Master Imp, Jumbo and Irish-based stallions enjoyed one of their best years to date in British Eventing’s sire rankings, taking seven of the top-10 places in its 2013 leading sire results.

The homebred Master Imp was ranked as the leading sire, while Jumbo, bred on traditional Irish bloodlines, has moved up to take BE’s all-time leading sire crown. And looking at potential future stars, there was more good news for Irish-based stallions who filled 75% of the top-20 places in the four to eight-year-old category, with the Selle Francais sire, Harlequin Du Carel, best-placed in third.

The fact that Ireland remains the leading country to consistently produce quality event horses is notable given that 2013 was a relatively quiet year for Irish-breds, particularly at the European Championships, compared to the heights of the previous Olympic year. Imperial Cavalier (fifth), Master Crusoe (seventh), High Kingdom (eighth) and Mr Medicott (ninth) then flew the flag for the Irish Sport Horse Studbook at London and this group had a comparatively low-key season last year.

However, Master Crusoe’s eighth place at a vintage Badminton, High Kingdom’s runner-up result at Luhmühlen, which was won by BE’s leading horse last season Mr Cruise Control, and another Irish-bred win at Blenheim Palace by Fenyas Elegance, all boosted their respective sires – Master Imp, Cruising and Ricardo Z – in the 2013 rankings.

High Kingdom, who was bred in Enniskerry by William Micklem, is the highest points earner for his sire Master Imp. That stallion also recorded the biggest leap in the all-time sires rankings, moving from 13th place in 2010 to third last year.

According to BE records, the Slyguff Stud homebred has no less than 29 Grade 1 runners, with High Kingdom (719 points) being followed by three more of his London Olympics progeny in ODT Master Rose (666), bred by Patrick Kirwan in Borris; Ringwood Magister (636), bred in Ballina by Adrian Bourke; and Master Crusoe (627), jointly bred by Phyllis and Michael Doyle from Oylegate. The youngest of Master Imp’s Grade 1 (horses with 60+ BE points) runners last season is the promising Kilpatrick Knight, who was bred by Joan J. Dolan.

Bred by Loftus O’Neill, Master Imp’s reputation as the leading Irish event sire is now secured by the most recent BE results. He was the most-represented stallion at the London Olympics and has been ranked in the top-four since the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses sire rankings began in 2009. With his final crop now four-year-olds, his progeny looks set to continue clocking up points for another decade.

Next in line in the 2013 rankings is Jumbo, who was bred by another great stalwart in the late Archie Smith-Maxwell. As with the Imperius-sired Master Imp, Jumbo is another stallion produced by his breeder’s resident sire. In this case, it was the Irish Draught sire Skippy, who was bought from the Niland family and was out of another Irish-sourced find in the Seven Bells mare, Betty.

Interestingly, Andrew Nicholson competed both Jumbo, who evented at advanced level, and Bairn Free (renamed Memento). That thoroughbred mare produced the best of Jumbo’s 2013 runners, Nicholson’s Burghley runner-up, and another homebred, Avebury.

Third-ranked Ricardo Z now holds the mantle of leading living event sire here and the Kedrah House Stud stallion has 17 Grade 1 representatives, headed by Ballindenisk International victor Sportsfield Othello (353 points), who was bred by John Kenny near Roscrea. He is closely followed by another three-star level winner in Fenyas Elegance (346), who was bred in Bandon by P.J. Hegarty.

The Zangersheide-registered stallion also stands third in last year’s WBFSH event horse sire leaderboard.

Jay Bowe’s Ghareeb is yet another stallion to gain posthumous recognition as an event sire, but one whose influence looks set to continue. Chief point earners amongst his dozen Grade 1 progeny are the four-star performers Kilronan (623 points), who was bred by Patrick Fenlon, and Irish team horse Coolio (511), the first foal bred by Walter Crean. Like Kilronan, another 2013 Badminton debutante by Ghareeb is Trig Point (467), who was bred by John Killoran.

Another late thoroughbred, Cult Hero, who was owned by Des Noctor, is in sixth place. His 15 Grade 1 runners include Bay My Hero (540 points), who was bred by Bryan Maguire in Gorey and is just three points ahead of the Carol Hogan-bred Westwood Mariner. Two other closely-bunched Cult Hero offspring are Flying Machine (448), bred near Craughwell by Helen McMahon, and the former All-Ireland three-year-old show champion The Deputy (446), who was bred by Bryan Maguire’s brother Jimmy.

HIGHEST-RANKED

The multi-purpose sire Cruising produced the highest-ranked Irish Sport Horse in both the WBFSH and BE rankings last year in Mr Cruise Control. He was bred by Jenny McCann at the sire’s Hartwell Stud base.

With 1,583 points, he is one of several four-star performers amongst Cruising’s group of 15 Grade 1 runners. The list also includes Mr Medicott (1,070), who was bred by the Geaney family in Castleisland, and the late Ashdale Cruise Master (704), who was bred by Michael Doyle in Borris. An Irish team horse who represents Cruising is the James Ryan-bred Electric Cruise (628).

Although Mr Medicott’s sole British outing was at the London Olympics, BE’s Renee Groenix explained that FEI results are included for horses registered with the British organisation.

Puissance, another traditional-bred stallion like Jumbo and Cruising, also has 15 Grade 1 progeny. The Ballyquirke Stud stallion’s main flagbearers – Sir Percival III (1,165) and Irish squad member Horseware Bushman (1,071) – are two more of an elite group of horses to gain four-figure BE points. Although Sir Percival’s breeder is unrecorded (DNA testing confirmed Puissance as his sire), Horseware Bushman is another homebred performer from John and Julia Watson’s Ballybolger Stud.

Harlequin Du Carel’s eldest progeny are starting to make their mark and the best of his eight Grade 1 eventers to date is Rehy Too (129), who was bred by Ger O’Brien at his Raheen Na Gun base. The Ballymureen Stud sire is also in third place as a sire of four to eight-year-old eventers behind Jumbo and the Anglo-Arab stallion Mill Law, who is by the former Croker Cup winner Samiel.

Other top-20 Irish-based stallions in this four to eight-year-old category include Courage II (11th), Grange Bouncer (12th), Puissance (13th), Creevagh Ferro (14th), Temple Clover (15th), Ard VDL Douglas (16th), Olympic Lux (18th), Accondy (19th) and Clover Echo (20th).

BE’s expansion to include points earned at 90cms level upwards has provided a more contemporary range of sires, alongside golden oldies such as Ben Faerie and Master Spiritus. Again, it’s more good news for Irish-based sires, although Cavalier Royale’s long reign has also been ended by Jumbo.

Master Imp (third), Cruising (10th), Puissance (12th), Edmund Burke (13th), I’m A Star (14th), Ricardo Z (16th), Ballinvella (17th) and Ghareeb (20th) all feature in the top-20 leaderboard.