AS the end of May approaches, the overall picture of the various rankings’ races starts to take shape.
The World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) released the first update of their rankings calendar season (October through October) at the end of April. Within this timeframe, the impact of the World Cup finals in Fort Worth, Doha and Wellington’s major show jumping classes and the first of the CCI5* events - Adelaide and Kentucky - had a strong influence in these early rankings’ results.
When major 1.60m and Badminton CCI5*-L results are factored in to the May rankings, we can expect a significant reshuffle.
In dressage, the WBFSH top three are Mount St John Freestyle (HANN. Fidermark), Zonik Plus (RHEIN. Glock’s Zonik) and Glamourdale (KWPN. Lord Leatherdale).
Doha Grand Prix winner Bull Run’s Jireh (HOLST. Uriko), Dynastie De Beaufour (SF. Diamant de Semilly) and Gangster Montdesir (SF. Kannan) lead the show jumping rankings and the best news for Irish Sport Horses is in eventing.
Here, the ISH studbook has taken an early lead (774 points), after the Defender Kentucky CCI5* results were factored in, the current top-ranked WBFSH event horse is that CCI5*-L runner-up HSH Blake (Tolan R. Breeder: Justin Burke), followed by Commando 2 (HOLST. Connor 46) and Galileo Nieuwmoed (KWPN. Carambole).
WBFSH studbook rankings are based on the top-six performers per studbook and the other five Irish Sport Horses that contributed to this early lead are Cooley Nutcracker (Tolan R. Gary Doherty), Tullabeg Platinum (Dignfied van’t Zorgvliet. Nicholas Cousins), Plot Twist B (Plot Blue. Etter Sportpferde AG), Very Dignified (Dignified van’t Zorgvliet. Deirdre Bowler) and Brookfield Quality (OBOS Quality 004. Sean Kelly).
Tus Maith/good start
The ISH studbook has got off to a promising start in the WBFSH show jumping section and is currently ranked seventh, matching its eventual place in the final WBFSH rankings last year. (The KWPN and Selle Français studbooks have also taken their customary lead in dressage and show jumping).
Best of the ISH show jumpers in the WBFSH results is another Galway-bred in James Kann Cruz (Ranked individual ninth. Kannan. Breeder: Patrick Connolly), followed by BH Gringo’s Legacy (26th. Bennys Legacy. Kieran Phelan), Clonterm Obolensky (43rd. Cornet Obolensky. Brian Duff), My Clementine (54th. OBOS Quality 004. David Prentice), McQueen (78th. Cobra. Anne Marie O’Gorman) and Rincoola Milsean (113th. Aldatus Z. Harold McGahern).
So, a good early start for the ISH studbooks. However, we can expect a reshuffle, for example, when the May eventing results are tallied and we see what impact Lordships Graffalo’s Badminton win will have on Sport Horse Breeding (GB)’s position.
Currently, SHB (GB) is in eighth place (355 points) and the race is much tighter at the top with the ISH studbook just 19 points ahead of the Holsteiner Verband at the start of the WBFSH rankings season.
The summer and early autumn five-star results, plus the outcome of the World Equestrian Games will have a huge impact on the final rankings result, released in October.
Sole thoroughbred
Last year, the ISH eventing studbook finished second to the Holsteiner Verband in the 2025 WBFSH final rankings. It’s a similar second-place result in Hippomundo’s post-Badminton results, where the German studbook has overtaken its Irish rivals post-Kentucky and Badminton by €23,880, due to Will Coleman’s Kentucky win (€113,043) with Diabalo (HOLST).
Lordships Graffalo’s Badminton victory sees the SHB (GB) studbook zoom up to third place in the Hippomundo eventing rankings.
Best of the Irish Sport Horses is Annaghmore Valoner, described as “a star” by former rider Sam Griffiths in his recent Horse of a Lifetime feature, currently ranked fourth in the Hippomundo top-10 event horses.
She was the only Irish Sport Horse in this year’s Badminton top 10, compared to recent years when there were at least three ISH or Irish-born top-10 finishers at the first of the British five-stars.
Her result sees both her sire Coroner (fifth) feature in the latest top-10 eventing sire rankings and her breeder Sinead Healion (fourth), plus HSH Blake’s breeder Justin Burke (fifth) amongst the top-10 eventing breeders.
The only thoroughbred stallion in the top 10, the late Coroner from the influential Busted line, stood at Tullogher House Stud and has just 68 offspring registered on Capall Oir.
One place above Coroner is the Dutch-bred Tolan R (fourth, 226 offspring), while OBOS Quality 004 (10th, 2,336) rounds out the Irish links within the top-10 eventing stallions.
Biggest riser
Hippomundo’s prize money-based rankings, updated weekly, provide a more current overview. As per the rankings’ tables, the ISH studbook ranks ninth in the show jumping category.
Ennisnag Stud earned last week’s biggest riser shout-out amongst Irish breeders in these rankings on account of the Andrew and Niall Hughes-bred ESI Rocky and ESI Ali’s Madrid results. Both 1.60m horses are by Stakkato Gold.
The Kilkenny stud also leads the top-10 Irish show jumping breeders table, followed by Patrick Connolly, Marion Hughes, Gerrard Marron, Breen Equestrian Ltd, Kieran Phelan, Knightfield Stud, Simon Scott, Harold McGahern and Brian Duff.
James Kann Cruz is currently the highest-placed Irish Sport Horse, followed by ESI Rocky (Stakkato Gold. Ennisnag Stud), BH Gringos Legacy (Bennys Legacy. Kieran Phelan), Flexi K (Flexible. Knightfield Stud), HHS Los Angeles (Le Roi 10. Marion Hughes), ESI Ali (Stakkato Gold. Ennisnag Stud), Maxwin Kinmar Bespoke (O-Piloth. Gerrard Marron), Pacino Amiro (Pacino. Simon Scott), Rincoola Milsean (Aldatus Z. Harold McGahern) and My Clementine (OBOS Quality. David Prentice).
At the time of writing, the KWPN (€800,005) has a comfortable lead over its nearest rivals in the dressage studbook title race. Two German studbooks - Oldenburg (€470,137) and Hannoverian (€331,715) - complete the top-three places.
Wendy de Fontaine (DWB. Sezuan 2. €105,452), Jane (KWPN. Desperado. €84,746) and this year’s World Cup champion Jagerbomb (KWPN. Dante Weltino OLD. €76,450) are Hippomundo’s top-ranked dressage horses.
The Breeders Lot
THE low number of five-star horses and finishers at the first three of the world’s half-dozen five-star events this year, which breed is the best, WEG team predictions and the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) - La Biosthetique Sam FBW or Lordships Graffalo - debates have filled cyberspace in recent weeks.
Yet comparatively little is written about the breeders of these elusive five-star horses. During Lordships Graffalo’s stellar career, we’ve seen Lordships Stud/Writtle College and/or Pennie Wallace listed as the horse’s breeder. Pennie, this week’s Breeders’ 10 feature (see page 88) fills in the background story.
“When I first joined, Writtle just offered Agriculture and Horticulture courses, without a horse on the place! My boss, Liz Warr, had horses and could see the opportunity to deliver Equine courses, too,” she said about her former workplace.
“We started off delivering evening classes to local horse owners, in conjunction with local vets, and Equine courses (now up to Postgraduate level). All the fantastic facilities, including the unique Lordships Stud, grew from then on, once Liz managed to persuade the senior management that there was a future in horses!
“Lordships Stud was an amazing teaching facility and valued highly by all the students and staff who were lucky enough to experience it, until unfortunately it closed in 2022.”
Ros Canter’s future Badminton triple-winning ride was bred as a collaboration between Pennie and the College-based stud. Did she always think Lordships Graffalo would be this good?
“As a foal, Walter was very cheeky and always up to something. When he came home to me, he lived in a small herd with other youngsters, which seemed to keep him occupied.
“I first knew he was special when, as a four-year-old, Ros took him to his first proper show - the Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier at Houghton Hall in Norfolk. He was green, gangly but “jumped the moon”. He came third and qualified for the final at Burghley on his first attempt!
“He was third in the final, judged by Ian Stark. Michele [Saul], his current owner, came to watch him compete at the Houghton Hall qualifier and bought him from me following that performance.
“So, at this stage, I knew he was hopefully a good horse, but never dreamt he would go on to achieve all the wins and records he has achieved with the amazing Ros Canter. Walter and Ros have such an amazing partnership together and that is what makes them so special!”
She’s also quick to credit those who foot the bills for these top competition horses, saying: “Walter has been produced by Ros for 11 years now, from when he was three years old. Michele Saul and her husband Archie have owned him for 10 years and have supported him and Ros on their journey all this time - what incredible commitment and loyalty!”
It takes the horse, the owner(s), rider and breeder to make a success story, but often the breeder is overlooked, for example, when it comes to sourcing tickets for the big occasions.
Pennie follows Walter’s progress keenly and has already made tentative plans for Los Angeles in 2028. “We are planning the Aachen World Championships at the moment and we only just managed to get tickets last weekend - seems to be a common theme! We didn’t get anything in the LA [tickets] ballot, so who knows.
“We have managed to go to Badminton, Burghley, the World Championships in Pratoni and the Paris Olympics to watch Ros and Walter compete - but as self-funded members of the public, without any special access or permission.
“We only managed to get to the Paris Olympics because one of the other team riders’ family saw my social media post, asking if anyone had spare tickets to cross-country day!”
Breeders often seem overlooked by federations, although there has been some ‘outside the box’ thinking to acknowledge Pennie and Lordships Stud’s role in producing this five-time five-star champion.
“I’m extremely grateful to the British Horse Foundation, who have previously awarded a trophy and generous prize money for the best British-bred horse at Badminton and Burghley. Walter has won this for Lordships Stud and me as joint breeders on five occasions now!
“The highlight was being presented with these awards for Badminton and Burghley in 2025, from Pippa Funnell, at the London International Horse Show last December.”
One shining example in how the breeders that start every success story can be highlighted. After all, no breeder, no horse.
By the numbers