BREEDING INSIGHTS: FOAL TO FIVE STAR
(As appeared in The Irish Field Sport Horse Stallion supplement 2025)
Behind every top-level showjumper lies a breeder, a pedigree, and a set of breeding decisions taken a decade or more ago. This article delves into the breeding details of the horses who claimed victory at five-star Grand Prix and World Cup level in 2024, analysing their parentage, damlines and breeders that set the foundation for their success.
According to equestrian data science company EquiRatings, half of all horses who attempt to compete at five-star 1m60 never successfully record a clear round at this level. To not only jump clear, but to win at this level, is therefore quite an achievement.
Impressively, nine horses recorded multiple five-star Grand Prix or World Cup victories in 2024. Leading the charge with three wins apiece are Victor Bettendorf’s former mount, Foxy de la Roque (Armitages Boy x Kannan), bred by EURL Top Stallions Company, who won at her five-star Grand Prix debut at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Rome. The pair then followed this with a Grand Prix win in Lyon and returned to the Longines Global Champions Tour to go on and win the highly-coveted Super Grand Prix in Riyadh.
In February, Richard Vogel’s remarkable stallion United Touch S (Untouched x Lux Z), bred by Julius-Peter Sinnack, won the five-star Grand Prix in Wellington to start his year off on a good note, and later added World Cup victories in Lyon and Stuttgart to his tally.
Martin Fuchs’ Leone Jei (Baltic VDL x VDL Corland), bred by Gijs van Mersbergen, recorded a trio of five-star wins starting with the Ocala Longines League of Nations Grand Prix and followed up with Rolex Grand Prix victories in Calgary and Windsor.
Reigning Olympic champions Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 (Comme Il Faut x Come On), bred by Wolfgang Kipp, recorded two five-star Grand Prix wins ahead of the Paris Games.
Also, Karl Cook’s Caracole de la Roque (Zandor Z x Kannan), bred by EURL Top Stallions Company, Kent Farrington’s Greya (Colestus x Contender), bred by Wilfried Sandmann, Michael Pender’s HHS Calais (Cavalier Royale x O.B.O.S. Quality), bred by Ita Brennan, Daniel Coyle’s Legacy (Chippendale Z x Bon Ami), bred by Romain Rotty, and David Will’s Zinedream (Zinedine x Contender), bred by Gerd Küst, each claimed two victories at this level in 2024.
Outliers
While the average winner’s age was 13 years old, the youngest horses to achieve victories at this level were merely 9; three-time-winner Foxy de la Roque, Thibeau Spits’ Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z (Indoktro K van't Kattenheye x Vagabond de la Pomme), bred by Tony Raman & Mieke Strobbe, Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida’s Karonia L (Harley VDL x Ramiro Z), bred by Th. Lemmers, & Richard Howley’s Zodiak Du Buisson Z (Zandor Z x Kodarco), bred by A van de Mortel.
A full 10 years their senior, Eduardo Alvarez Aznar’s Rokfeller de Pleville Bois Margot (L'Arc de Triomphe x Apache d'Adriers), bred by Valerie Allix, was the oldest five-star Grand Prix winner of the season at the age of 19. The pair won the Rabat Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in October.
Leading Breeders
In addition to Caracole de la Roque and Foxy de la Roque, the Hecart family’s EURL Top Stallions Company in France are also the breeders of 2024 Basel World Cup winner, Toupie de la Roque (Kannan x Nabab de Reve), ridden by Pieter Devos.
Two breeding products of Belgium’s Stal 't Ruytershof BVBA feature in this list of five-star winners; H&M Luna van't Ruytershof Z (Levisto Z x For Pleasure), ridden by Nicola Philippaerts, & Messi van't Ruytershof (Plot Blue x For Pleasure), ridden by Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann.
What makes this breeding achievement extra special is that both horses share a dam, Inathina van't Ruytershof (For Pleasure x Diamant de Semilly), and were born in the same year, 2012. Their granddam, Diamanthina v/h Ruytershof (Diamant de Semilly x Carthago Z), is the full sister to Olympic competitor and prominent breeding stallion Emerald.
In 2024, several riders claimed five-star Grand Prix or World Cup wins aboard horses bred by their family; Robert Whitaker & Vermento (Argento x Skippy II), bred by parents John & Claire Whitaker, Lars Kersten & Hallilea (VDL Zirocco Blue x Larome), bred by father Pieter Kersten, Julien Epaillard & Donatello D'Auge (Jarnac x Hello Pierville), bred by wife Susana Epaillard Garcia Cereceda, and Gilles Thomas & Luna van het Dennehof, bred by uncle Marc Van Dijck in partnership with Patrick De Muynck.
Dams & Damlines
The aforementioned Inathina van't Ruytershof, dam of H&M Luna van't Ruytershof Z & Messi van't Ruytershof, is the only mare to produce two offspring who won at five-star Grand Prix or World Cup level in 2024.
Harry Charles’ Sherlock (Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere x Malito de Reve), bred by Gustaaf Quintelier (De Donk NV), and Thibeau Spits’ Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z both descend from mareline BWP 61.
Utopia van de Donkhoeve (Robin II Z x Chin Chin), a former Grand Prix mare of Pieter Devos, is the third dam of Sherlock and the granddam of Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z. From a prolific damline, Utopia van de Donkhoeve is also the granddam of Jessica Springsteen’s partner at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve (Bamako de Muze x Heartbreaker), bred by Gustaaf Quintelier, of De Donk NV.
Several of last season’s five-star winners were the direct offspring of mares who themselves competed up to 1m60 level. These mares include Valencia (Quidam de Revel x Calypso III), dam of Luna van het Dennehof; Walloon de Muze (Nabab de Reve x Chin Chin), dam of Toupie de la Roque; Askaria 3 (Askari x Levisto Z), dam of Andre Thieme’s DSP Chakaria; Lara II (Landfriese I x Lord), dam of Abdel Said’s Bonne Amie; Magnolia Mystic Rose (VDL Zircocco Blue x VDL Cardento), dam of Yuri Mansur’s Miss Blue-Saint Blue Farm; and Sussex Caretino (Caretino Glory x Hamilton De Barzin), dam of Lillie Keenan’s Kick On.
Of the 70 individual five-star Grand Prix and World Cup winners in 2024, at least 19 are out of mares that competed to 1m30 or higher.
Thirteen horses have a granddam who competed at 1m40 level or higher. On average, the dams of these horses were 8 years old conceiving them, while their sires were typically 10.
Standout Sires
Some 10 stallions are represented by two offspring in the list of five-star Grand Prix and World Cup winners in 2024. They are Baloubet du Rouet, Bisquet Balou van de Mispelaere, Chacco-Blue, Connor, Diamant de Semilly, Eldorado van de Zeshoek, Emerald, Kannan, Mylord Carthago and VDL Zirocco Blue.
Born in 2006, the Holstein sire Connor is the youngest stallion to be represented by two winning offspring. Martin Fuchs’ Conner Jei, bred by Gerhard Stamer, won the Rolex Grand Prix of Dublin, while Rene Dittmer’s Corsica X, bred by Erich Westphal, claimed the Hampton Classic Grand Prix.
Kannan leads the way on the dam sire front, represented four times. He is followed by Nabab de Reve who appears three times. Five stallions appear as dam sires twice; Canturo, Contender, Diamant de Semilly, Escudo I and For Pleasure.
The late Vigo Cece, born in 2009, is the youngest represented sire. Denver de Talma, bred by Michel Guiot, comes from Vigo Cece’s first crop and, in 2024, won the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard under the saddle of Lorenzo De Luca.
On the other end of the scale is HHS Calais’ sire, Cavalier Royale, born in 1978.
Irish Success
Seven Irish riders won a combined total of 12 five-star Grand Prix and World Cup classes last season.
Darragh Kenny claimed three wins on three different horses. He led a full Irish podium in the Grand Prix of Wellington riding Amsterdam 27 (Catoki x Acord II), bred by Sönke Petersen, and won the Major League of Showjumping Grand Prix in Monterrey on VDL Cartello (Cartani 4 x Lord), bred by Stall Witt.
He ended the year on a high when winning the London World Cup on Eddy Blue (Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Chacco Blue), bred Gestüt Lewitz/Paul Schockemöhle.
Conor Swail won at Spruce Meadows aboard Count Me In (Count Grannus x Sherlock Holmes), bred by Friedrich Lüssmann, and in Tryon on Casturano (Castelan 3 x Canturo), bred by Detlef Hennings.
Daniel Coyle and Legacy added two World Cup qualifiers to an already impressive CV, winning in Amsterdam and Leipzig. Michael Pender and HHS Calais recorded Grand Prix victories in Sharjah and at the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona.
Three Irish riders claimed one apiece. The Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Miami Beach was won by Michael Duffy riding Claptonn Mouche (HH Conrad Z x Elan de la Cour), bred by GAEC Mouche.
Richard Howley and Zodiak Du Buisson Z won the Coapexpan Grand Prix in Mexico, while the American Gold Cup in Traverse City went to Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising), bred by Patrick & Shane Connolly.
In total three Irish-bred horses won a five-star Grand Prix in 2024: HHS Calais (Michael Pender), James Kann Cruz (Shane Sweetnam) and Max Kühner’s EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (Chacco Blue x ARD VDL Douglas), bred by Mark Sherry.
The latter pair were the winning combination in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of St Tropez in June.
Champions of Tomorrow
The journey from foal to five-star is full of twists and turns, requiring not only exceptional breeding but also the right management, training and a touch of luck along the way.
Every horse's story begins with a breeder and an idea. The results of those choices—made a decade or more ago—are now playing out on the world’s biggest stages.
As a new breeding season begins, breeders once again face the challenge of making decisions that could shape the future of the sport.
Which of this year’s foals will rise through the ranks to become the five-star champions of tomorrow? Only time will tell.
