1969 165 cm Chestnut

Breeder: Alexis Pignolet

Breeders outside Normandy also profited from Ibrahim sons. In the Vendée region of France, Double Espoir was an extremely important sire. Double Espoir is out of a mare by Quatrième Espoir, a grand son of Orange Peel xx, so there is another cross of this influential Thoroughbred. On the dam line, there is more Thoroughbred blood with L’Alcazar xx.

Double Espoir’s three quarter brother, Digne Espoir was exported to the Netherlands (under the name of Kibrahim) before returning to France thanks to the efforts of Bernard Le Courtois. He too was a successful sire and produced several Grand Prix winners.

Double Espoir several times won the title ‘Best French Sire’. He produced the international competitors, Lafayette (out of the Thoroughbred Première Main xx) – a team bronze medal winner at the Seoul Games with Michel Robert, and Lisou Blinois (also out of a Thoroughbred, Flute Enchantee xx) who competed at the 1990 WEG with Italy’s Massimilano Baroni.

 Valespoir Malabry – an exciting young stallion, out of a mare by the Thoroughbred, Chabeli

Double Espoir has a reputation as sire-maker. He sired Valespoir Malabry, best French stallion in the 1996 ‘Masters’ of Caen (and the sire of two stallion sons); Bey de Sèvres, the champion four-year old in 1993; Bayard d’Elle, who is the sire of eight stallion sons, and Avec Espoir who placed in several French Grand Prix and CSI events. His two best known sons are Apache d’Adriers and Flipper d’Elle. All told, Double Espoir was the sire of just on 50 stallion sons…