LAST week’s Hippomundo round-up showed the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook at the top of the eventing rankings and James Kann Cruz as its best ISH show jumping performer (individual 11th).
How about the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) set, historically controlled by the ISH in eventing? Good news, as the Irish studbook (1,017 points) again holds the lead, ahead of the Holsteiner Verband (935) and KWPN (773).
More good news for Irish breeders, as Nick Cousins, Anthony Smyth and Justin Burke (the respective breeders of the top-three ranked event horses: Tullabeg Platinum, Shanroe Cooley and HSH Blake) lead the eventing results.
As the WBFSH studbook rankings are based on the combined points of the best half dozen, we also see that all six of the ISH event horse group and their breeders: Jim O’Neill (Flash Cooley), Gary Doherty (Cooley Nutcracker) and Michael Connolly (Cooley Park de Muze) are in the top 25.
In show jumping, where the top-10 horses show a very different picture from Hippomundo’s prize money-based rankings, there’s another strong result. Here, the ISH studbook ranks sixth, compared to ninth on the Hippomundo leaderboard.
James Kann Cruz and ESI Rocky (11th and 16th respectively in Hippomundo’s results) again appear amongst the top-six ISH group in show jumping.
According to the WBFSH results, based on FEI points, the full ISH set in the current WBFSH show jumping rankings are: Clonterm Obolensky (Breeder: Brian Duff. Ranked 11th), James Kann Cruz (Patrick Connolly. 15th), BH Gringos Legacy (Kieran Phelan. 22nd), My Clementine (David Prentice. 83rd), Rincoola Milsean (Harold McGahern. 85th) and ESI Rocky (Ennisnag Stud. 107th).
This compares well to previous years’ WBFSH show jumping rankings, when the top-six ISH, were often found in the top 200 and even 300 zone.
Small print
A couple of caveats about the WBFSH rankings. Its calendar year is different, for starters, with the WBFSH clock starting on October 1st, compared to Hippomundo’s January 1st start date.
Which all means that results from the indoor and North American circuit in show jumping and Pau CCI5*-L, the eventing world’s autumn five-star, often have a greater bearing at this stage of the WBFSH set.
Championships have a strong influence on the WBFSH rankings, so we can expect another reshuffle in the post-Aachen set.
Another is that, at the time of writing, the latest available WBFSH rankings include results up to the end of June, so July’s results have yet to be factored in.
That said, there are a number of surprises in the WBFSH results. United Touch S, Hippomundo’s top earner across all three sports, ranks in 78th place. Lordships Graffalo is 22nd in eventing.
Again, the different framework of both rankings comes into play here; both household names have been very lightly campaigned in comparison to other horses, higher up in the WBFSH rankings.
Lordships Graffalo, for example, had just that one run at Badminton during the current WBFSH calendar year. A lucrative one as he netted €143,678 for his and Ros Canter’s win.
Which leads to an interesting question: which is the better method - rankings that reflect the top prize money or reward consistency?
Dublin host city
So, where did the Dignified van’t Zorgvliet gelding Tullabeg Platinum pick up his FEI points?
His second place in Luhmühlen’s CCI4*-S this summer, combined with three other top-three results at Marbach and Strzegom since last October catapulted the Wexford-bred to the top of the latest WBFSH rankings.
Another interesting fact from the WBFSH rankings is the appearance of no less than four Cooley horses amongst the top-dozen ISH event horses. Good timing as a visit to Richard Sheane’s Cooley Farm is on the agenda when the WBFSH holds its 2026 annual general assembly in Ireland (October 19th-22nd).
Hosted by the Irish Sport Horse studbook, this is the second time that Ireland has been the venue. The previous assembly was held here in 2003.
By that stage, the 2026 WBFSH final rankings (bar the annual sire rankings, which are released usually in November) will be revealed.
As it stands, the ISH studbook is well in contention for another eventing title, although with the upcoming World Championships and Burghley CCI5*-L results to factor in, anything could yet happen.
Richard Sheane of Cooley Sport Horses. There are four Cooley horses amongst the top-12 ISH event horses in the WBFSH rankings \ Susan Finnerty
WBFSH LATEST RANKINGS
TOP-10 DRESSAGE HORSES
TOP-10 EVENT HORSES
TOP ISH EVENT HORSES
1st - Tullabeg Platinum (2014. Dignified van’t Zorgvliet (BWP) - Tullabeg Hero (ISH), by Cult Hero (TB). Breeder: Nick Cousins. Rider: Julia Krajewski (GER).
2nd - Shanroe Cooley (2015. Dallas VDL - Shanroe Sapphire (ISH), by Condios (HOLST). Breeder: Anthony Smyth. Rider: Boyd Martin (USA).
3rd - HSH Blake (2015. Tolan R (KWPN) - Doughiska Lass, by Kannan (KWPN). Breeder: Justin Burke. Rider: Caroline Pamukcu (USA).
16th - Flash Cooley (2012. CSF Mr Kroon (ISH) - Castlefield Ruby (ISH), by O.B.O.S Quality 004 (OLD). Breeder: Jim O’Neill. Rider: Gemma Stevens (GB).
21st - Cooley Nutcracker (2014. Tolan R (KWPN) - Ballyshan Cleopatra (AES), by Cobra (HOLST). Breeder: Gary Doherty. Rider: Boyd Martin).
25th - Cooley Park Muze (2016. Pollux de Muze Z (ZANG) - TJM L’Arc In The Park (ISH) by L’Arc de Triomphe. Breeder: Michael Connolly. Rider: Gemma Stevens (GB).
TOP-10 SHOW JUMPING HORSES