor Manciais, 116 / 165 / 86%) followed by Heartbreaker (Nimmerdor / Silvano, 145 / 164 / 93%), Harley VDL (Heartbreaker / Carthago, 45 / 163 / 73%), Galoubet A (Almé / Nystag, 23 / 161 / 83%), Le Tot de Sémilly (Grand Veneur / Juriste, 50 / 160 / 82%), Quick Star (Galoubet A / Nithard, 266 / 156 / 95%), Diamant de Sémilly (Le Tot de Sémilly / Elf III, 371 / 154 / 95%), Lupicor (Lux Z / Pilot, Holstein/Westfalien breeding but Dutch branded, 193 / 153 / 92%).
There are four stallions tied in ninth: Comme il Faut (Cornet Obolensky / Ramiro, 307 / 151 / 94%), Stakkato Gold (Stakkato / Werther, 201 / 151 / 94%), Chellano Z (Contender / Cor de la Bryère, 110 / 151 / 87%), Carvallo BB (Carthago / Lavall II, 81 / 151 / 86%). Two are tied in 13th: Ogano Sitte (Darco / Avontaur, 70 / 150 / 80%) and Chacco Chacco (Chacco-Blue / Stakkato, 34 / 150 / 71%).
There are four horses tied in 15th place: the Belgian immortal, Darco (Lugano van la Roche / Codex, 304 / 149 / 96%), Concorde (Voltaire / Marco Polo, 209 / 149 / 94%), Cash (Cor de la Bryère / Ladykiller xx, 69 / 149 / 86%) and Orlando (Heartbreaker / Darco, 65 /149 / 81%. The great French stallion, Jalisco (Almé / Furioso xx, 23 / 148 / 85% is 19th and rounding out the twenty is the Dutch stallion that the KWPN did not want, Mr Blue (Couperous / Oldenburg, 90 / 148 / 84%).
Cumano
The HEK values, which take into account the level of competition achieved by the progeny, feature many of the same faces, but at least this time, number one spot is taken by a stallion bred in Germany, Cumano, although he is in a minority, less than half the top ten come with German ID.
Cumano was bred in Holstein by Willy Lührs, but his most successful season was in 2000 in France, when as a seven-year-old he produced 61 foals, from ‘normal’ mares, eleven of which went on to gain jumping indices of 150+, and SIX went on to win CSI classes. He returned to Belgium where fertility problems limited his success as a sire. His 2021 FN jumping value of 197 is based on 34 competitors for an 83% reliability.
Back to some familiar names: Kashmir van het Schuttershoef, 116 / 182 / 93%; Baloubet du Rouet (Galoubet A / Starter, 385 / 179 / 98%; Chacco-Blue (Chambertin / Contender, 1272!!!! / 178 / 99%!!!); Quasimodo Z (Quidam de Revel / Carthago, 88 / 176 / 91%; Heartbreaker (147 / 175 / 96%); Emerald van’t Ruytershof (Diamant de Sémilly / Carthago, 53 / 175 / 87%); Diamant de Sémilly (407 / 173 / 98%; Calvaro (Caletto I / Capitol, 194 / 172 / 96%); Ogano Sitte (72 / 171 / 90%); Eldorado vd Zeshoek (Clinton / Toulon, 144 / 170 / 94%); Cornet Obolensky (Clinton / Heartbreaker, 833 / 169 / 99%); Cornado II (Cornet Obolensky / Acobat I, 37 / 168 / 83%); Chaccomo (Chacco-Blue / Contender, 38 / 168 / 83%); Caspar – better known as Berlin – (Cassini I / Caretino, 200 /167 / 96%); Le Tot de Sémilly (51 / 166 / 89%); Comme il Faut (336 / 165 / 89%); Cornado I (202 / 165 / 96%); Toulon (Heartbreaker / Jokinal de Bornival, 216 / 165 / 96%) and last, but certainly not least, Jalisco B (21 / 165 / 89%)…
Jalisco – still a force 27! years after his death…
