This past Friday, 19th July, marked one week from the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Including those listed as ‘Reserve’, a total of 94 individual horses are named on the ‘Definite Entries’ list for Jumping, which takes place on the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th of August.
Ask breeders of sport horses what their ultimate breeding goal is, and many will respond with ambitions of a homebred competing at the Olympic Games one day. Well done to the breeders responsible for these 94 horses. For these homebreds to have made it this far is already a wonderful achievement. Many are now just days away from becoming a breeder of an Olympic horse.
At 19 years old, Eduardo Alvarez Aznar’s Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot, bred by Valerie Allix, is the oldest horse listed for Paris. Having previously contested the Rio Olympic Games, this will be Rokfeller’s second Olympics. Unlike at the Tokyo Olympic Games, we will not see any 9-year-old showjumpers in Paris. However, nine 10-year-old horses are set to take up the charge. Among the 94 horses, the average age is 13.
Having studied the pedigrees of all horses on the ‘Definite Entries’ for Paris, here are my breeding insights.
Leading Breeders
Two breeders are represented by more than one home-bred. With three breeding products set to line out at the upcoming games, Paul Schockemöhle, of Gestüt Lewitz in Germany, is the most represented breeder. The three homebreds are Chadellano JRA (Eiken Sato), Condara (Luis Fernando Larrazabal) & Ladriano Z (Daniel Bluman).
The second breeder is Germany’s Wilfried Sandmann, represented by Contago (Eugenio Garza Perez) & Greya (Kent Farrington). In addition to sharing a breeder, both Contago and Grey also share a granddam, Landgräfin (Landkaiser x Perser XX). Contago is sired by Cornet Obolensky, while Greya is sired by the Cornet Obolensky son Colestus, making the relationship even closer.
Dams & Damlines
A total of 18 mares are named in the Jumping ‘Definite Entries’. In addition to being an Olympic nominee, Luis Fernando Larrazabal’s mare Condara (Conthargos x Cartogran) is also the dam of Check Me Out PS (by Chacoon Blue), who Luis has already brought to 1m50 level.
Similarly, Hillary Scott’s Oaks Milky Way (Clearway x Jalisco B), bred in Australia by Alice Cameron of Oaks Sport Horses, has produced, Oaks Come By Chance (By Cera Cassiago), a Grand Prix horse with David Cameron.
On the reverse, GL Events Dorai D’Aiguilly (Olivier Perreau), Imagine (Kim Emmen), Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm (Yuri Mansur), Nimrod De Muze Imperio Egipcio (Pedro Veniss) and Zineday (Philipp Weishaupt) all have dams who themselves competed up to 1m60 level.
Worth noting is that GL Events Dorai d'Aiguilly (Kannan x Toulon), bred by E.A.R.L. Ecurie Perreau & Fils, is the half sister to breeding stallion Eldorado van de Zeshoek, who we will come back to later.
Approximately 20% of the 94 horses listed for Paris are the offspring of mares who performed at 1m30 level or higher, while several others have second and third dams proven in the sport at 1m40 and above.
Of the 94 entries, the horse with the youngest dam is Gilles Thomas’ 10-year-old stallion Ermitage Kalone (Catoki x Kannan). Born in 2011, his dam Bellaventure Kalone was therefore covered as a 2 Year Old, with Ermitage Kalone arriving for breeder Magali Dessalles in 2014.
While none of the entries share a dam, some do share a damline, in addition to the aforementioned Contago and Greya. Although they are from distant branches, it’s interesting that two of the four horses named for Team France share a damline; Dubai du Cedre (Julien Epaillard), bred by Sylvain Pitois & Perrine Cateline, & Scuderia 1918 Viking d'la Rousserie (Kevin Staut), bred by Michel Roger.
Breeding Stallions
A total of 19 stallions make the ‘Definite Entries’ list, most of whom are approved for breeding in various studbooks throughout the world. Notable breeding stallions include Ermitage Kalone (Gilles Thomas), Foncetti Van De Heffinck (Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi), Grandorado TN NOP (Willem Greve), Quel Homme De Hus (Jérôme Guery), United Touch S (Richard Vogel), Uricas V/D Kattevennen (Harrie Smolders), Vancouver de Lanlore (Pius Schwizer) and Zuccero (Rolf-Göran Bengtsson).
Standout Sires
A total of 71 stallions will have at least one offspring at this year’s Olympic Games. Five of these are represented in Paris by three offspring; Chacco-Blue, Eldorado van de Zeshoek, Kannan, Toulon & VDL Cardento.
Born in 2009, Vigo Cece (Quaprice du Bois Margot x Diamant de Semilly) is the youngest stallion with an offspring competing in Paris. His 10 Year Old son, Enjoy De La Mure, bred by Beatrice Drigeard Desgarnier, is the mount of United Arab Emirates rider, Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi.
On the other end of the scale, Barcelona Olympian Quidam de Revel, born in 1982, is the oldest stallion to have an offspring competing at this year’s games. He is represented by Jérôme Guery’’s Quel Homme De Hus, bred by Andreas Kosicki, already a Team Bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in addition to Individual Silver at the 2022 World Equestrian Games in Herning.
Of the 71 sires represented by one or more offspring, 12 have themselves contested a former Olympic Games; Baloubet Du Rouet, Calvaro Z, Cornet Obolensky, Dollar Du Murier, Emerald, For Pleasure, Mylord Carthago, Quidam De Revel, Russel, Tlaloc La Sillar (a.k.a. Dollar de la Pierre), VDL Cardento & VDL Zirocco Blue. In fact, Baloubet Du Rouet and For Pleasure each competed at two Olympics.
Damsires
Kannan is the most represented damsire, with four of his daughters each producing one of this year’s competitors. Cornet Obolensky and Toulon, the former out of a Heartbreaker dam and the latter directly sired by Heartbreaker, each appear three times as a damsire.
Of the 94 horses listed, no two horses share the same sire/damsire combination.
Nod to the Irish
Finally, as an Irish breeder, I would like to conclude with a mention of the Irish-bred showjumpers contesting this year’s Olympic Games.
As was the case in Tokyo, two of the four horses selected for Team Ireland in Paris are Irish-bred. They are Shane Sweetnam’s mount James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising), bred by Patrick Connolly & family, and Bertram Allen’s Tokyo partner, Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro), bred by Simon Scott.
BBS McGregor, a former Nations Cup mount of Ireland’s Jack Ryan, and bred by Jack’s mother Marguerite Ryan, heads to Paris with Abdullah Mohd Al Marri (UAE).
The fourth Irish-bred is the twelve-year-old mare Maxwin Kinmar Agalux (Aganix du Seigneur x Lux Z), ridden by Thailand’s Janakabhorn (‘Dlite’) Karunayadhaj. She was bred in Kinmar Stud by Gerry Marron & family.
Congratulations again to each of these 94 horses’ breeders, and to all those that have been involved in their production to date. Best of luck to each of their riders, owners and support teams in Paris.
Please note: For queries or amendments regarding this article, please email michael@quarryfieldfarm.com. Based on FEI Definite Entries list published 11.7.2024.
