ONE set of Irish riders and Irish-breds at A Coruña, another list of hopefuls for the upcoming European eventing championships at Blenheim Palace - what impact have the championships had in the rankings?

Although the KWPN (16) had the most horses at this year’s championships, the Selle Français studbook continued its impressive Euros run with two more individual medal horses.

Dynamix de Belheme (gold) and Dubai du Cedre (bronze) obliged in 2023 and, in 2025, it was the turn of Hello Folie (silver) and Ermitage Kalone (bronze).

Hello Folie went into the championships the least-known of the ultimate medal trio and not only gained a new legion of fans for this fiesty chesnut mare, but also had the owners of Luidam mares here revelling in her success.

Likewise, Ermitage Kalone is the stallion that keeps popping up as the standout stallion in the weekly Breeders’ 10 series. And there’s a link to this week’s feature on Coco Douglas, as Andrew Hughes from Ennisnag Stud supplied that Boomerang winner’s dam to Maria Griffin.

It was all in the family for the Hughes team, headed by Andrew and Niall at Ennisnag, where ESI Rocky was bred and the wins keep on coming for the family (see ’What he said’).

Seamus Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH) at the FEI European Championships in A Coruña \ Tomas Holcbecher

Rankings

What impact have the recent show jumping championships had in the Hippomundo and World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings? Well, minimal amongst the top-earning horses in Hippomundo’s prize money-centric rankings and yet to be seen, as at the time of writing, the WBFSH July rankings were still to be released.

United Touch won just over €38,000 for his individual gold medal. That brings the stallion sensation’s earnings this year to €206,737, a handsome sum by any sport horse’s standards and one-eighth of his lifetime prize money.

That figure places him in 54th place in Hippomundo’s current show jumping horses rankings, two places ahead of James Kann Cruz (56th place. €204,099). The highest-ranked Irish Sport Horse remains FTS Killossery Konfusion (Livello. Breeders: Frank and Laura Glynn) in 30th place (€281,063).

The closely-bunched pair of Ermitage Kalone (€221,405) and Hello Folie (€219,832) are positioned above the individual gold medal champion in 44th and 45th places respectively.

So which show jumping horses have earned more to outrank the European medallists? It’s Cayman Jolly Jumper (SF. Sire: Hickstead) well out in the lead on €1,146,763, the first horse to reach the seven-figure mark in 2025.

Next in the top 10, it’s Hello Chadora Lady (OS. Chacco-Blue. €671,221), followed by Leone Jei (KWPN. Baltic VDL. €592,250), Donatello d’Auge (SF. Jarnac. €506,971), Checker 47 (WESTF. Comme Il Faut. €489,631), Sherlock (BWP. Bisquet Valou van de Mispelaere. €487,563), Incredible (KWPN. Clinton. €469,861), Toulayna (Z. Toulon. €446,342), Greya (OS. Colestus. €440,924) and Bonne Amie (ESHB. A Big Boy. €430,957).

How do these Hippomundo rankings compare to the WBFSH June results? Here, we see Donatello d’Auge in the WBFSH lead, followed by another of Hippomundo’s top-10 earners in Incredible.

Then the rankings differ significantly from the Hippomundo set, as the next highest points-earners in the WBFSH June results are Point Break (SWB), Otello De Guldenboom (BWP), Derby de Riverland (SF), Farrel (KWPN), Monaco N.O.P (HOLST), Bull Run’s Jireh (HOLST), FTS Killossery Konfusion (ISH) and Bond JamesBond De Hay (SF).

One Irish Sport Horse and two - Incredible and Farrel - competed by Daniel Coyle, however these results will scramble when the A Coruña results are factored into the upcoming July update.

Charlie Flynn and the Ennisnag Stid-bred HK Zena won team silver and individual bronze at the 2025 FEI European Championships in Le Mans \ FEI/Libby Law Photography

Studbooks race

Staying with the WBFSH rankings, their top-10 eventing horses currently stands as Izilot DHI (KWPN), DSP Fighting Line (DSP - BAVAR), Fedarman B (KWPN), Cooley Rosalent (ISH), Brookfield Quality (ISH), London 52 (KWPN), Nickel 21 (HOLST), Carlitos Quidditch (HOLST), D Day (AES) and Cola (HOLST).

So two Irish Sport Horses up there in the running - Cooley Rosalent (Valent), bred by the late Woods Rosbotham and the Sean Kelly-bred Brookfield Quality (O.B.O.S Quality 004).

As for the WBFSH studbook rankings, the Selle Français, KWPN and Holsteiner studbooks are their current top-three in show jumping. The June top 10 is rounded out by the BWP, OS (Oldenburg Springpferde), Zangersheide, Irish Sport Horse, Westfalian, Anglo European Studbook and the Hanoverian Verband.

Seventh place is a credible result for the ISH studbook, considering how it had dropped out of the WBFSH top 10 after the era of Flexible.

In eventing, traditionally the ISH stronghold, the Holsteiner studbook presently leads (972 points), followed by the Irish Sport Horse (881), KWPN (811), Sport Horse Breeding GB (650), Selle Français (639), Hannoverian (626), DSP (Deutsche Sportpferde, 561), Anglo European Studbook (467), sBs (462) and BWP (453).

These results will again change significantly after the upcoming European eventing championships, just as Hippomundo’s eventing rankings will reshuffle once the autumn’s big five-star events, with their lucrative prize money, are factored in.

The Irish Sport Horse studbook maintains its unbroken run in Hippomundo’s eventing rankings. It (€409,207) holds a comfortable lead in these updated-weekly rankings, followed by the Holsteiner (€306,495), Hannoverian (€248,958), SHBGB (€231,873), Selle Français (€171,143), KWPN (€145,192), Thoroughbred (€78,388), Oldenburg (€46,809), Australian Warmblood Horse Association (€33,357) and Anglo-European (€33,126) studbooks.

Lordships Graffalo (SHBGB. Grafenstolz. €138,353), fischerChipmunk (HANN. Contendro I. €121,270), Commando 3 (HOLST. Connor. €79,234), Cooley Rosalent (ISH. €76,649), Colorado Blue (SHBGB. Jaguar Mail. €57,976), Vitali (HOLST. Contender. €54,301), Brookfield Quality (ISH. O.B.O.S Quality 004. €52,801), Izilot DHI (KWPN. Zavall VDL. €50,235), Cavalier Crystal (ISH. Jack Of Diamonds. €42,824) and Et Hop Du Matz (SF. Nouma D’Auzay. €41,667) are the current top earners in eventing.

The WBFSH pair of Cooley Rosalent and Brookfield Quality are joined in the Hippomundo top 10 by the Thomas Horgan-bred Cavalier Crystal, while a claim can also be made for the Limerick-foaled Colorado Blue.

The ISH show jumping studbook scores another top-10 place (ninth). The Selle Français studbook tops both the current WBFSH and Hippomundo show jumping rankings, followed by its KWPN, BWP, Zangersheide, OS, Holsteiner, Westphalian, Hannoverian, ISH and Anglo European counterparts.

Blenheim Palace next Euro stop

THE FEI European eventing championships will have a major and some impact on the WBFSH and Hippomundo rankings respectively.

Irish Sport Horses have won a half-dozen individual medals in this millennium alone, although it’s now 20 years since the most recent Irish-bred individual gold medallist: Toytown, ridden by Zara Tindall (GB).

Scott Brash (GBR) riding Hello Folie during the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruña \ FEI/Benjamin Clark

British medal teams have historically had a number of Irish-breds aboard at these championships, including such stalwarts as Imperial Cavalier (Cavalier Royale. Breeder: John Brennan), Brookfield Inocent (Inocent. John Mulvey) and going back to another individual silver medallist horse: Some Day Soon (Kiltealy Spring. Donald Murphy), Piggy March’s 2009 horse.

Will there be another ISH on a British team at Blenheim Palace? And how many Irish Sport Horses will compete cross-channel next month (September 17th-21st)?

The best-placed Irish Sport Horse at the 2023 European championships in Haras du Pin was Black Ice (Vechta. Breeder: Judith McClelland) in seventh place for Germany’s Jerome Robine.

Of a total of seven Irish-breds competing in France two years ago, several are on the Irish team longlist, including Grantstown Jackson (Clover Brigade. Caroline Widger), 14th with Sarah Ennis and Susannah Berry’s Clever Trick (Financial Reward. Kilcandra Stud), another top-20 finisher.

The other potential team members include Ian Cassells’ pair of Millridge Atlantis and Master Point, Aoife Clark’s Full Monty De Lacense, another Sarah Ennis possibility in Dourough Ferro Class Act, Georgie Goss’s Kojak, Robbie Kearns’ Chance Encounter and Lucy Latta’s Badminton 2024 runner-up RCA Patron Saint.

Padraig McCarthy has three potential horses listed: the home-bred MGH Zabaione, MGH Mr Messick and Pomp ’N’ Circumstance, then there’s Danielle McCormack’s Hildare Billy Orinoco, Joseph Murphy with Calmaro and Belline Fighting Spirit, Austin O’Connor with the shoo-in choice Colorado Blue, plus Sixmilewater, and Patrick Whelan with Altitu.

There are four Traditional Irish Horses amongst that longlisted group: Chance Encounter, Grantstown Jackson, Master Point and MGH Mr Messack, while the latter pair are both by Pointilliste.

A full analysis of the 2025 European eventing championships follows in late September. Best result by an ISH on an Irish team in recent years? The Margaret Kinsella-bred Rioghan Rua (Jack of Diamonds) and Cathal Daniels won bronze at the 2019 European championships in Luhmühlen.

Did you know?

By the numbers

€1,678,338 - prize money won to date by United Touch S.

€38,250 - including this amount, won for his individual gold medal in La Coruña.

52 - years since the most recent Irish-bred won an individual gold medal in the European show jumping championships. That was back in 1973 when the late Paddy McMahon won on the Ballina foal fair find, Pennwood Forge Mill. In time-honoured Irish tradition, ‘Forgie’ was said to be by the beautifully-bred Blue Duster, a son of the 1939 Epsom Derby winner Blue Peter.

5 – individual gold medals won by Irish-bred show jumpers at the European championships during the 1960s golden run: Sunsalve (1961), Mr Softee (1962, 1967, 1969) and Rockette (1963).

2025 European show jumping champions

Gold - United Touch S (WESTF), 13yo stallion by Untouched - Touch Of Class, by Lux Z. Breeder: Julius-Peter Sinnack. Rider: Richard Vogel (GER).

Silver - Hello Folie (SF), 10yo mare by Luidam - Thara Nantuel, by Diamant de Semilly. Breeder: Claire Gouin. Rider: Scott Brash (GBR).

Bronze - Ermitage Kalone (SF), 11yo stallion by Catoki - Bellaventure Kalone, by Kannan. Breeder: Magali Dessalles. ider: Gilles Thomas (BEL).

Quote of the week:

‘It’s just nice to see them all coming through’

Niall Hughes, Ennisnag Stud: “Rocky winning the gold for Seamie in the young riders and then going on to finish fifth in the seniors at the Europeans is amazing. And HK Zena, the pony that won the individual bronze medal with Charlie Flynn at the pony Europeans, is another home-bred of ours. She’s actually by a Star Power colt that we had and it all kind of goes back to that same stock that we bought in.

“ESI Ali [like ESI Rocky, also by Stakkato Gold] is doing brilliant for Nayel Nassar out in America and then we had the winner of the Bramham 4* - Bubby Upton’s It’s Cooley Time (Quality Time TN). He’s out of Arabella (Heartbreaker), so that would be the foundation mare that we started with when we first started to breed sport horses.

“It’s just nice to see them all coming through, they’re all going well and they’re getting to that age where they’re starting to jump at higher levels.

“It does take time, it’s not like racing where you have a broodmare and you could know what you have in two years’ time when that first foal is running. We always had the longterm plan of trying to breed 1.60m horses. We’ve done it with a few up to 1.50m, now 1.60m and to have one on the Aga Khan team this Friday... that would be massive.

“No, we don’t have anything coming on behind after Rocky, we weren’t lucky enough. We did go to Holland as there was a relation that we were trying to buy but your man wouldn’t sell, so we’ve nothing on the farm at the moment related to him.

“We’ve one horse going to Dublin, a stallion that we bought in Belgium called Unicum-H (President). Stallions can be funny sometimes when you bring them to a show. Some of them are very stallion-y and they can just nearly use up all their energy squealing and watching what’s going on. But he’s jumped super all year with Shane Dalton. He had a couple of unfortunate fences down in the first two qualifiers in the third round, then we qualified him for Dublin and I just think he’s a really exciting horse.

“He jumps in the five-year-olds on Thursday evening in the main ring, then he jumps Friday in Simmonscourt and then sure, if he qualifies for the final, hopefully he’d be jumping Sunday in the main ring.”