YOU would wonder if Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampf, Antoon Loos and Ocke Riewerts ever thought that Chipmunk FRH, Shadow Man and London 52 would win Olympic medals?

It’s practically every sport horse breeder’s dream, looking over the fence at their foals, to hope that an Olympic horse just may be amongst them.

Odds tend to stack up and best laid-plans can go astray. Last-minute reshuffles and substitutions saw team line-ups changed at Paris, which meant a case of so-near-and-yet-so-far for connections.

Chipmunk has classic eventing breeding. His sire Contendro I was a five-time leading eventing sire in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings, succeeding Heraldik, Chipmunk’s damsire.

Shadow Man and London 52 are bred more on jumping lines. That appears to be the key to securing eventing medals at the Olympics, particularly with its three team-member ‘every score counts’ format.

The most-represented studbooks in the Paris top-10? German and Benelux countries, with one Irish Sport Horse amongst this group: MGH Grafton Street.

As with the brilliant Ballaghmor Class and his late breeder Noel Hickey, MGH Grafton Street’s achievement of a team bronze medal for Japan and individual seventh place is a posthumous honour for Martin J Collins.

Originally, from Querrin in Co Clare, Martin later moved to south Tipperary. He passed away in 2015, four years before MGH Grafton Street and Pippa Funnell won Burghley CSI5*-L.

Registered as Bannerfarm Rocket, we know the 2008-foaled gelding is by the Oldenburg stallion O.B.O.S Quality 004. Bred by Paul Schockemöhle, O.B.O.S Quality 004 was first brought to Ireland by O’Brien Office Systems’ Marie O’Brien (hence his prefix).

The late Quick Star stallion spent the latter part of his stud career at Kieran Kennedy’s Coolballyshan Stud in Adare.

What we don’t know are many details about MGH Grafton Street’s dam, believed to be a thoroughbred. Again, just like Ballaghmor Class, there is a minimal paper trail for MGH Grafton Street’s unnamed dam.

Jaguars and Kings

Any more Irish-breds in Monday’s individual final? Two: Colorado Blue and Cooley Nutcracker, the latter being one of the last-minute additions to the start list.

The US team horse and Liz Halliday made their debut as a substitute for both of Will Coleman’s horses, Diabolo and the Cavan-bred Off The Record (ISH) (VDL Arkansas (KWPN) – Drumagoland Bay (ISH) by Ard Ohio (KWPN). Breeder: Peter G. Brady).

Elizabeth Halliday (USA) riding Nutcracker during the Eventing Cross-Country at the Chateau de Versailles for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games \ FEI/Benjamin Clark

Colorado Blue was bred at his breeder Kate Jarvey’s Mellon Stud in Co Limerick, a proverbial stone’s throw away from where Ballaghmor Class, another Tokyo Olympics horse, was foaled.

Registered with Sport Horse Breeding (GB), as his Rock King dam, Rock Me Baby was ineligible for the Irish Horse Register, Colorado Blue is by Jaguar Mail (SF). Those Selle Français bloodlines are stamped all over the Paris Games, as were German and Belgian lines and even they often contained Selle Français roots.

Colorado Blue and Austin O’Connor enjoyed their own individual success, with an outstanding win in last autumn’s five-star – a level up from the Paris Olympics – at Maryland International CSI5*-L.

The Swedish team horse Box Leo (SWB) is the second Jaguar Mail offspring in the top-25, no other sire had two progeny in this group.

Rock King is the damsire of three of Monday’s individual finalist horses: Colorado Blue, Lordships Graffalo and Menlo Park.

Tolan R had two Paris progeny: the Donegal-bred Cooley Nutcracker (individual 19th) and his US teammate and reigning Pan-Am individual gold medallist, HSH Blake.

This is quite a remarkable achievement and strike rate for the late KWPN stallion Tolan R, brought to Ireland in 2013 in partnership with Stal Roelofs, Alan Robertson and Justin Burke.

Pan-Am to Paris

HSH Blake was not the only medal-winning Irish Sport Horse at the 2023 Pan-Am Games, hosted last August in Chile.

Hot Bobo was part of the Canadian gold medal team and two members of Brazil’s bronze medal team are also Irish-breds: Castle Howard Casanova and Ballypatrick SRS.

These three Pan-Am veterans, plus HSH Blake, were all selected for the Paris longlist and made it onto a team, albeit it was another 11th hour call-up, this time for Ballypatrick SRS.

Susan Fitzpatrick was amongst the breeders present in Versailles to watch Castle Howard Casanova, individual silver medallist at the 2023 Pan-Am Games.

Substitutions also kicked in for the Irish team, with Aoife Clark and Sportsfield Freelance replacing Sarah Ennis and the injured Action Lady M.

The fourth four-legged member of the Irish team was bred cross-channel and that was Susie Berry’s partner Wellfields Lincoln (Luidam (KWPN) – Primatech (AES), by Priolo (TB). Breeder: Emma Humphreys).

Completing the Irish angle was Cash In Hand. Bred in Moate, the 11-year-old Traditional Irish Horse was the sole TIH at this year’s Olympics – a considerable sea change from Sydney and Athens, two horse generations ago, when Custom Made and Ringwood Cockatoo won individual gold medals.

Any thoroughbred sightings in the final confirmed line-up? Bold Venture (Devaraja – Royal Zam, by Zamoff. Breeder: D Parton) on the Australian team with Shenae Lowings.

Karl Slezak (CAN) on Hot Bobo during the cross-country at the Château de Versailles at the Paris Olympic Games \ Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Decreasing numbers

How do the number of top-25 placed Irish-breds compare to the results from the two most recent Olympic Games?

Well, Ballaghmor Class (Courage II (HOLST) – Kilderry Place. Breeder: Noel Hickey) was on the British gold medal team with Oliver Townend and the pair finished individual fifth; Grovine de Reve (Hermes de Reve (BWP) – Erkina Jane (ISH) (TIH) by Rimilis (TB). Breeder: Paddy and Maria Raggett), placed 11th for Jonelle Price (NZL), two places ahead of Colorado Blue and Austin O’Connor (13th). Total? Three horses/ one team gold medal for Ballaghmor Class is the final tally for Tokyo.

As for Rio, Mighty Nice (Ard Ohio – Saracen. Breeder: William Kells) won individual bronze for Philip Dutton (USA). Paulank Brockagh (Touchdown (ISH) – Calendar Girl (ISH) by Triggerero. Breeder: Frank and Paula Cullen) was fourth and on the Australian bronze medal team.

Cooley Rorkes Drift (Courage II – Doon-A-Ree Lass (ISH) by Rachelle Comet (TB). Breeder: William McCarrison) and Jonty Evans were best of the Irish eventing riders at those Games in individual ninth; MGH Grafton Street’s rider Yoshiaki Oiwa placed 20th with The Duke Of Cavan (Courage II – Dysert Girl (ISH) by Ricardo Z (ZANG). Breeder: Tommy Fitzpatrick), the second of Courage II’s offspring in the Rio top-20 and making it a total of five Irish Sport Horses in the top-25 was the Italian team horse Barraduff (Carroll House (TB) – Crested Vesta VI. Breeder: Sheelagh Hickey. Rider: Pietro Roman). Total: five horses/team bronze and individual bronze medals for Mighty Nice and Paulank Brockagh.

A welcome addition to the official Paris website were the grooms’ names, although it would have been a just reward to have seen the breeders listed too.

While Paris saw mixed results for many hopefuls, the dream continues for eventing breeders.

Until the next time in Los Angeles.

Paris medallists

Individual

Gold – Chipmunk FRH (HANN). Contendro I (HOLST) – Havanna 71, by Heraldik (TB). Breeder: Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampf. Rider: Michael Jung (GER).

Silver – Shadow Man (BWP). Fidjy of Colours (BWP) – Favorite van de Keezerswinning (BWP) by Winningmood (BWP). Breeder: Antoon Loos. Rider: Christopher Burton (AUS).

Bronze – London 52 (HOLST). Landos (HOLST) – Vernante (HOLST) by Quinar (HOLST). Breeder: Ocke Riewerts. Rider: Laura Collet (GBR).

Team

Gold – Great Britain

  • London 52.
  • JL Dublin (HOLST). Diarado (HOLST) – Zarinna (HOLST), by Canta (HOLST). Breeder: Volker Göttsche-Götze. Rider: Tom McEwen.
  • Lordships Graffalo (SHB(GB)). Grafenstolz (TRAK) – Cornish Queen, by Rock King. Breeder: Lordships Stud, Writtle College. Rider: Ros Canter.

    • Silver – France

  • Triton Fontaine (SF). Gentleman IV – Grenouil Fontaine (SF,) by Nightko (SF). Breeder: Sophie Pelissier Coutereau. Rider: Karim Florent Laghouag.
  • Chaman Dumontceau (SF). Top Berlin du Temple (SF) – Cocagne des Pins (SF), by Narcos II. Breeder: Du Montceau Haras. Rider: Stephane Landois.
  • Diabolo Menthe (SF). Scareface de Mars (SF) – Cori van de Helle (BWP), by Caesar van de Helle (HOLST). Breeder: Laetitia Du Moustier. Rider: Nicolas Touzaint.

    • Bronze – Japan

  • Cekatinka JRA (KWPN). King Kolibri (HANN) – Katinka (KWPN), by Julio Mariner (TB). Breeder: J.W Greve. Rider: Ryuzo Kitajima.
  • MGH Grafton Street (ISH). O.B.O.S Quality 004 – unknown. Breeder: Martin J. Collins. Rider: Yoshiaki Oiwa.
  • Vinci de la Vigne (SF). Esterel des Bois (SF) – Korrigane de Vigne, by Duc de Hutrel. Breeder: Lucien Vilotte. Rider: Kazuma Tomoto.
  • Jefferson 18 (HOLST). Jaquino (HOLST) – Vision X (HOLST) by Colman (HOLST). Breeder: Udo Wagner. Rider: Toshiyuki Tanaka.

    • Paris top-25 Irish-breds

    Seventh – MGH Grafton Street (ISH).

    17th – Colorado Blue (SHB(GB). Jaguar Mail (SF) – Rock Me Baby (AES), by Rock King (AES). Breeder: Kate Jarvey. Rider: Austin O’Connor (IRL).

    19th – Cooley Nutcracker (ISH). Tolan R (KWPN) – Ballyshan Cleopatra (ISH), by Cobra (HOLST). Breeder: Gary Doherty. Rider: Liz Halliday-Sharp (USA).

    More Irish-breds at Paris

  • Action Lady M (ISH). Plot Blue (KWPN) – Action G 2 (HOLST), by Acorado I (HOLST). Breeder: Susanne Macken. Rider: Sarah Ennis (IRL).
  • Cash In Hand (ISH). Sayarshan (TB) – Toorphelim Lady (AID, by Carrabawn View (ID). Breeder: John Gillivan. Rider: Noor Slaoui).
  • Castle Howard Casanova (ISH). Womanizer (KWPN) – K Cavalier Belle (ISH), by Cavalier Royale (HOLST). Breeder: Susan Fitzpatrick. Rider: Márcio Jorge (BRA).
  • Hot Bobo (ISH). VDL Arkansas – Taney’s Leader (TB), by Supreme Leader (TB). Breeder: Emma Phelan. Rider: Karl Slezak (CAN).
  • HSH Blake (ISH). Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan. Breeder: Justin Burke. Rider: Caroline Pamukcu (USA).
  • Sportsfield Freelance (LHI). Da Vinci (IPSA) – Kilmona Mizen (ISH) by Fresh Breeze (TB). Breeder: Sharon Hallahan. Rider: Aoife Clarke (IRL).
  • Ballypatrick SRS (ISH). Pacino (BWP) – Ballypatrick Romance (ISH), by Clover Hill (ID). Breeder: Austin Broderick. Rider: Ruy Fonseca (BRA).

    • By the numbers

    3 - all three members of the French silver medal team rode Selle Français-breds.

    2 x 2 - Heraldik (TB) features twice as a top-10 damsire: fischerChipmunk FRH (gold) and Swiss rider Felix Vogg’s Dao de l’Ocean (Kannan, eighth).

    1 - thoroughbred: Bold Venture.

    0 - prize money at the Olympics.

    Did you know

  • Eventing was first introduced at the Olympic Games in 1912, when Sweden won the first team gold in the sport. The individual gold medal winner was also Swedish: Axel Nordlander and Lady Artist.
  • Whereabouts in the pre-Olympics World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings are the three Paris individual medal winners? Out of sight in the wrapped-in-cotton-wool run-up to Paris. Chipmunk FRH is down in 167th place, while Shadow Man ranked in 261st place. The only top-50 individual medallist horse is London 52 (41st place).
  • What impact will the Olympic results have on the eventing studbook rankings, currently held by the Irish Sport Horse studbook (1,144 points)? Chipmunk’s studbook – the Hanoverian Verband – is in sixth place (655 points). Hot on the ISH heels are the Holsteiner Verband (982 points), KWPN (699) and the Selle Français (891). Expect a reshuffle in the post-Paris WBFSH rankings.
  • MGH Grafton Street is the only horse from the 2019 Burghley line-up in action at Paris.
  • Padraig McCarthy originally produced MGH Grafton Street. Padraig’s mother-in-law Pippa Wiegersma bred Rock Me Baby, the dam of Colorado Blue.

    • What they said

    “Equine athletes, like human athletes, are born, not made, but quality is always the measure and blood.

    “It is an absolute joy for me to be connected to this horse and rider [Colorado Blue and Austin O’Connor]. Like the Olympic movement itself, they stand for sporting achievements that lift us all out of the ordinary and into that better place where true sport conquers all barriers.”

    Kate Jarvey.

    “But on the day after it’s all over, it’s always important to remember that half the world is fighting over a bowl of rice.”

    Boyd Martin.