OVER halfway through 2023 and ahead of the upcoming European championships, it’s an ideal opportunity to look at sport horse rankings and see how the Irish Sport Horse fares, plus which horses are the international equine stars so far this year.

The two databases run on different tracks: Hippomundo is based primarily on prize money won; the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) on FEI points earned in competition.

Which is the best method? Money makes the horse world go round and with considerable investment now ploughed into dressage and show jumping stallions and breeding, it is always fascinating to see how much of a return owners can potentially make back in prize money after buying a breeder or stud farm’s four-legged goods.

Results at major championships boost points in WBFSH rankings. For example, an event horse consistent at two and three-star level often figures high in the early rankings before being overtaken by an individual medal-winning horse.

One big win in a Global Champions Tour, Grand Prix or five-star event catapults a horse up the Hippomundo rankings, whereas an Olympic gold medal yields WBFSH points. Prestige/prize money - each has its merits.

How does the Irish Sport Horse studbook fare in the current rankings? Firstly, while the Hippomundo rankings appear to be updated within 24 hours, the WBFSH rankings lag behind.

At the time of writing, their latest available ranking results are up to the end of June and now have two months to run before WBFSH rankings calendar year wraps up in October. The various European championships and autumn five-star results will have an impact before the WBFSH title races are then decided.

That caveat aside, it’s good news for the ISH eventing studbook as it tops the latest Hippomundo and WBFSH rankings. Amidst tough competition, the ISH show jumping studbook is in a very respectable ninth place, again in both sets of rankings.

James Kann Cruz, Pacino Amiro and HHS Calais are the three Irish-breds mainly responsible for this turnaround in Irish show jumping breeding fortunes. Both Patrick Connolly and Simon Scott feature in Hippomundo’s top-20 global show jumping breeders - some feat.

Comparing breeders by nationality, Ireland punches above its weight in fifth place. Green shoots have turned into harvest time for this group of breeders.

The Irish Sport Horse studbook in the lead in both eventing rankings is great news, albeit in the WBFSH title race, that lead is all of a narrow 26-point margin ahead of the Selle Français studbook.

There’s a more comfortable margin in Hippomundo’s rankings where the ISH studbook stands on €400,549 in prize money to date, again ahead of its great French rival (314,842).

However, there has been no five-star win by an Irish Sport Horse so far in 2023, which is unusual at this stage of the year. There is only one Irish-bred, the brilliant young Capels Hollow Drift, on the British team at the European championships in Normandy, whereas Irish-breds have filled up to 80% of the places on previous British teams.

The veteran Ballaghmor Class (third) is the sole Irish Sport Horse in the current Hippomundo top-10, again another unusual occurrence. There is a second Irish-born - the Kate Jarvey-bred Colorado (sixth) running under the Sport Horse Breeding (GB) flag - also at the business end of this particular leaderboard.

Likewise, two Irish-bred event horses appear in the WBFSH top-10: Rehy DJ (Third. Tinarana’s Inspector. Breeder: Noel Russell) and HSH Blake (Equal seventh. Tolan R. Justin Burke).

Bertram Allen riding Pacino Amiro, who ranks 18th in the the international show jumping breeders rankings \ Tomas Holcbecher

Leaders of the packs

The ISH studbook has dominated the WBFSH eventing rankings for decades. It has faced increased competition though from European studbooks in recent years; good results at the European championships and autumn fixtures, including Burghley, the only remaining five-star event to be held before the WBFSH rankings calendar year ends, could well consolidate that lead.

Prize money at 2023’s remaining two five-star events in October - Maryland at Fair Hill and Pau - will impact Hippomundo’s final rankings, which run through the end of December.

Donatello D’Auge and TSF Dalera BB top the Hippomundo and WBFSH show jumping and dressage horse rankings - no surprises there. The top-10 dressage horse leaderboard looks similar for both databases, although there is quite a different cast of both eventing and show jumping horses.

Lexington winner Mai Baum is Hippomundo’s number one-ranked event horse while Galileo Nieuwmoed, eighth at the first North American five-star of the year, is the present WBFSH leader.

And the current top Irish Sport Horses that contributed the lion’s share of that collective €400,000 prize money this year? Ballaghmor Class (Courage II. Breeder: Noel Hickey. €66,616), Capels Hollow Drift (Shannondale Sarco. Jenny Glynn. €25,445), Off The Record (VDL Arkansas. Peter Brady. €21,009), Rehy DJ (Tinarana’s Inspector. Noel Russell. €20,461), Kilcandra Ocean Power (BGS Ocean View. Kilcandra Stud. €19,153), Black Ice (Vechta. Judith McClelland. €11,792), Maja’s Hope (Porter Rhodes. Jack Murphy. €11,514), Cooley Be Cool (Heritage Fortunus. Marion Hughes. €10,224), Oughterard Sky Boy (Puissance. Gerard Lynch. €9,473) and Hot Bobo (VDL Arkansas. Emma Phelan. €9,261).

However, Ireland has dropped to second, after Germany, amongst Hippomundo’s global eventing breeders by nationality. Again, it’s a reflection of less five-star prize money won by Irish-breds compared to German-breds such as Mai Baum and London 52.

Who are the top-10 Irish eventing breeders? It’s the late Limerickman Noel Hickey, followed by Kate Jarvey, Jenny Glynn, Kilcandra Stud, Peter Brady, Noel Russell, Judith McClelland, Jack Murphy, Marion Hughes and Gerard Lynch.

Shane Sweetnam riding James Kann Cruz, the highest ranked Irish horse In the international show jumping breeders rankings \ Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves

Devil is in the details

In the international show jumping breeders’ rankings, the winning-most breeder by the proverbial country mile is Paul Schockemohle’s Gestut Lewitz breeding operation with just under €4 million earned by a staggering number of 1,169 horses produced. The closest rival in this category is VDL Stud with 89 horses (447,298), followed by EURL Top Stallions Company with 28 horses (455,477).

King Edward’s Dutch breeder Wim Impens has just his one superstar listed (746,453) amongst the European studfarm Goliaths.

This is a two-dimension top-10. There are a number of breeders listed solely on account of one superstar, such as Susana Epaillard Garcia Cereceda, Wim Impens and Ralf Lutje, the respective breeders of Donatello D’Auge, King Edward and Monaco N.O.P.

In fact, King Edward is the only horse listed for Impens and several of the other top-10 breeders have one big winner and then a handful of others, earning three-figure prize money.

The picture changes completely when looking at the average sum won by horses bred at those top-10 studfarms that have 10 or more - a good sample - of their performers recorded on the Hippomundo database.

Gestut Lewitz now trails with an average of 3,386 won by its 1,169 horses and the highest average is instead recorded by Gestüt Sprehe GmbH, based in north Germany’s Oldenburg region.

Marcus Ehning’s Aachen Grand Prix winner Stargold (834,995) is Gestüt Sprehe’s ‘golden child’ amongst their 25 recorded horses and yields the studfarm the highest average prize money (€35,620) of the top-10 breeders.

Just outside this group in 11th place is Tuam’s Patrick Connolly. No prizes for guessing that James Kann Cruz (€358,391) is the Connolly Stud Farm’s chief earner of four CSF horses listed, giving an average of €92,715. His 10-year-old full-brother CSF Kancruz, in action with Emma O’Dwyer at last weekend’s Plusvital summer championships at Mullingar is also included amongst the four CSF-breds.

Another Irish breeder to feature in hallowed top-20 company is Donegal’s Simon Scott in 18th place for Pacino Amiro (€336,215). The Pacino 11-year-old gelding added another €100,000 to his career earnings last month after his stellar five-star Grand Prix win with Bertram Allen at La Coruna on the Global Champions League Tour.

Grouping show jumping breeders by nationality, particularly those many German studbooks, sees that nation lead again with a massive combined total of over 23 million euros. Germany is followed by Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Ireland (€3,039,379).

Patrick Connolly is the leader amongst the latest top-10 Irish show jumping breeders, followed by Simon Scott, James and John Meade, Ita Brennan, Harold McGahern, Greg Broderick, Pam Walshe, Marion Hughes, Denis Hickey and Frank and Laura Glynn.

Interestingly, Pacino progeny feature well amongst the latest top-10 Irish Sport Horse show jumpers with no less than three: Pacino Amiro (ranked second), EIC Cooley Jump The Q (Fifth. Breeder: Pam Walshe) and BP Wakita (Eighth. Greg Broderick) listed.

James Kann Cruz heads the group of leading Irish Sport Horses and rounding off the 10 are Sea Top Blue (Third. Chacco-Blue. James and John Meade), Rincoola Milsean (Fourth. Aldatus Z. Harold McGahern), GRS Lady Amaro (Sixth. Amaretto d’Arco. Denis Hickey), HHS Calais (Seventh. Cavalier Royale. Ita Brennan), FTS Killossery Konfusion (Ninth. SIEC Livello. Frank and Laura Glynn) and Catwalk Harry (10th. Verdi TN. Anne Marie Blessington).

The final rankings will change again by the end of the WBFSH and Hippomundo’s calendar year. It looks set to be an intriguing race to the finish.

HIPPOMUNDO

*Up to 7/8/2023

TOP 10 DRESSAGE HORSES

Place Horse Prizemoney (€)

1 TSF Dalera BB (TRAK) 178,290

2 Blue Hors Zepter (OLD) 128,310

3 DSP Quantaz (Berlin-Brand) 104,240

4 Heiline’s Danciera (DWB) 67,043

5 Bluetooth (OLD) 52,120

6 Touchdown (SWB) 48,430

7 Glamourdale (KWPN) 47,789

8 Habana Libre A (KWPN) 46,844

9 Emilio 107 45,812

10 Imhotep (KWPN) 43,085

TOP 10 EVENTING HORSES

Place Horse Prizemoney (€)

1 Mau Baum (Thür) 132,521

2 Lordships Graffalo (SHB(GB) 121,242

3 Ballaghmor Class (ISH) 66,616

4 Miks Master C 57,071

5 JL Dublin (HOLST) 53,412

6 Colorado Blue (SHB(GB) 50,834

7 Banzai du Loir (SF) 42,948

8 London 52 (HOLST) 42,878

9 Carjatan S (HOLST) 38,275

10 Toledo de Kerser (SF) 37,420

TOP 10 SHOW JUMPING HORSES

Place Horse Prizemoney (€)

1 Donatello D’Auge (SF) 947,236

2 Stargold (OLD) 834,995

3 King Edward (BWP) 746,453

4 Monaco N.O.P (KWPN) 673,134

5 Killer Queen VDM (BWP) 391,839

6 Cepano Baloubet (BAD-WÜ) 363,600

7 James Kann Cruz (ISH) 358,391

8 Landon (Z) 356,596

9 HH Azur (sBs) 354,480

10 Beauville Z (Z) 353,041

TOP 10 DRESSAGE STUDBOOKS

Place Studbook Prizemoney (€)

1 KWPN 892,866

2 OLD 622,359

3 HANN 402,985

4 DWB 269,969

5 WESTF 221,928

6 TRAK 180,533

7 BERLIN-BRAND 111,695

8 SWB 94,522

9 LUSITANO 64,195

10 HOLST 58,130

TOP 10 EVENTING STUDBOOKS

STUDBOOK PRIZEMONEY (€)

1 IRISH SPORT HORSE 400,549

2 SELLE FRANCAIS 314,842

3 HOLSTEINER 282,922

4 SHB(GB) 240,952

5 DSP (THURINGEN) 132,521

6 HANN 119,631

7 KWPN 105,480

8 TB 67,377

9 ZANG 59,996

10 AA 32,082

TOP 10 SHOW JUMPING STUDBOOKS

STUDBOOK PRIZEMONEY (€)

1 Selle Francais 13,153,575

2 KWPN 12,796,329

3 BWP 11,710,077

4 Z 9,062,686

5 HOLST 8,052,840

6 OS 5,169,316

7 WESTF 3,692,306

8 HANN ,494,354

9 IRISH SPORT HORSE 2,886,837

10 sBs 2,305,290

WBFSH

*Up to 30/6/2023

TOP 10 DRESSAGE HORSES

HORSE POINTS

1 TSF Dalera BB (TRAK) 2,934

2 Blue Hors Zepter (OLD) 2,548

3 Emilio 107 (WESTF) 2,545

4 DSP Quantaz (DSP) 2,540

5 Heiline’s Danciera (DWB) 2,511

6 Hermes N.O.P (KWPN) 2,423

7 Touchdown (SWB) 2,376

8 Franziskus 15 (HANN) 2,369

9 Bluetooth OLD (OLD) 2,339

10 Suppenkasper (KWPN) 2,252

TOP 10 EVENTING HORSES

HORSE POINTS

1 Galileo Nieuwmoed (KWPN) 232

2 Z (ZANG) 228

3 Rehy DJ (ISH) 225

4 Carouzo Bois Marotin (SF) 178

5 JL Dublin (HOLST) 173

6 Mai Baum (DSP) (SATHÜ) 172

7 HSH Blake (ISH) 167

7 Fedarman B (KWPN) 167

9 Triton Fontaine (SF) 163

10 Vendredi Beats (SF) 158

TOP 10 SHOW JUMPING HORSES

HORSE POINTS

1 Donatello D’Auge (SF) 1,531

2 Landon (ZANG) 1,364

3 Theo 160 (HOLST) 1,353

4 My Prins Van Dorperheide (BWP) 1,239

5 King Edward (BWP) 1,233

6 Dexter Fontenis Z (SANG) 1,186

7 Legacy (ZANG) 1,086

8 Zaccorado Blue (HOLST) 1,079

9 Iliana (KWPN) 1,070

10 Arkuga (AES) 1,065

TOP 10 DRESSAGE STUDBOOKS

STUDBOOK POINTS

1 KWPN 11,626

2 OLD 11,132

3 HANN 10,719

4 DWB 10,183

5 WESTF 10,124

6 DSP 10,099

7 SWB 9,259

8 BWP 9,234

9 HOLST 9,183