Chris Hector considers the
Top jumping stallions for 2001/2002

For some reason the World Breeding Federation formula for calculating the leading sires of the year works quite well this year for jumping horses - while it is a dismal failure when it comes to dressage and totally off-the-planet in the world of eventing.
Unlike previous years there is really not one ‘one horse wonder’ on the current showjumping top ten, which is the problem with the dressage list. It is a very foolish breeder indeed who entrusts his precious mare to a horse whose only claim to fame is one outstanding individual, serious breeders in my experience look for depth of progeny as a real indicator of a sire.
Topping the list of jumpers is Capitol, who has is represented by 41 progeny in the period 1992 to 2001. AMAZING! His stars include Carthago Z and Cento, with his current top ten individual, Verelst Goliath, a bay stallion, out of a Caletto I mare that has had a string of top placings, and wins at Dublin and Aachen, with Belgium’s Marc van Dijck.
The second ranked sire, Darco was himself a great performer. By one of the greatest of Belgian jumping stallions, Lugano van la Roche (a grandson of the great Thoroughbred, Der Löwe, and out of the grand-daughter of another great Thoroughbred, Cottage Son) Darco, was a tough competitor on the international jumping scene with Ludo Phillippaerts. In 1988, Darco won his first World Cup qualifier, at Olympia, the following year, he won another Volvo for his rider, this time at s’Hertogenbosch. Darco and Ludo were sixth at the WEG in Stockholm, and 7th at the Barcelona Games.
Since commencing his breeding career in 1984, Darco has been a sensation, with two horses in this year’s top ten rankings: Number one for the year - Verelst Otterongo v/d Kopshoeven (try saying that quick), also ridden by Ludo, who is also the jockey for the 6th place jumper, the stallion, Parco. Altogether there are 44 Darcos on the WBFSH standings!!!
In third place is Grannus-Grannit. Now I have always wondered why Grannus was sometimes called Grannus-Granit and have even asked well-informed Germans, to no avail. However the wonderful portrait of Grannus on Bernd Eylers’ web site reveals that he was first sold to Westfalia where he was called Granit before being sold back to the Oldenburg breeders, Klatte, and in Oldenburg there was already a Granit, so he became Grannus, but because he had already sired foals in Westfalia, on the FN records, he became Grannus-Granit. Whatever confusion there may be about his name, there is no doubt he too produced performers in numbers - 38 in fact, even if his influence in on the wane, with no representatives in the current top 10. Fourth place to the legendary Irish sire, Clover Hill with 39 representatives, including Australia’s own Clover Flush (pic below).
Fifth to the German sire, Caretino - a top young stallion in Holstein before he teamed up with Danish international, Bo Kristoffersen and later with Ludger Beerbaum before an injury curtailed his competition career. Caretino is super hot with a string of current stars, and 16 on the lists, despite having only commenced breeding in 1986!
Sixth and seventh to those Westfalien legends, Pilot (32 representatives) and Polydor (40) - both these great sons of Pilatus are pushing up daisies but their influence will continue for some time to come. Eighth to the mighty Voltaire, combining the blood of Precipitation/Furioso/Furioso II along with the German ace, Gotthard. Ninth to Landadel who alas died at the age of 14, but not before siring international dressage performers (like Gonnelien Rothenberger’s Da Vinci) and super jumpers (like Vicki Roycroft’s Luna Luna) In the handbook, Landadel is credited with 18 representatives, curiously Luna Luna is not listed amongst them. I suspect they have become confused as the German rider, Eva-Maria Bitter rides a horse called Argelith's Luna Luna), so you wonder if Landadel’s position might really be higher.
The Hanoverian stallion, Espri rounds out the top ten. He is helped into his place by one exceptional son, ET FRH, but still has six horses listed so he is no one horse wonder.
It’s a good lineup and you would be happy to put any one of them over your jumping mare. The French may feel that their stars are a bit under-represented - with Quidam de Revel and Galoubet A in 11th and 12th position. Voltaire is of course the top Dutch stallion, although he was entirely bred in Germany by a French sire and the highest placed Dutch bred product is Zuidpool in 13th - with just two representatives, including the superstar, Tinka’s Boy.
The truth is that the stallions on the Jumping List are strong all the way through to number 50 where we find the recently deceased Zeoliet, brilliantly bred by Ramiro out of an Abgar mare, and with 11 representatives in competition in the period we are considering - 1992 to 2001.
If you are a serious jumping horse breeder, then a quick email to info@mediaboek.nl, will secure your copy of the 2001/2002 WBFSH guide for 22.50 Euros plus whatever they slug for postage (I guess I’ll find out when I get my Visa statement) It really is a pretty good indication where the top jumping bloodlines are going.
Now dressage - that is a totally different matter, with a collection of one hit wonders celebrated as the most wonderful stallions of our time - but that’s a story for next month in our Dressage Breeders Special. In the meantime, good luck with those little jumpers!