HEADING into the autumn, how do Irish-breds and the Irish Sport Horse studbook fare in global rankings? What impact did the Paris Olympics have? And where will the top horse, breeder and studbook titles go this year?

Just to set the rankings stage, two main databases are in operation for sport horse breeding: the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) and since 2015, Hippomundo.

Each operates using different criteria; the WBFSH rankings are based on points won in FEI competitions, whereas the Belgian database’s results are decided purely on prize money.

We’ll see too that the Paris Olympics have had a major impact on the WBFSH rankings but has had zero effect on Hippomundo results - no Games prize money means medals, honour and glory were the take home pay from Versailles.

Different calendar years too to consider as Hippomundo starts its clock on January 1st and the WBFSH calendar year is now winding down to its September 30th end date. So the first rankings titles will be known in October when the WBFSH rankings are revealed for 2024.

Best highlights from the latest rankings? The fact that three Irish Sport Horses already have a combined prize money total of over €1 million won in show jumping; that the ISH eventing studbook holds a strong lead in the Hippomundo rankings, Cooley Rosalent’s prominence in both sets of rankings and a massive improvement in Irish show jumping breeding.

The outstanding performance of Irish show jumping riders in international rankings is worthy of a future article in itself. While the WBFSH rankings naturally focus on leading horses, breeders, studbooks and sires, the achievement of Irish show jumping riders in the Hippomundo rankings cannot go unsung.

Conor Swail (fourth), Denis Lynch (17th), Shane Sweetnam (22nd), Cian O’Connor (25th) and Darragh Kenny (26th) are all grouped within the top-30. And the best win strike rate amongst the top-30? Conor Swail (16.7%).

So definite highlights and lots to play for, even in the final stretch of the WBFSH rankings. Now for a closer look at each set of rankings.

Oliver Townend's 10-year-old Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent is ranked second in the WBFSH event horse rankings \ Michelle Dunn Photo

HIPPOMUNDO

Starting with the highly-detailed Hippomundo rankings, where three Irish Sport Horses – EIC Up Too Jacco Blue, GRS Lady Amaro and EIC Cooley Jump The Q – have already earned a combined total of over €1 million in 2024. And all three appear in the Hippomundo top-50 too.

The ISH studbook has won the eventing studbook title every year since the Belgian database’s inception and currently leads its nearest rival – the Holsteiner Verband – by over €200,000.

Plus, a pair of Irish Sport Horses – Greenacres Special Cavalier (Cavalier Royale x Touchdown. Breeder: Michael Callery) and Cooley Rosalent (Valent x Roselier. Breeder: Woods Rosbotham) are Hippomundo’s top-two ranked event horses.

Their sires are ranked second (Cavalier Royale) and third (Valent) respectively on the eventing sires leaderboard.

Another Irish claim to fame in the top-10 is sixth-placed Quindiva (Quintender 2 x High Roller), bred in Co Sligo by Cliodhna Carroll and registered with the Oldenburg studbook.

In addition to Greenacres Special Cavalier and Cooley Rosalent’s eventing places, the Mark Sherry-bred EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (€586,296) is one of the top-three earners on the show jumping circuit this year.

Stellar company too, as this horse is surrounded by household names, such as Aachen Grand Prix winner DSP Chakaria (€663,731), World Cup final champion King Edward (€615,228) and in fourth place Leone Jei (€543,333).

Almost half of EIC Up Too Jacco Blue’s 2024 tally came from the Chacco-Blue gelding’s runner-up result with Max Kühner (AUT) in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at Monte Carlo in July.

EIC Up Too Jacco Blue is also the highest-ranked offspring of Chacco-Blue, who matches his offspring’s place, as the late stallion is ranked third in the current show jumping sire tables.

So three Irish Sport Horses in the top-three in eventing and show jumping - that’s the big ticket news from Hippomundo.

GRS Lady Amaro and Mark McAuley’s Dublin Grand Prix runner-up place has boosted the pair in the Hippomundo rankings \ Susan Finnerty

Surge

More top-100 Irish Sport Horses in the show jumping rankings? GRS Lady Amaro (€273,779. Amaretto D’Arco x Over The River. Breeder: Denis Hickey. 24th place) features in the current top-25 after her Dublin Grand Prix second place result with Mark McAuley.

Another of Max Kühner’s Irish-breds, EIC Cooley Jump The Q (€216,520. Pacino x O.B.O.S Quality 004. Breeder: Pam Walshe), is in 46th place and more Irish Sport Horses in the top-100 include Ballypatrick Tangelo (€189,105. John Carey. 60th place), James Kann Cruz (€182,029. Kannan x Cruising. Patrick Connolly. 67th) and HHS Calais (€175,404. Cavalier Royale x O.B.O.S Quality 004. Ita Brennan. 73rd).

The careful run-up to the Paris Olympics impacts potential team horses’ outings and earnings. However, now the Games are over, we should expect to see a surge in prize money won on the autumn and winter circuits.

For example, Dynamix de Belheme, Steve Guerdat’s individual silver medallist mare, had her best payday to date of 2024 with her second place in last Sunday’s Stephex Masters Grand Prix in Brussels where she won €100,000.

So with the upcoming autumn five-star events, Global Champions League and major Grand Prix classes still ahead in 2024, we can still expect to see changes in Hippomundo’s rankings before December 31st.

See www.hippomundo.com

WBFSH

The clock is ticking to the end of the WBFSH calendar year and the news here is more mixed for the Irish Sport Horse.

Coincidentally, the ISH studbook currently holds eighth place in both the Hippomundo and WBFSH studbook rankings, which is a marked improvement from its all-time low result of 17th place in the 2019 WBFSH results.

In eventing, the ISH studbook (1,200 points) remains in second place, behind the Holsteiner Verband (1,393) and ahead of the Selle Français (1,151).

These July rankings, the latest available at the time of writing, include the Paris Olympics results which also explains fischerChipmunk’s climb. The individual gold medallist now appears in 10th place, ahead of 12th-placed Shadow Man, the Paris silver medallist.

Cooley Rosalent, thanks to her excellent results from Maryland International (at the start of the WBFSH calendar year) and win at Kentucky CCI5*, is the sole Irish Sport Horse in the eventing top-10 for July.

HSH Blake (13th. Tolan R x Kannan. Justin Burke), Cooley Nutcracker (14th. Tolan R x Cobra), Greenacres Special Cavalier (16th) and MHS Seventeen (17th. Callahan x Quidam Junior I) take their places in the top-20.

The Kate Jarvey-bred Colorado Blue (Jaguar Mail x Rock King) appears in 15th place in the WBFSH results, on account of last autumn’s historic win with Austin O’Connor at the Maryland International.

Bypassing the spring five-star events on the road to Paris, now sees him in 95th place in the Hippomundo rankings of 2024.

Like Greenacres Special Cavalier, the grey is entered for Burghley CCI5-L and a big result this weekend could see him rocket back up the Hippomundo rankings, where he finished second to the evergreen Ballaghmor Class in 2023.

Consistent

Best of the Irish Sport Horses in the WBFSH show jumping top-100? The ultra-consistent James Kann Cruz (21st), followed by EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (29th), GRS Lady Amaro (45th), Rincoola Milsean (Aldatus z x Cruising. Breeder: Harold McGahern. 57th).

The best six performers from each WBFSH member studbook count towards the studbook rankings and it’s not too many years ago that our best half-dozen were scattered throughout the top-300. Having four Irish Sport Horses in the top-100 is a significant improvement in Irish show jumping breeding fortunes.

Another noteworthy fact is that three of the top-10 show jumping horses - Count Me In (HANN. Fourth), Legacy (ZANG. Fifth) and RR Combella (AAFE. 10th) - are all competed by Irish riders: Conor Swail, Daniel Coyle and Shane Sweetnam (who was fourth in last Sunday’s Hampton Classic with this Cornet du Lys mare).

As the WBFSH sire rankings are produced on an annual basis, we’ll wait until next month to see if Johnson (dressage), Diamant de Semilly (show jumping) and his son Diarado (eventing) retain their 2023 leading sire titles.

We’ll know the final WBFSH results by October, when the first of this year’s rankings is decided. Could the ISH studbook win back another eventing title and retain its newfound top-10 place in the show jumping ranks?

It needs a good Burghley result to help its cause. Will its unbeaten stretch in the Hippomundo eventing studbook rankings continue and could another Irish Sport Horse top the individual horse rankings, like Ballaghmor Class did last year?

And will we continue to see such record numbers of Irish Sport Horse show jumpers at the business end of the rankings? One- and three-months time will tell.

See www.wbfsh.com

Did You Know?

  • As the WBFSH rankings began in 1994, this is their 30th anniversary.
  • Current top-three Hippomundo horses? Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, DSP Quantaz and Touchdown (dressage), Greenacres Special Cavalier, Cooley Rosalent and RCA Patron Saint (eventing) and DSP Chakaria, King Edward and EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (show jumping).
  • Current top-three WBFSH horses? TSF Dalera BB, Queenparks Wendy and Emilio 107 (dressage), JL Dublin, Cooley Rosalent and Dao de l’Ocean (eventing) and Cydello, King Edward and Casturano (show jumping).
  • Top-three Hippomundo studbooks? KWPN, Hanoverian and Oldenburg (dressage), Irish Sport Horse, Holsteiner and Selle Français (eventing) and Selle Français, KWPN and BWP (show jumping).
  • Top-three WBFSH studbooks? KWPN, Oldenburg and Westfalian (dressage), Holsteiner, Irish Sport Horse and Selle Français (eventing) and Zangersheide, BWP and Selle Français (show jumping).
  • Leading stallions on the Hippomundo database? Quaterback, Broere Jazz and Glock’s Johnson TN (dressage), Diarado, Cavalier Royale and Valent (eventing) and Diamant de Semilly, Kannan and Chacco-Blue (show jumping).
  • Top-three earning show jumping riders in the Hippomundo rankings? Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann (€1,092,071), Austria’s Max Kühner (€1,078,840) and Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs (€1,014,084).
  • Top-three earning dressage riders? Germany’s Isabell Werth (€238,813), Sweden’s Patrick Kittel (€145,651) and Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald (€130,279).
  • Top-three event riders by prize money won this year? New Zealand’s Caroline Powell (€138,840), Britain’s Oliver Townend (€123,808) and Britain’s Tom McEwen (€96,276).
  • Current prize money won by the 100th-ranked dressage, eventing and show jumping riders respectively? Germany’s Anabel Balkenhol (€6,000), USA’s Allison Springer (€3,211) and Sweden’s Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (€217,018).
  • Current prize money won by the top-ranked horses on Hippomundo? €663,731 (DSP Chakaria), €137,817 (Greenacres Special Cavalier) and €111,232 (Blue Hors Don Olymbrio).
  • Current prize money won by the 50th-ranked horses on Hippomundo? €7,271 (Timmo, eventing) €14,375 (Irao, dressage) and €205,899 (Battlecry, show jumping).
  • The caveat with prize money earned is it can go to the owner, rider or split between them, depending on the agreement between both parties. It’s clear though, from the prize money examples above, that the real money in equestrian sport lies in show jumping.
  • TSF Dalera BB, the Trakehner mare that has topped dressage rankings since 2021, has been officially retired from the sport. With Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, the pair won four Olympic gold medals between Tokyo and Paris and two FEI World Cup dressage finals at Leipzig (2022) and Omaha (2023).
  • The pair bypassed this year’s World Cup final but went to Versailles where they won team and individual gold.
  • Bred by the late Silke Druckenmüller, TSF Dalera BB will make some public appearances before retiring to stud. Von Bredow-Werndl and the mare’s owners Béatrice Bürchler-Keller and Micaela Werndl have pencilled in the Trakehner Verband’s annual Hengstmarkt in Neumünster (November 28th-30th) and the FEI World Cup qualifier at Basel next January.
  • The actual FEI World Cup finals will be hosted next year at the Swiss venue (April 2nd-6th) in the same St Jakobshalle venue.