IT worked for Harry Charles, who consulted ChatGPT about his odds in the World Championships final. So, what did the artificial intelligence chatbot ‘think’ the odds are of breeding a World Championships individual gold-medal horse?

“Exceptionally rare - effectively a lottery, even from elite parents. Even breeding two extraordinary 1.60m horses doesn’t guarantee a 1.60m offspring. Genetics are complex and environmental factors matter enormously,” was the summary.

Which breeders and studbooks beat those odds to produce the latest medallist horses and what impact has Aachen had on the various rankings’ categories? And how many Irish Sport Horses were at the 2026 show jumping championships?

Starting with James Kann Cruz (Kannan (KWPN) - CSF Telly Cruz (ISH), by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Patrick Connolly). The distinctive grey and Shane Sweetnam were the star performers of the Irish team, finishing 15th individually and securing a second Irish team place at the Los Angeles Olympics, just as the Irish eventing team had done the previous week.

James Kann Cruz also ended Sunday as the highest-placed of his sire’s show jumping offspring at Aachen - eight Kannans were amongst the final entries; seven were on the actual start list.

ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold (HANN) - Clonaslea (BWP) by For Pleasure (HANN). Breeder: Ennisnag Stud) was the other ISH in the top 50, placing 47th with Anastasia Nielsen (MON). The Irish pair are the leading Irish Sport Horses in Hippomundo’s show jumping horses rankings too, having earned €440,044 (James Kann Cruz) and €338,932 (ESI Rocky) so far this year.

Also bred at Ennisnag Stud by Andrew and Niall Hughes (and by the same sire as Rocky), is ESI Ali (Stakkato Gold (HANN) - Adelheid (KWPN), by Tygo (KWPN), 15th on the opening day with Nayel Nassar (EGY).

Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz at the FEI World Championships in Aachen \ Tomas Holcbecher

Family double x 2

In another remarkable family double, Patrick Connolly’s son Brian bred the next Irish Sport Horse: CSF Whippersnapper VDL (VDL Zirocco Blue (SF) - CSF Quick Pick (ISH) by Quick Star (SF)). This 10-year-old finished 72nd with Derin Demirsoy (TUR).

The fifth and final Irish Sport Horse competing at Aachen last week was EIC Cooley Jump The Q (Pacino (BWP) - Jump The Q (ISH) by OBOS Quality 004 (OLD). Breeder: Pam Walshe). A winner of €808,279 during his international career with Max Kühner (AUT), the pair completed the championships in 94th place from 145 starters.

It was another Pacino son that was the only Irish Sport Horse competing in the previous World Show jumping Championships in Herning four years ago. That was Pacino Amiro (Pacino (BWP) - Carnone Dancing Queen (ISH), by NC Amiro (AES). Breeder: Simon Scott). He and Bertram Allen were on the Irish team that finished fourth.

From a sole ISH in 2022 to five at the latest championships is a definite upgrade and upward trend in Irish show jumping breeding.

Which studbooks were numerically strongest at the outset of the championships? The Netherlands’ main studbook, the KWPN, had 28, followed by Belgium’s BWP (20). Next, after the two Benelux studbooks, is the Selle Français (17).

Which studbook had the most horses in the top dozen by Sunday afternoon? Three for the KWPN, then two apiece for the Holsteiner Verband, Selle Français and another Belgian studbook: Zangersheide.

New Zealand’s NZWB and Sweden’s SWB had one horse each amongst the dozen, with the Kiwi-bred LT Holst Freda delivering the individual bronze medal for Harry Charles.

One podium step ahead in silver medal position was another of the next-generation riders: Belgium’s Thibeau Spits with Impress K van’t Kattenheye Z for the Zangersheide studbook. And then, of course, Dynamix de Belheme, the latest in an extraordinary chain of successful Selle Français performers for Steve Guerdat.

So, no overall majority of individual medals for a studbook in show jumping. Similar to the eventing story, although two of Germany’s studbooks - the Hannoverian and Holsteiner Verbands - provided the gold and bronze medallists (fischerChipmunk FRH and London 52) at Aachen the previous week.

Rankings

To the post-world championship rankings next, where the Selle Français studbook finished top of Hippomundo’s show jumping leaderboard in 2025 and holds a strong lead in this year’s set (€16,276,450).

Three closely-bunched Benelux studbooks - BWP (€13,362,384), Zangersheide (€13,358,118) and the KWPN (€13,319,525) - are followed by four German studbooks: Oldenburger Springpferd (OS) on €9,227,132; Holsteiner Verband (€7,704,384), Westphalian (€4,538,420) and the Hannoverian Verband (€4,233,255).

Next comes the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook in ninth place (€4,048,205) and a third Belgian studbook: the sBs (€2,384,082) completes the top-10 show jumping studbooks.

How does the ISH studbook fare in the David vs Goliath battle against continental counterparts? The Selle Français studbook is numerically strongest, with 5,625 show jumping horses on Hippomundo’s extensive database. At the other end of the scale, the 10th-placed sBs has just 693 amongst these top-10 studbooks.

The ISH comes next in terms of the number of performers (932), behind the Westphalian studbook (999). Looking at the average prize money sum won per horse, the Westphalian studbook (€4,543) holds the lead here, owed chiefly to the mighty United Touch S.

Close on the German studbooks’ heels, though, is the ISH (€4,344), followed by the BWP (€4,146), the only other studbook to break the €4,000 prize money figure per horse average. The Selle Français average for their 5,625 horses? €2,894.

To the top-earning horses on the weekly-updated Hippomundo rankings and, unsurprisingly, United Touch S retains his pre-Aachen place as the biggest winner on this year’s show jumping circuit. He added €42,750 from his share of the host nation’s gold medal pot, plus €8,750 for his 22nd overall individual place.

This result brings the 14-year-old’s winnings to €915,500 so far this year and his lifetime prize money to €2,660,553. His team had indicated pre-Aachen that a bid for the upcoming Rolex Grand Slam bonus at the Spruce Meadows fixture was still the plan for Richard Vogel and the stallion.

Otherwise, there’s no change in the current top-three earners. United Touch S is followed by Greya (the Oldenburg Springpferd mare sat out this year’s world championships) and Steve Guerdat’s Rolex Grand Prix winner at Dublin, Albführens Iashins Sitte (sBs). This pair has won €708,185 and €630,455, respectively, in 2026.

The top three are followed by the World Championship pair of Pieter Devos’s home-bred Casual DV Z (ZANG. €590,274) and individual silver medallist horse Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z (ZANG. €590,088).

Next are Pallieter vd N.Ranch (BWP. €531,585) and Checker 47 (WESTF. €522,577), withdrawn this week as a possible Los Angeles Games contender.

Diriyah (SF. €509,855), Gangster Montdesir (SF. 499,687) and German gold medal team horse Otello de Guidenboom (BWP. €488,481) round out the top 10.

Anastasia Nielsen of Monaco competing ESI Rocky at the 2026 Gallagher Dublin Horse Show \ Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

Top breeders

Top-earning Irish horses? Absolutely no surprise to see Falsterbo Grand Prix winner James Kann Cruz (€440,044), currently the 12th-ranked horse in the overall show jumping rankings, lead the Irish pack.

He’s followed by ESI Rocky (€338,932), EIC Up Too Jacco Blue (Chacco Blue. Breeder: Mark Sherry. €244,509), Mercedes-Benz HHS Cyprus (Clonterm Obolensky. Breeder: Marion Hughes. €157,331), EIC Cooley Jump The Q (€134,836), MSH Claregalway (Clonterm Obolensky. Breeders: Niall and John Mullins. €123,530), Clonterm Obolensky (Cornet Obolensky. Breeder: Brian Duff. €122,261), BH Gringo’s Legacy (Benny’s Legacy. Breeder: Kieran Phelan. €107,407), WKD Balou Breeze (Balou du Rouet. Breeder: Joe Sloan. €93,284) and Bandit (OBOS Quality 004. Breeder: Ted McKenna. €89,385).

Dynamix de Belheme’s breeder - Frederic Aimez - was naturally the highest riser in Hippomundo’s post-Aachen show jumping breeder rankings. The current top-10 Irish breeders are Ennisnag Stud, Patrick Connolly, Marion Hughes, Mark Sherry, Breen Equestrian Ltd, Gerrard Marron, Pam Walshe, Brian Duff, Joe Sloan and Niall and John Mullins.

Another of Richard Vogel’s horses, Gangster du Montdesir, retains his place as the top earner for his sire and the current number one stallion, Kannan. James Kann Cruz comes next in Kannan’s line of 887 progeny recorded on Hippomundo.

After Kannan, the other top-nine stallions are Cornet Obolensky, Comme Il Faut, Chacco Blue, Diamant de Semilly, Toulon, Emerald, VDL Cardento (the lowest number: 141 offspring), Vigo d’Arsouilles and Casall.

So, crossing one of these top-10 stallions with a good mare would narrow the odds of breeding an international performer? Still not so, according to ChatGPT. “Importantly, breeding two proven 1.60m horses does not make the offspring a 50% or even 10% chance of becoming a 1.60m horse. Genetics are considerably more complicated than that. There is still no guarantee.”

No guarantees when it comes to horse breeding, however, for Frederic Aimez, Tony Raman, Mieke Stobbe and Ewen McIntosh, the odds, luck and good fortune were in their favour at the 2026 FEI World Show jumping Championships

Aachen individual medallists

Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme are the new World Champions in Aachen \ Tomas Holcbecher

Gold - Dynamix de Belheme (SF). Snaike de Blondel (SF) - Soudaine du Montet (SF), by Cornet Obolensky (BWP). Breeder: Frederic Aimez. Rider: Steve Guerdat (SUI).

Silver - Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z (ZANG). Indoktro K van’t Kattenheye (BWP) - Julia van Donkhoeve (BWP) by Vagabond de la Pomme (sBs). Breeders: Tony Raman and Mieke Strobbe. Rider: Thibeau Spits (BEL).

Bronze - LT Holst Freda (NZWB). Colman (HOLST) - LT Holst Andrea (HOLST), by Casall ASK (HOLST). Breeder: Ewen McIntosh. Rider: Harry Charles (GBR).

Final 12 by studbook

1 Dynamix de Belheme (SF)

2 Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z (ZANG)

3 LT Holst Freda (NZWB)

4 Hantano (KWPN)

5 Dez’ Ooktoff (KWPN)

6 Otello de Guidenboom (BWP)

7 Coolio 42 (HOLST)

8 Dynastie de Beaufour (SF)

9 Iron Dames Signclair (SWB)

10 Tornado VS (HOLST)

11 Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z (ZANG)

12 Hello Mango (KWPN)

Team Ireland – seventh

Chatolinue PS (OS). Diablo Blanco (OS) - Stanezza (OS), by Stakkatol (OS). Breeder: Gestüt Lewitz/Paul Schockemöhle. Rider: Cian O’Connor.

Eddy Blue (OS). Eldorado van de Zeshoek (BWP) - Chanita (OS) by Chacco Blue (MECKL). Breeder: Gestüt Lewitz/Paul Schockemöhle. Rider: Darragh Kenny.

James Kann Cruz (ISH). Kannan (KWPN) - CSF Telly Cruz (ISH), by Cruising (ISH) [TIH]. Breeder: Patrick Connolly. Rider: Shane Sweetnam.

Qonguest de Rigo (BWP). Fantomas de Muze (BWP) - Daymika (KWPN), by Indoctro (HOLST). Breeder: Ulrik Goossens. Rider: Bertram Allen.

Did you know

  • Belgium’s silver medal team featured four Belgian-bred horses: Katanga v/h Dingeshof (BWP), Casual DV Z (ZANG), Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z (ZANG) and Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z (ZANG).
  • Any previous championships individual medal-winning stallions with progeny following their example? No, not at Aachen. However, Vigo d’Arsouilles (BWP), the 2010 individual gold medal winner with Philippe Lejeune in Kentucky did have three offspring competing at Aachen last week: Lillie Keenan’s Fasther, Henrik von Eckermann’s Minute Man and Ibrahim Barazi’s Joie de Vigo RT.
  • Vigo d’Arsouilles (Nabab de Reve) is also the maternal grandsire of Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z’s dam Julia vd Donkhoeve.
  • Mylord Carthago was on the French silver medal-winning team at those 2010 World Equestrian Games with Penelope Leprevost. He’s amongst that small group of championship medallist sires that produced 2026 contenders, including Luciana Diniz’s Vertigo du Desert and Fringan de Vesquerie, leader after the first day for Julien Epaillard.
  • Dollar du Murier, the individual silver medallist behind Liscalgot at Jerez in 2002, is the sire of Dorette, Brazilian rider Marlon Modolo Zanotelli’s horse at the 2026 championships.
  • Diamant de Semilly was on the French gold medal team at those same Games in Spain and had five offspring competing last week at Aachen: Alcapone des Carmille, Dawson, Diamant’s Dream, Dynastie de Beaufour and Jackpot TN.
  • The 2002 World Equestrian Games saw Cardento, the damsire of Iron Dames Singclair, on the Swedish silver medal team in Jerez.
  • Switching over to individual medal-winning mares drew a blank. Seldana di Campalto, the individual silver medal winner with Abdullah Alsharbatly, spent part of her youngstock days here in Ireland at Suma Stud. Her only blacktype offspring to date is Preseldana (Presley Boy), competing at 1.50m level and with €10,916 in prize money to date.
  • Daniel Deusser competed Tobago Z, the sire of another German team gold-medal horse last week: Otello Guidenboom - also ridden by Deusser.
  • Dynamix de Belheme’s equal first place (with Otello Guidenboom) in the second individual qualifier and her final day victory, plus Fringan de Vesquerie’s win on the opening day meant three wins for Selle Français-breds at these Championships.
  • The Selle Français mare Dans Le Vent (Starter x Furioso) appears in the back pedigree of both Dynamix de Belheme and Nino des Buissonets, Steve Guerdat’s London Olympics individual gold-medal horse.
  • Selle Français horses have been incredibly lucky for Guerdat. Not only with Dynamix de Belheme, his Paris Olympics silver medallist, European gold medallist and now World Championships gold medallist mare, or Nino des Buissonets, but also team gold at the 2009 European Championships and team bronze at the Hong Kong Olympics with Jalisca Solier. And then there’s that World Cup final win in 2015 with Albführens Paille.
  • LT stands for Lake Taupo in New Zealand, where Harry Charles’ individual bronze-medallist mare LT Holst Freda was bred by Ewen McIntosh. She was one of two medal-winning mares in the individual final.

    • By the numbers

    €100,000 - and a gold medal for the individual champion.

    $10,000 - breeders’ prize for the Aimez family, sponsored by Next Gen Professionals.

    135th - the lightly-campaigned Dynamix de Belheme (14 pre-Aachen starts) current place in the latest Hippomundo rankings.

    Five - Irish Sport Horses competed in the 2026 FEI World Show jumping Championships.

    Four - competition-age offspring of Dynamix de Belheme.

    Three - CSF Telly Cruz’s frozen embryos - by Cardento, Chacco Blue and Emerald - are safely banked by the Connolly family.

    Two - of the Irish team horses - Eddy Blue and Chatolinue PS - were bred by Paul Schockemöhle. 11 other Aachen horses were bred at his Gestüt Lewitz, making him the most-represented breeder at this year’s championships.

    One - title eluded Steve Guerdat. Until last Sunday.

    Zero - fences knocked by Dynamix de Belheme at Aachen.