It has been two quite extraordinary years for the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings, firstly with last year’s pandemic-curtailed calendar and now the unprecedented bonus of Olympic Games and European championships held in the same year.

This double has certainly had an impact on its 2021 rankings with a host of medal winners clustered near the top of the WBFSH leaderboards.

Leading horses in the WBFSH rankings? It’s the Tokyo Olympics team gold medal trio of H&M Indiana (show jumping), London 52 (eventing) and TSF Dalera BB (dressage), while the top-ranked studbooks in dressage, eventing and show jumping are the KWPN, Selle Français and BWP.

From an Irish angle, top-10 results were recorded by the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook in the eventing and show jumping categories. The leading Irish Sport Horses are Brookfield Inocent (ranked fourth in eventing) and Pacino Amiro (61st, show jumping) which also means Wicklow’s John Mulvey and Donegal’s Simon Scott earn the top ISH breeders titles.

Heike Holstein’s home-bred and produced Sambuca (114th), registered with the Breeders Elite Studbook for Irish and European Sporthorses (BE/SIES), is the leading Irish-born dressage horse and two other Irish links appear in the eventing breeders line-up.

Wexford-born Donal Barnwell ranks 21st, thanks to the AES-registered Billy Walk On (Billy Mexico) out of the Golden Bash mare, Shannon Line. Kate Jarvey (see Breeders’ 10, page 97) also features in the top-50 eventing breeders with Irish-born and SHB(GB)-registered Colorado Blue (41st). Best of the Irish team at Tokyo, his half-brother Balham Mist (78th) was foaled in Ireland too.

The ISH studbook finished a highly respectable third place in this year’s top-class field, due to consistent four and five-star results over the past 12 months by Brookfield Inocent, Grovine de Reve, Ballaghmor Class, Off The Record, Vanir Kamira and Gortfadda Diamond (the sole traditional-bred amongst the ISH six).

Adding in the results at European (individual silver and team gold medallist Brookfield Inocent) and Olympic level (Grovine de Reve and team gold medallist Ballaghmor Class) made for a solid team performance by Irish Sport Horses.

Although there’s some tight finishes in the WBFSH rankings, none compares to Cooley Master Class (Ramiro B) and Oliver Townend missing out on winning the inaugural Maryland five-star event last weekend by just 0.1 penalties. However, that result by the John Hagan-bred has already banked the first ‘big ticket’ points in the ISH account towards next year’s WBFSH rankings.

London 52, ridden by Britain's Laura Collett in Tokyo, is the highest ranked event horse in the WBFSH rankings \ Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Show jumping star performers

Two young Irish-breds with bright futures ahead of them – Kilkenny and Pacino Amiro – proved themselves as Olympic-calibre horses at Tokyo. Making their mark on both sides of the Atlantic are the consistent pairs of HHS Calais and Lapuccino 2 on the European circuit and Java’s Miss Jordan and Super Chilled over in the States.

The combined results of these six performers saw the ISH studbook finish in 10th place in the show jumping studbook final standings, up four places from last year’s result and an even more impressive seven places higher than the studbook’s all-time low 17th place in 2019.

It was also a fitting tribute, in the week the Irish horse world bade farewell to John Hughes, to see the Cavalier Royale-sired HHS Calais, bred by his late sister Ita, among this group. That legacy will continue in future rankings.

2021 will be remembered as the year of two championships and bumper crops of medal winners in the rankings. For the three self-professed small breeders who became this year’s leading Irish breeders in the WBFSH rankings, it will always be a year to remember for Heike Holstein, John Mulvey and Simon Scott.

What the breeders said:

Heike Holstein: “I’m very proud to have bred, produced and ridden Sambuca at the Olympic Games. She is the first horse that I’ve bred, and thanks to my mother, Gisela, for spotting her sire Samarant, while at a show in Germany.

“I believe that dressage horses can be bred in Ireland, but the production and training is also a very important aspect as without good training, full talent and potential may not be reached. Getting a dressage horse to Olympic level takes many years, a bit of good luck and a team of people to help and support. I could not have done it alone!

“Thank you to everyone who has helped us on our journey – roll on Paris 2024!”

Brookfield Inocent (ISH), ridden to team gold and individual silver at the FEI Eventing European Championships in Avenches last month, is the highest ranked ISH in fourth \ FEI/Richard Juilliart

John Mulvey: “This time last year, I could never have imagined a better 12 months for a small breeder like myself. First, there was Brookfield Inocent’s Pau result last October that brought him into contention for an Olympic team place, then he wins team gold and individual silver medals at the Europeans for Piggy March. And now, a year later, he’s the leading Irish-bred event horse in the WBFSH rankings.

“What a year for Irish breeders and the ISH studbook. Massive congratulations to Piggy and her connections, all breeders depend on their horses going to the right hands and he certainly did. And last but not least, there’s all my family and team here, we have just enjoyed every minute of this magic year.”

Breeder Simon Scott \ Susan Finnerty

Simon Scott: “He was just born a lucky, lucky horse. It’s great that we had the luck to breed Pacino Amiro and you get that wee chance of a break that he fell into the right hands with the right owner. It’s a different level that he’s competing at now, the Olympics and Grand Prix classes, he wouldn’t be doing that if I still had him. Everything fell into place with Pacino Amiro when he went to Bertram Allen.

“That is such an achievement [top Irish breeder] and for yourself, it’s just that wee bit of satisfaction that you’re doing the right thing, even though there’s days when you think you’re not! I would owe it as much to my mother Jean and late father Harry, he would be chuffed about this.

“My mother has such a passion for horses all her life and is still working in the yard every day. It’s great for her to see something like this happen once in a lifetime. You keep going and you keep going with horses, it’s only when you meet a problem you ask the generation behind you for advice. I’d like as much credit for her and the whole team involved.

“For a small breeder coming from Donegal, this gives everybody a bit of heart.”

Did you know

  • The WBFSH rankings first began in 1994 and its calendar year starts on October 1st. Points won in FEI competitions count towards rankings, including the studbook category which is based on the top six performers from member studbooks.
  • In addition to being sponsored by hip Swedish clothing chain H&M, both Indiana and All In are by the Nabab de Reve son Kashmir van Schuttershof with Animo (Alme Z) dam lines.
  • John and Claire Whitaker appear in the WBFSH breeders rankings. Not show jumping as might be expected but dressage, thanks to Into The Blue (141st). By the Darco son, Ublesco, he competes at five-star level with British rider, Louise Anne Bell.
  • TSF Dalera BB’s rider, breeder and owner – Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Silke Druckenmüller and Beatrice Bürchler-Keller – were special guests at the Trakehner Association’s gala evening at Neumünster last week. Silke is also this year’s Trakehner Breeder of the Year award recipient. The awards keep coming for those associated with ‘Dancing Dalera’, as her sire Easy Game was named as Trakehner Stallion of the Year.
  • European individual gold medal horse JL Dublin just pipped Ballaghmor Class to 10th place in the WBFSH rankings. Oliver Townend’s Kentucky winner and Tokyo team gold horse also finished second to Nicola Wilson’s European dual gold medal champion in British Eventing’s top horse league for 2021.

    • BY THE NUMBERS

    7 – of the top-10 event horses competed at the Tokyo Olympics.

    6 – top ISH show jumping horses competed by six Irish riders.

    5 – top-10 studbooks appear in all three categories of dressage, eventing and show jumping:Deutsche Sport Pferde (DSP), Hannoverian Verband, Holsteiner Verband, KWPN and Oldenburg.

    4 – Irish Sport Horses in the top-100 show jumping horses.

    3 – titles won this year by TSF Dalera BB: German, European and Olympic.

    2 – Irish-bred half-brothers – Colorado Blue and Balham Mist – in the top-100.

    1 – horse appears amongst the top-six ranked Irish Sport Horses in 2020 and 2021: Lapuccino 2.

    WBFSH RANKINGS 2021

    Dressage

    Studbook Points

    1 Kwpn 14,430

    2 Hannoverian 13, 228

    3 Oldenburg 12, 510

    4 Westfalian 12,492

    5 Dwb 12,289

    6 Dsp 11,161

    7 Bwp 10,319

    8 Lusitano 10,252

    9 Rheinlander 8,678

    10 Holsteiner 8,511

    Eventing

    Studbook Points

    1 Selle Français 1,494

    2 Holsteiner 1,477

    3 Irish Sport Horse 1,343

    4 Hannoverian 1,082

    5 Shb(Gb) 1,029

    6 Kwpn 910

    7 Dsp 830

    8 Oldenburg 829 -

    9 Anglo-Arab 794 -

    10 AES 787

    Show Jumping

    Studbook Points -

    1 Bwp 7,387

    2 Selle Français 6,664

    3 Holsteiner 6,390

    4 Kwpn 6,144

    5 Zangersheide 5,188

    6 Hannoverian 5,159

    7 Dsp 5,029

    8 Oldenburg Springpferde 4,817

    9 Oldenburg 4,533

    10 Irish Sport Horse 4,329

    Top 10 event horses

    Name Studbook Sire Points

    1 London 52 HOLST Landos 347

    2 Toledo de Kerser SF Diamant de Semilly 326

    3 Vassily de Lassos AA Jaguar Mail 314

    4 Brookfield Inocent ISH Inocent 312

    5 FischerWild Wave HOLST Water Dance 286

    6 Amande de B’Neville SF Oscar des Fontaines 282

    7 Grovine de Reve ISH Hermes de Reve 278

    8 Vandiver TRAK Windfall 2 273

    9 Fischer Chipmunk HANN Contendro I 269

    10 JL Dublin HOLST Diarado 254

    Breeder John Mulvey \ Susan Finnerty

    Top ISH eventing horses

    4th – Brookfield Inocent (Inocent (KWPN) – Shalies Pet (ISH), by Kings Servant (ISH) (TIH). Breeder: John Mulvey. Rider: Piggy March (GB).

    7th - Grovine de Reve (Hermes de Reve (BWP) – Erkina Jane (ISH) (TIH). Breeder: Paddy & Maria Raggett. Rider: Jonelle Price (NZ).

    11th – Ballaghmor Class (Courage II (HOLST) – Kilderry Place. Breeder: Noel Hickey. Rider: Oliver Townend (GB).

    34th – Off The Record (VDL Arkansas (KWPN) – Drumagoland Bay (ISH), by Ard Ohio (KWPN). Breeder: Peter G. Brady. Rider: Will Coleman (USA).

    36th – Vanir Kamira (Camiro de Haar Z (ZANG) – Fair Caledonian (WNTR), by Dixi (TB). Breeder: Kate Jackson. Rider: Piggy March (GB).

    42nd – Gortfadda Diamond (Watervalley Cool Diamond (ISH) (TIH) – Panda (TB), by Glacial Storm. Breeder: Sean Lydon. Rider: Emilie Chandler (GB).

    Heike Holstein and Sambuca in action at the Tokyo Olympic Games \ Tomas Holcbecher