Who have been Ireland’s highest ranked breeders in 2021, across the three Olympic disciplines of Showjumping, Eventing and Dressage? Let’s delve into the Hippomundo Breeder Rankings and find out.
Well done to each of these Irish breeders on their respective rankings, and breeding successes. Your home-bred horses have been fantastic ambassadors for Ireland’s sport horse sector throughout the 2021 season.
SHOWJUMPING
Firstly, let's take a look at the Showjumping breeder rankings. With a combined total of €348,984 won by home-bred horses, the late Ita Brennan, along with her family at Mill House Stud in Kilkenny, top the list of Irish Showjumping breeders for 2021. Mikey Pender’s mount HHS Calais (Cavalier Royale x OBOS Quality 004) has recorded earnings of €205,480 and tops the list of Brennan-bred showjumpers. The second highest earning home-bred is Kilkenny (Cardento x Guidam), who had an exceptional start to the 2021 season under Cian O’Connor, and subsequently contested the Tokyo Olympic Games. In doing so, Kilkenny became the second MHS-bred showjumper (from the same damline) to contest consecutive Olympic Games, with MHS Going Global having competed at Rio 2016. Eight Mill House Stud-bred horses added to the total prize money figure won in 2021.
Louth’s Judy Murphy ranks second, with four of her Java-prefixed home-bred horses winning a total of just over a quarter of a million in prize money. The formidable duo of Ireland’s Nicky Galligan and Javas Miss Jordan (Luidam x OBOS Quality) had a season to remember, recording several Grand Prix wins and placings in the USA. They clocked up earnings of €223,755 in 2021.
Thanks to Bertam Allen’s 2021 Olympic Games partner, Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro), Donegal’s Simon Scott ranks as the third highest placed Showjumping breeder. Pacino Amiro recorded total earnings of €207,545. In February, the pair claimed the Wellington CSI5* Grand Prix.
Marion Hughes (Kilkenny), Joanne Sloan-Allen (Antrim), Sven Kapp (Galway), Brian Duff (Meath), Cheryl Broderick (Tipperary), the partnership of Gerry Marron & Luc Henry (Monaghan) and John Clarke (Cavan) finish out the Top Ten breeder rankings in the Showjumping section.
Top 10 Irish Breeders - 2021 Hippomundo Showjumping Rankings (Credit: Hippomundo)
EVENTING
On the Eventing front, Cavan’s Peter Brady is the highest-ranking Irish breeder, based on the success of home-bred Off The Record (VDL Arkansas x Ard Ohio). Under USA’s Will Coleman, Off The Record won Aachen CCIO4*-S in September, having placed second in The Plains CCI4*-S less than a month prior and also winning the Raeford CCI4*-S in March.
In second place is the late Noel Hickey, from County Limerick. His flagship home-bred, Ballaghmor Class (by Courage II), won the coveted Kentucky CCI5*-L in April with his long-time rider Oliver Townend (GBR). To many competitors, that would be a career, or at least season, highlight. Townend and Ballaghmor class later headed for the Tokyo Olympic Games and impressively claimed Team Gold, in addition to a fifth place finish individually. Ballaghmor Class also finished the season as the second highest horse in the British Eventing rankings.
Wicklow’s John Hagan ranks third, thanks to another of Oliver Townend’s top mounts. A former European Championship Team Silver-medalist, Cooley Master Class (Ramiro B x Master Imp xx), flew stateside in October and took the runner up spot in Maryland CCI5*-L.
Completing the Top Ten rankings of Irish eventing breeders for 2021 are Sean Thomas Lydon (Galway), brothers Ray & Aidan Carroll (Offaly), John Mulvey (Wicklow), Michael Byrne (Wicklow), Paddy & Maria Raggett (Kilkenny), Michael Burke (Galway) and Jim O’Neill (Kilkenny).
Top 10 Irish Breeders - 2021 Hippomundo Eventing Rankings (Credit: Hippomundo)
DRESSAGE
Two Irish breeders feature in the Hippomundo Dressage rankings for 2021.
Irish international Dressage rider Heike Holstein leads the Irish rankings with a horse both bred and ridden by her; Sambuca (Samarant x Limmerick). Having recorded Top Ten Grand Prix placings in Exloo, Wellington and Rotterdam, Holstein and home-bred Sambuca became Ireland’s sole Dressage representatives at the Tokyo Olympic Games. To breed an Olympic horse is quite an achievement, as is for a rider to produce one from grassroots to an Olympic stage. To accomplish both, with the same horse, is a phenomenal achievement.
Sligo breeder Martin Cowley features second in the Dressage rankings, based on the results of his home-bred Affinity Bay (Gino III x High Roller), ridden by Great Britain’s Daisy Coakley.
Top Irish Breeders - 2021 Hippomundo Dressage Rankings (Credit: Hippomundo)
YOUNG HORSE RANKINGS
A special mention must also go to Irish Breeder Ronan Byrne. His home-bred Rockwell RC finished the 2021 season as the leading 7 Year Old in the Hippomundo Young Horse Rankings. A former Young Horse World Champion with Jason Foley, Rockwell RC is now campaigned by Dutch rider Kim Emmen.
To learn more about the Hippomundo rankings, tools and services available to you, visit Hippomundo.
