Christopher Hector looks at the 2024 BN eventing stallion rankings – rankings that are based on the stallion’s own performances…
The eventing stallions list is no longer inflated by horses that are stallions only in the eyes of the FEI database. Hopefully all the horses on this list are still entire since I’d consider at least a couple of them if I was looking for a suitor for an eventing mare.
Ero De Cantraie
Number one on the list is Ero De Cantraie and once again this piece is sounding like a PR gloss for Joris de Brabander. The stallion is by Querlybet Hero, a 1.60m jumper, and an ‘ambassador’ for BWP breeding. Querlybet is by Baloubet de Rouet, out of the Darco daughter, Narcotique de Muze II from the famous Querly Chin line. Narcotique was herself a 1.60m competitor, and she is the dam of four 1.60 horses.
Ero De Cantraie is out of the Selle Français mare Iberiade by the Double Espoir son, Valespoir Malaby, out of a mare by the Thoroughbred, Quinquet. Which adds up to 50% blood, perhaps just a little less than the ideal for an eventing stallion, but let’s wait and see what he produces.
Ero is being ridden by one of the most talented eventing riders in the world, Julia Krajewski, and last year the pair won the 4* at Luhmühlen.
Halo
Ranked 2nd on the BN list, and 48th in the world is Halo. In January 2022, Piggy March took over the ride on the three-star winner Scuderia 1918 Humphreys, who was renamed Halo. The grey stallion started his eventing career with Australia’s Kevin McNab. Halo won Osberton CCI3* in October 2021 with Kevin. Ridden by Piggy, the stallion was third in the 4* at Ainwick in July 2023, but 53rd at Hartpury, a month later…
The horse has been acquired specifically for the breeding program of Piggy’s husband Tom. Bred by one of Holstein’s finest breeders, Bernhard Hobe, he is by Humphrey, a 1.40 jumper by the French Anglo-Arab, Hermes d’Authieux, out of a Carthago / Landgraf mare, that’s 63.87% blood. Halo is out of one of Hobe’s legendary mares, Kimberly III (Contender / Lord).
TSF Polartanz
The third stallion TSF Polartanz was certainly bred to event. He is by the Trakehner, Konvoi (by the Anglo Arab, Kallistos), out of a mare by the greatest eventing sire of them all, Heraldik xx, out of a mare by the 4* eventing Trakehner stallion, Habicht. Ridden by Felix Elzel he won the short format 4* at Strzegom in September 2023. Polartanz carries 69.34% blood.
Fourth, Je’Vall is a mixture of Holsteiner, Dutch and French breeding. His sire, Zavall VDL is by Casall out of an Emilion mare, his dam, Wemillem is by Corrado and her dam, Nemile M is by Le Tot de Sémilly, out of a Jalisco mare. Ridden by Frenchman, Alexis Goury, Je’Vall won a 3* long format at Bazoges en Pareds, and was 6th at Lignieres CCI4*-L in September 2023. 48.44 blood.
Sweetwaters Ziethen
I’ve written before about Sweetwaters Ziethen, another deliberately bred for eventing. Ridden by Sophie Leube, Sweetwaters Ziethen TSF topped the 7-year-olds at the World Young Eventing Championships in 2020. The German pair were on familiar territory having finished fifth in the 6-year-old division the previous year, and the stallion never put a foot wrong after posting the best dressage score of 27.6.
The stallion is from the Sweetwater Stud in Bulgaria, and is by the Trakehner stallion Abendtanz out of an Anglo Arab mare by Campetot. Abendtanz’s pedigree is studded with the names of the famous Trakehner stallions – Sixtus, Kostolany, Enrico Caruso and Kassiber. Sweetwaters Ziethen TSF was purchased as a foal at foot with his dam, and raised at Sweetwater. According to stud master George Muehlethaler: “Our aim is to breed Eventers with a minimum of 50% Thoroughbred, Anglo-Arab or Arab blood.”
Sophie and Ziethen had good three star placings in 2023, with a win at Langenhagen 3*.
Tenareze
Sixth ranked Tenareze is one I would send a mare to. He was a star with Thomas Carlile, winning the 6yo World Young Event Horse title in 2013, and the seven year old the following year. He was sold in 2013 but has never looked quite so comfortable with Harry Meade in the saddle. The pair did get it together though in 2023 when they were fifth at Luhmühlen 5*.
Tenareze is by that good sire of eventers, Jaguar Mail who is by the showjumping and small tour Thoroughbred, Hand in Glove, out of a mare by the Thoroughbred Grand Prix showjumping stallion, Laudanum. Jaguar Mail is seven-eigths Thoroughbred, with the last line a combination of Almé and Gotthard. Jaguar Mail showjumped for Sweden at the Olympics, but he was never the most careful jumper, and Thomas Carlile believes he needs Anglo mares to give his progeny a tighter front. Sure enough, Tenareze is out of the AA mare, Utopie du Maury (Quatar de Plape / Julienny).
Leipheimer van’t Verahof
Seventh to Leipheimer van’t Verahof and once more we are making a trip to the Stal de Muze in the beautiful city of Sint-Niklaas, where Joris Brabander’s Thoroughbred mare, Southern Queen (Southern Gale xx) has established a dynasty of top eventers. Bred to Vigo d’Arsouilles (Nabab de Rêve / Fleuri du Manoir), she has produced Fletcha van’t Verahof, a 4* star front liner with Karin Donkers, and the 3* competitor, Extebaria van’t Verahof. Karin rode Leipheimer to third, at Boekelo 4* in October 2023.
I wonder who would happen if Joris turned his attention to dressage breeding?
There are only eight stallions on the BN list this year, and rounding out the collection is the Anglo Arab, Bolivar Gio Granno. Unfortunately the French Anglo has suffered from neglect, and by the time it was discovered just how fine the breed was as a source of eventers, there were virtually no Anglo stallions left. Thus, the most successful French Anglo Arab stallion of modern times, Upsilon, is by the Holsteiner, Canturo. Similarly, Boliva is by the Oldenburg stallion, Gio Granno (by Grannus) but out of an Anglo mare, Native de Sautussan by Faalem aa, out of a Thoroughbred mare by Mirgel xx.
Bolivar Gio Granno was eliminated at his last 4* start, Montelbrett in November 2023, after winning the 3* at Palmanova in September.
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