The recently released 2015 Dutch values prove dull reading for anyone looking for new or startling news again this year. They also seem to be of dubious value to anyone who is looking for the new bright star to add lustre to their breeding program…
Dressage Stallions
Jazz (Cocktail / Ulster) still maintains his seemingly unshakeable position at the head of the table of stallions with a reliability of 90% plus. The grand old man’s breeding value is 196 with a reliability of 98%. The values also give us an indication of the proportion of progeny, four years and older, that go on to compete. So out of 2667 Jazz foals over the age of four, 900 competitors or 33.745%
Olivi – into second place
Last year the Jazz son, Olivi (out of an Aktion mare) headed the group of stallions with a reliability of 80 – 89%, but this year, with a reliability of 90% he moves into second place behind his dad on the over 90 chart, with a breeding value of 175. Olivi has 156 competitors out of 496 offspring over the age of four – that’s 31.325%
Contango (Contender / Kronprinz xx), who died back in 2007, is clinging on to third place with a value of 162 (92%) and a participant rate of 34.527. Rubiquil (Rubinstein / Roemer) who died May 2014, picked up that extra 1% to move into this group with a breeding value of 157, and a participation rate of 29.605%
Gribaldi (Kostolany / Ibikus), died 2010, continues to hold 5th, 155 (98%) with 949 competitors out of 3002, 31.612%. Negro is in 6th place also on 155 (94%) with 304 competitors out of 1146 progeny = 26.527%. Welt Hit II (Weltmeyer / Hill Hawk xx) died 2009, is 7th with a value of 152 (93%) participation rate – 41.935% which is truly excellent. His top horse is the recently retired, Riwera de Hus. Ferro (Ulft / Farn) died 2005, is 8th, 147 (97%), 676 competitors out of 2052 = 32.943%. Ninth to Florencio who was awarded Keur status at the recent KWPN stallion show, 146 (92%) and 32.270%.
Two of the older brigade of Dutch stallions are tied in 10th place, Cabochon keur (Vincent / Commandant) born in 1984, I guess he is dead but I can’t find any record of it, value 145 (95%), 405 out of 981 = 41.284, and Havidoff keur (Clavecimbel / Farn), 145 (93%), 238 from 682 = 34.897%
Okay, so there is nothing bright and shiny-new to be found in the seniors rankings, let’s see if there is a rough diamond to be found in the next group with the 80 – 89% reliability rankings. They are headed with a breeding value of 150, reliability 86%, by another ‘old fashioned’ Dutch dressage horse – Montecristo by El Corona (by Amor out of a Doruto mare – two of the dressage pioneers), and out of a mare by Clavecimbel, who ‘sort of’ did Grand Prix but doesn’t actually make it onto the FEI database. In 2010, Montecristo was sent off to be a school master to a Dutch Junior rider. Born in 1994, Montecristo has 258 progeny over four, 98 of whom, competed, 37.984%. This is the same numbers as last year so I think he is out of the breeding business.
Wynton – currently out of action…
In second place is Wynton, who at one stage looked like being the Jazz son to take his place. Wynton is out of a mare by another Grand Prix performer, Kyra Kyrklund’s Matador. Once he was breeding 200 mares in a season, and competing Grand Prix, with the highlight a 12th at Rotterdam 5 star, 2013, with 68% in the GP and 8th in the Kur on 73.325. Since then he has been off the competition scene, ‘injured’. Last year, Wynton had a breeding value of 166 (77%), this year, it has dropped to 148 (83%) With 413 progeny for 81 competitors, he has a participation ratio of 19.612% (last year, 33.333%).
Third to the Krack C son, Tolando (Rubinstein) on 142 (83%), participation, 75 of 316, for 23.734%. Tolando was a performance test winner, and was campaigned by Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud, before he was gelded and sold to Canada as a performance horse.
Then another Jazz stallion whose Grand Prix career seems to have stalled, Tango (out of a Contango mare). His last Grand Prix performance was in Barcelona in March 2014, for a 69.829 and 4th in the Grand Prix. Tango’s breeding value is 141 (88%) (down 3 points on last year). His participation rate of 27.814 is not wonderful.
Equal 4th to Sir Sinclair (Lord Sinclair / Flemmingh) who was kuered at the recent KWPN stallion show. Breeding value, down 2 on last year, 141 (87%), participation, 127 out of 302 for a very respectable 42.052%. The stallion is now based in the USA, where he won a Prix St Georges class in 2006. You can perhaps understand why there was some questioning as to why this stallion was made Keur, while Johnson, for example, who has had a serious Grand Prix career, misses out because he has a breeding value of 137 (93%) which put him into 16th place on the 90+ rankings and is 3 points short of the 140 cut off for Keur stallions.
Last year, Ziësto (Lancet / Clavecimbel) headed the rankings for stallions with a reliability of less that 80%, with a breeding value of 171 (65%), this year the value is a more modest 160 (70%) which leaves him equal first with Vic (Jazz / Flemmingh) although Vic has a lower reliability 67%. Vic was born in 2002, and should have shown up on the FEI database by now, in fact I can’t find him anywhere… Vic has sired 14 competitors out of 61 over the age of 4, = 22.95. Vic had 56 progeny over four back on the 2012/2013 rankings, so I guess he is out of the breeding stakes too.
We know a little more of Ziësto. After winning the consolation finals at the 2010 World Young horse championships, he was sold to Austria’s Gaston Glock, to be competed by Glock’s then head rider, Marcel Scheonmakers. Since then the only FEI results on record some small tour placings with Hans Peter Minderhoud in 2013. Ziësto has produced 20 competitors out of 83 progeny = 24%.
Then in third place there is Zardando (Tango / Gribaldi), another ten-year-old stallion who has yet to register on the FEI database, seemingly he hasn’t caught the breeders imagination either since he has just 46 progeny over 4, with 10 competitors (= 21.73%). I have recently been dubbed ‘cynical’ for my comments on breeding values, but it is hard to see how an objective evaluation of them would not produce a degree of doubt about their usefulness. Their defenders cry that they point to younger stallions that would otherwise not be highlighted, but the trouble is, the stallions they point to are usually obvious – and mostly dead – or ‘surprises’ that turn out to be ‘duds’, and disappear as quickly as they appeared without leaving progeny of note. Which is perhaps the reason that mare owners do not take much – if any – notice of the breeding values, and consistently use stallions with low breeding values, and shun stallions with high breeding values as we can see when we look at the stallions with over 100 foals born last season..
Everdale – most popular
The Dressage stallion with the most foals was Everdale (Lord Leatherdale / Negro) with 312 – he only appears on the list of stallions with no progeny evaluated, so his breeding value of 139 has a reliability of 43% suggesting that it is largely speculative until we get lots more information. Charmeur (Florencio / Jazz) was once again popular with 285 offspring, he appears on the rankings for stallions with less than 10 offspring in the sport, with a breeding value of 177 (62%) – this value would rocket him into 3rd place on the over 90% chart… if he picked up 28% in the reliability stakes. He still has no progeny over the age of four.
Desperado (Hotline / Michelangelo) sired 184 foals and has a breeding value of 161, but he too is in the group with no progeny in competition, so the reliability value is a mere 47%.
Negro is the most popular of the proven stallions, with 146 mare owners hoping for another Valegro. Fairytale (Lord Leatherdale / Negro) sired 151 foals – no wonder Gert Jan van Olst who stands Everdale and Negro and Fairytale, and Lord Leatherdale has a semi-permanent smile on his face.
Dream Boy (Vivaldi / Ferro), another too young to have a serious breeding value, at the moment he is rated 150 (46%) attracted 146 mares, while Apache (UB40 / Krack C) with a breeding value of 146 (73%) produced 122 foals which just goes to prove that there are a few mare owners who ignore the numbers. Then Lord Leatherdale (Lord Loxley / Ferragamo) with 115 foals, another whose low breeding value of 112 (81% – 27th ranking for the group of stallions with a reliability factor of 80 – 89%) hasn’t deterred the breeders, and then yet another of Gert Jan’s stallions, Netto (Negro / Purioso) 104 foals, 140 (47%). Because Netto was not approved until later in life, he is in the group of stallions without progeny in the sport even though he was born in 2003.
Maybe you would be better off just trusting your instinct. If I was living in The Netherlands, with a mare with dressage breeding and a very cool head, I’d be thinking – against all rational considerations – of using Apache. He is a horse that seemingly can’t handle the pressure of a Grand Prix test (and look at every championship and you will find that the successful horses are the progeny of successful Grand Prix competitors) and remember that his sire, UB40 is another who never made it to Grand Prix (he apparently peaked at Prix St Georges in 2010, although he has no FEI record), but looking at Apache’s progeny at the last KWPN stallion show, I’d take a gamble.
By Apache out of a Ferro mare, I love him…
Seemingly, the head of the stallion commission, Wim Ernes is getting just a tingle in that direction: “Last year the Apaches were really tense and we thought it was more or less because Apache himself was also a really quick horse and a work willing horse, and we thought maybe that would be too much, but today you could see after the first few that they were nice and relaxed…”
And yes, Apache has the additional ‘attraction’ of a low breeding value, 146 (73%) and an even worse progeny to competitor ratio – 25 out of 168, a truly appalling, 14.88% and to make him even less attractive, Apache has a negative score of 96 on the latest OCD rankings, although as my friend, Charlotte Dekker, the KWPN Communications director points out, 96 is only borderline disaster!
“The OCD breeding values are published on a scale of 100, which is the population mean, and a so-called standard deviation of 4 points. ~70% of a population is between + 1 and – 1 standard deviation of the mean and we (and in statistics) we call this the average. Horses which have a value between 96 (100-4) and 104 (100+4) are not really breeding significantly different from each other and different from the population mean. When a stallion has a value above 104, the stallion breeds significantly better than the population, the effect is getting larger when you add again 4 points (>108) and so on. This is also the case for values below 100 in the opposite direction, values below 96 are significantly worse than the population mean and so on.”
Stallions below 96 include: Zizi Top (95 – 70%) and Zardando (93 – 67%), stallions above 104 include: Ufo (Metall / El Corona – 108 / 66%), Dramatic (Don Frederico / Weltmeyer – 108 / 63%); Zambuka (Scandic / Biotop – 107 / 67%); Sir Oldenburg (Sion / Contender – 107 /65%); Arlando (Paddox / Mytens – 107 / 64%); Amazing Star (Flemmingh / Ferro – 106 / 67%); Dorado (Krack C / Rousseau – 106 / 67%); Ziësto (Lancet / Clavecimbel – 106 / 64%); Bon Bravour (Painted Black / Chronos – 105 / 65%); Dream Boy (Vivaldi / Ferro – 105 / 65%); Charmingmood (Winningmood / Contango – 105 / 64%); Desperado (Vivaldi / Havidoff – 105 / 64%) and Connaisseur (Con Amore / Donnerhall – 105 / 64%).
Unfortunately most of the most active stallions were born before the cut-off date for OCD evaluations, so we don’t have values for them…
Jumping Stallions
Just as Jazz dominates the dressage standings, so Heartbreaker pref (Nimmerdor / Silvano) is the king of the jumping rankings, first on the over 90% reliability list with a breeding value of 182 (96%) and an extraordinary participation rate: 402 out of 948, 42.4%! The grand old man of the Nijhof stud is no longer fertile, but there are a 1000 straws stored, and just to be really safe, some of his skin is ready for cloning just in case…
Heartbreaker – still number one
Heartbreaker’s son, Padinus keur (out of a Grannus mare) is in second place with breeding value of 161 (92%). Sadly this stallion died in 2005 at the age of eight. Breeding value 161 (92%), 465 progeny for 148 competitors = 31.82%
Third place to Ustinov (Libero H / Nimmerdor) with a breeding value of 153 (91%), he has 507 progeny over four, with 142 competitors, that’s just 28%, and once again, you start to worry how these values are calculated. Unlike his sire, who won Grand Prix after Grand Prix and a World Cup Final and who sired a legion of international competitors, Ustinov has had a less than stellar career. Ninth in a seven-year-old class in 2008, 6th in an eight-year-old class in 2009, 5th in a 1.35 class in 2012. That’s it. He has four offspring listed on the sja data base, all relatively modest performers in Young Horse classes, with the best, Cisco’s Chateau an 8th placegetter in a 1.35 class.
Verdi – international star, but where are his points?
Now compare Ustinov with the one-year-younger Verdi (Quidam de Revel / Landgraf) who has starred in seven(!) seasons of Grand Prix competition, Games, WEG, World Cup finals, the lot, and who has 46 competitors on the sja data base – yet, Verdi has a breeding value of 134 (94%) and ranks 22nd. 1032 progeny over four with 269 for a 26% participation rate.
Fourth, with a breeding value of 152 (92%) is Hors la Loi keur (Papillon Rouge / Joyau d’Or) born in 1995 and died in 2011, probably to the relief of the people who had to handle him. Ridden first by Rodrigo Pessoa then Hugo Simon, the horse was so aggressive that he had to be ridden in a muzzle to stop him savaging the rider – even gelding failed to improve his temperament much although in his later years, Simon dispensed with the muzzle. A 1.45 horse himself, Hors la Loi has bred better than himself, with three Grand Prix winners, Verdi III (with Pius Schwitzer and Tiffany Foster), Untouchable and Daniel Deusser, Vocas and McLain Ward, and Woodstock, a 1.50 winner with Laura Kraut. One of the seriously starring looking colts at this year’s KWPN stallion show, was Hotspot by Hors la Loi out of a Nabab de Reve/For Pleasure mare. 381 progeny with 170 competitors = 44.61!
It’s hard to get enthusiastic about fifth ranked, Oklund keur (Holland / Pilot, 1996 – 2007), breeding value 151 (94%). An honest toiler with Eric van der Vleuten, their career highlight was a win in the Grand Prix of Eindhoven in 2005… By far his best performing offspring is Capetown, out of a Carlino mare – Capetown won a 1.50 class at Barcelona 5 star, in 2014, ridden by Wout-Jan van der Schans. 742 over four, 312 competitors = 42.04%, which is impressive.
Then we have Cantos keur (Contender / Goodtimes), another modest performer. His best a second in the Grand Prix of Linz with Julia Kayser. His best product, Amelia (Numero Uno) – 1st in the three star GP of Dinard, 74th at the WEG in Caen, with Karim El Zoghby. 664 progeny, 273 competitors = 41.11%. His breeding value is 149 (94%), equal with the great Berlin keur who has a slightly lower reliability, 92%, although I guess you wouldn’t think that if you were cantering up to a 1.60 oxer. Partnered with Gerco Schroeder, Berlin was a star on the Dutch team, winning many Nations Cups, and placing 6th individually at the 2006 WEG. As a sire he has yet to hit the jackpot, his best so far, Zerlin M (Concorde), a 1.45 horse with Marlon Zanotelli Modolo. 451 over four, 168 competitors = 37.25%.
Namelus R gets a pref after his name, and he is advertised as the best son of Concorde (out of a mare by Joost). He has a breeding value of 146 (94%), despite seemingly never having competed internationally. His best product has been Tripple X, a star with Ben Maher and Tiffany Foster, but even with his points, does not make the WBFSH top 50 sires list… 697 over four, 259 competitors = 37.15%.
Zirocco Blue – one of the young stars…
Equal on a breeding value of 146 is one of the young stars of the Dutch scene, ten-year-old Zirocco Blue VDL (Mr Blue / Voltaire). Paired with Jur Vrieling, the stallion started 2015 with a win in the Grand Prix at Melsomvik and a fourth at Goteborg. Last year they have wins at Mechelen, Oslo, Geesteren and Melsomvik, and seconds at Olympia and Lausanne. In fact, at the age of nine, he won his first ever Grand Prix in Copenhagen. His first crops of five and six-year-olds are going well in Young Horse classes. 420 four year olds, 87 competitors = 20%.
It is not surprising the Zirocco Blue was the most popular stallion, with 207 foals last year.
The second most popular is Kannan (Voltaire / Nimmerdor) who despite being number one on the WBFSH stallion standings with 84 of his progeny contributing to his points total, has a relatively low breeding value of 146 (79%) – although he is in good company, also on this score we find Quidam de Revel and Cardento, two more stallions initially ‘failed’ by their respective licensing commissions. The Dutch authorities have an uneasy relationship with Kannan, this was underlined in an OP/ED piece on Horses International.com by Albertine Nannings, editor of Dutch equestrian newspaper De Paardenkrant in the run up to last February’s KWPN stallion show, when Ms Nannings criticized the omission of world number one jumping stallion, Kannan from the list of horses up for the title, KWPN Horse of the Year:
“Kannan, it seems, still appears to be one of the KWPN’s old sores.
For in 1995 the KWPN let the future Grand Prix horse and sire of the Olympic champion slip through their fingers, much to the delight of the Selle Français. To honour the old breeding stallion in the same arena where twenty years ago he received a ‘not accepted’ does not fit in the KWPN’s slick marketing strategy.
This, however, is a sign of short-sightedness. The KWPN are a great studbook, but would’ve been even greater if Kannan had been given the credits he deserves. A studbook contains more than a sales and marketing department and the KWPN, therefore, should never renounce the roots of their existence: breeders like Mariet and Wobbe Kramer.
In February at the Stallion Show in ‘s Hertogenbosch a new chosen one will be appointed as KWPN Horse of the Year, but whoever it will be: he or she must curtsy to the 22-year-old gentleman who was not allowed on the KWPN’s end of year list.”
As it turned out, the Kramers were recognized at the show, but the Dutch are obviously still a bit embarrassed by the very big one that got away…
Harley VDL (Heartbreaker / Carthago) produced 142 foals. He is ranked 4th on the list of stallions with a reliability of 80 – 89%. 210 over four, 71 competitors = 33.8.
Numero Uno pref (Libero H / Lord Calando) put 122 foals on the ground. He ranks 17th on the over 90% standings, with a breeding value of 139 (97%). 1754 over four, 666 competitors = 37.97.
Starpower (Stakkato / Escudo I) was popular with 118 foals, even though he has no progeny in competition. Breeding value 141 – but 53% reliability.
Like father, Arezzo VDL…
Arezzo VDL (Chin Chin / Heartbreaker) had 117 foals. He is second on the 80 – 89% chart, with a breeding value of 162 (83%), just behind his stable-mate, Baltic VDL (Quaprice Z / Jus de Pomme) who has a value of 164 (82%). Baltic was born in 2006, Arezzo in 2005, so they don’t have many four-year-olds. Baltic – 104, 14 competitors, 13.46%, while Arezzo has 169, 24 competitors = 14.2%.
like son – History-Rilexy
Arezzo’s progeny looked great at the KWPN licensing, and I, along with most observers, thought that the colt, History-Rilexy (out of an Indoctro / Nimmerdor mare) should have gone champion…
El Salvador (Vigaro / Kojak) produced 107 foals, but he has no progeny in competition so appears on the list of stallions that are just evaluated on the basis of their own performance and their breeding, with a value of 152 (58%). Vigaro was an honest performer with Gerco Schroeder, but no star – his best result, 7th in the GP of Hardenburg*** in 2012, his last year of competition.
Etoulon VDL (Toulon / Calvados) is on the same list, with a breeding value of 149 (58%) which did not deter the owners of 100 mares.
Canabis – I can’t see why he should have to wear a ‘z’ suffix since was born in Holstein and bred by Olaf Medro – (Contender / Silvester) bred 93 foals. Canabis was a moderate performer with Spaniard Manuel Fernandez Saro (best result first in the GP of Vejer de Frontera**) but has bred better than that, with successful progeny: Cabreado Z (Daniel Deusser), Zoltan (Gerfried Puck), Cadjanine (Patrick Spits), Caesar (Andre Thieme), Cassandro d’Aubry Z (Aurore Christen) and Calisca La Z ) Gerfried Puck. Also he has some talented offspring at small tour level such as Canarobi Z (Rob Raskin) and Carolus Z (Hervé Godingon).
Canabis has a breeding value of 123 (51%) on the list of foreign stallions admitted to the Dutch book. The best scores on this list are Andiamo (Animo / Garitchou), 169 (92%), and an impressive 186 out of 414 competitors, 44.9%, then there is Zinedine B (Guidam / Heartbreaker with 167 (56%), a genuine GP star with Ludger Beerbaum, then Plot-Blue (Mr Blue / Pilot) on 166 (55%), Bubalu VDL (Baloubet du Rouet / Nimmerdor) on 162 (47%) and Cornet Obolensky, 161 (74%) – that’s an impressive lineup, even if poor old Kannan is still being discriminated against with a value of 146 (79%)
Quasimodo vd Molendreef (Heartbreaker / Lys de Darmen) produced 84 foals. He is in 11th place on the list of stallions with a reliability of less than 80%, with a breeding value of 138 (78%) and with 31 out of 162 over 4, a participation rate of 19.13%. The Belgian stallion was a competent performer with David Jobertie, and peaked with a 3rd in the GP of Vigo*** with Jaime Azcarraga. However he has bred some interesting jumpers – Carat who as a seven-year-old won a 1.50 at Frankfurt**** with Marcus Ehning, then faded, his last recorded performance a 3rd in a 1.40 with Maikel van der Vleuten in 2013. Quasimodo had two representatives at the London Games, Sanctos van ter Gravenhof, fifth, and lucky to have Scott Brash in the saddle, and Comte d’Arsouiles, who was not so lucky, carrying Alexander Orishenko to 69th.
In the OCD stakes though, Kannan comes up trumps on 106 (66%) just a point behind the equal top score of 107 for Arezzo VDL, and Boss (Indoctro / Nimmerdor). Others above 104, on 105 are Zambesi (Heartbreaker / Calvaro – 67%), Zapatero VDL (Chin Chin / Ircolando – 64%) and Zazou R (Tolan R / Cordalme Z – 64%). And below the 96 mark? Andiamo (95 – 69%), Charisma (Stakkato / Cassini I, 95 – 65%), Chellthago Z (Chellano Z / Carthago, 95 – 64%), Zurich (Berlin / Concorde, 94 – 65%), Campbell VDL (Cassini I / Carpaccio, 94 – 65%), Spartacus (Stakkato / Grannus, 94 – 65%), Zidane (Ladas / Graf Grannus), 94 – 64%), Master Claudius (Concorde / Nimmerdor, 93 – 66%), Dynamo (Andiamo / Winningmood vd Arenberg, 93 – 66%), Singapore (Acorado / Cantus, 92 – 64%), Quality Time (Quantum / Cantus, 90 – 64%), and, shock horror, Vigo d’Arsouilles (Nabab de Rêve / Fleuri du Manoir, 89 – 66%).
Vigo d’Arsouilles – would you risk the chips?
Not going to breed to a World Champion, the son of an Olympic Star out of a famous mare line because you might get a few chips thrown into the bargain? Just how much notice do you intend taking of ‘the numbers’?
First published, March 2015