A WIN apiece for Tim and Jonelle Price, strong results by Dutch, French and German-breds, plus five more top-10 places notched up by Irish Sport Horses at Maryland International and Pau - that’s the summary from the final of the 2022 five-star events.

First up from the recent two was the Mars Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill, to give the newest of seven such events held around the globe its full title. Seven Irish Sport Horses were on the startlist with three: Dondante (sixth), Morswood (eighth) and Harbour Pilot (10th) finishing in the top-10.

For the Pacino gelding Dondante, bred by Francis Brennan, this was his second top-10 finish at both of North America’s five-star events with Will Coleman as they placed seventh back in the springtime at Kentucky.

The 12-year-old is one of nine foals recorded for his dam Muckno Clover and she is by the ISH-Oldenburg cross stallion Euro Clover, bred by John McKay, while her dam Carnroe Dame is by the Anglo-Arabian stallion Horace.

Morswood is another consistent Irish-bred on the U.S. circuit with Alexandra Knowles, having finished just outside the top-10 (11th) at Maryland last year. Along with Monaghan-bred Dondante, Morswood kept up the Border Counties strike rate for breeding five-star horses, as the 14-year-old was bred by Louth man John Doherty.

By Ricardo Z, he is one of Princess In Arms pair of recorded foals. The Present Arms daughter’s dam line is pure Irish Draught, going back to Supreme Ginger and Holycross.

Alexandra Knowles (USA) and Morswood (ISH) at Mars Maryland 5 Star \ Shannon Brinkman

Harbour Pilot’s noble career ended at Maryland when he and Hannah Sue Hollberg rounded off the top-10. The 19-year-old has the unique record of competing in all six of the northern hemisphere five-star events and recorded another top-10 place (eighth) at Luhmühlen back in 2017. Bred on traditional Irish lines, by Cruising out of the thoroughbred dam Shannon, his breeder and eventing patron Jacqueline Mars was Maryland five-star’s title sponsor.

Coup de Coeur Dudevin, this year’s winner and sole Selle Français in the top-10, is bred on classic French lines, with the Quidam de Revel grandson Top Gun de Semilly and Leprince des Bois as his sire and damsire.

The Irish Sport Horse trio made their studbook the strongest-by-numbers at the business end of the Maryland leaderboard. Next best was the amalgamated Deutsches Sportpferde (DSP) studbook with two top-10 horses: FE Lifestyle and Quantum Leap (another, like Harbour Pilot, with a thoroughbred dam).

Hannah Sue Hollberg (USA) and Harbour Pilot (ISH) at Mars Maryland 5 Star \ Shannon Brinkman

As with Master Imp at Pau, there was one thoroughbred-sired top-10 finisher in third-placed As Is, by the Spanish-based thoroughbred Meneusekal.

However, French-breds bounced back on home ground at Pau last weekend. The Selle Français and KWPN studbooks tied with four horses apiece in the top-10, completed by the Irish Sport Horse pair.

Both breeder Michael Callery and rider Caroline Powell think a lot of Greenacres Special Cavalier and their faith was rewarded with the nine-year-old – one of two mares in the Pau top-10 – recording her best result to date.

Between HHS Calais’ recent Longines Global Champions Tour win in Riyadh and yet another offspring now appearing at five-star level eventing, Cavalier Royale’s legacy certainly lives on.

Greenacres Special Cavalier is one of three offspring - all by Cavalier Royal - of Greenacres Touch. Her sire Touchdown, like Cavalier Royale and Master Imp, is another household name in the Irish breeding world and produced the Frank and Paula Cullen-bred Paulank Brockagh, the 2014 Badminton winner.

Rock House Girl, Greenacres Special Cavalier’s thoroughbred grandam was her Kells owner’s foundation mare. By Paddys Stream, she was sourced from Michael Hickey at Garryrichard Stud.

While Greenacres Special Cavalier is a new name at five-star level, Brookpark Vikenti has featured in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings, including being one of the six Irish Sport Horses that claimed the studbook title three years ago. Ranked individual 14th that year, the now 14-year-old is from the final crops of Master Imp, a stallion along with Cavalier Royale, Heraldik and Fines, that dominated sires rankings for years.

Tullineaskey Butler’s Simon, Tristan Kingston’s mare that produced the Pau prizewinner, is by Ballysimon (best known as the sire of Philip Dutton’s 2008 Kentucky winner Connaught) and out of a Rhett Butler dam.

So the Pau pair complete two more top-10 places recorded by Irish Sport Horses at the final five-star this year, (now that Adelaide made the decision to move from its traditional November date to next April).

Irish-bred results at Maryland International and Pau have banked some early points for the ISH studbook in next year’s WBFSH studbook title race and overall, it was a good year for Irish Sport Horses against increased competition from continental studbooks.

A win (Vanir Kamira) and 17 top-10 places at five-star level, plus another WBFSH leading studbook title, Off The Record on the US silver medal team at the World Equestrian Games, two silver medals for HSH Connor and Dassett Arthalent at the WBFSH young eventing horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers, team gold and individual silver medals for the ‘next generation’ Irish pony team at the European championships and many proud Irish breeders throughout 2022 – yes, it was a good year for Irish-breds.

Maryland International Top-10 Bloodlines

Will Coleman (USA) and Dondante (ISH) wait their turn at the trot-up for the Mars Maryland 5 Star \ Shannon Brinkman

1. Coup de Coeur Dudevin (SF). 10yo g by Top Gun Semilly (SF) - Tiebreak Combehory (SF, by Leprince des Bois (SF). Breeder: Jean-Louis Stauffer. Rider: Tim Price (NZL).

2. Danito (HANN). 13yo g by Dancier (HANN) - Wie Musik (HANN), by Wolkenstein II (HANN). Breeder: Herbert Schuett. Rider: Tamra Smith (USA).

3. As Is (CDE). 11yo g by Meneusekal (TB) - Paraca (CDE), by Lacros (HOLST). Breeder: Casa de Neves. Rider: Oliver Townend (GBR).

4. Z (ZANG). 14yo g by Asca Z (HOLST) - Bella Bouche B (OS), by Babouche van het Gehucht Z (ZANG). Breeder: A.M.C.M Van Bezouw. Rider: Philip Dutton (USA).

5. FE Lifestyle (DSP). 12yo g by Leo von Faelz (HOLST) - Berina A, by Branderburger (OLDBG). Breeder: Danny Arnold. Rider: Jennie Brannigan (USA).

6. Dondante (ISH). 12yo g by Pacino (BWP) - Muckno Clover (ISH), by Euro Clover (ISH). Breeder: Francis Brennan. Rider: Will Coleman (USA).

7. Superstition (BHHS). 13yo g by Satisfaction I (HANN) - Calendula, (WESFT) by Cordalme Z (OLDBG). Breeder: Eva Meier. Rider: Harry Meade (GBR).

8. Morswood (ISH). 14yo g by Ricardo Z (ZANG) - Princess In Arms (ISH), by Present Arms (TB). Breeder: John Doherty. Rider: Alexandra Knowles (USA).

9. Quantum Leap (DSP). 11yo g by Quite Capitol (HOLST) - Report To Sloopy (TB), by Corporate Report. Breeder: Elizabeth Callahan. Rider: Doug Payne (USA).

10. Harbour Pilot (ISH). 19yo g by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. - Shannon (TB), by Fijar Tango. Breeder: Jacqueline Mars. Rider: Hannah Sue Hollberg (ISA).

Did you know?

  • Harbour Pilot bowed out at Maryland, having had the same rider - Hannah Sue Burnett who married showjumper/coach Matt Hollberg last January – for his entire FEI competition career. The pair’s highlights include winning team gold and individual silver at the 2011 Pan-Am Games in Mexico.
  • The French-bred thoroughbred Meneusekal was noted Spanish breeder Ramón Beca’s successor to Fines. With the latter stallion, Beca bred such five-star horses as the full-brothers Armada and Nereo at his Casa des Neves base.
  • Deutsche Sportpferd, as seen at Maryland by FE Lifestyle and Quantum Leap, is an amalgamation of mostly southern German studbooks, such as Zweibrucker and Brandenburg,
  • Now that the date for Adelaide – the southern hemisphere’s only five-star event – has definitely been confirmed as April 2023, Willingapark Clifford will hold on to his reigning title until next Spring. The 17-year-old thoroughbred (Passing Shot - Twin Pearls, by Double Income) and rider Hazel Shannon also won there in 2016 and 2018.
  • Coup de Coeur Dudevin, the Maryland International winner, was originally produced as a youngster by another Australian rider, Chris Burton. The pair finished seventh twice at the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses young eventing horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers (2018, 2019). Burton, a member of Australia’s Olympic team at both London and Rio de Janeiro, has since switched careers to show jumping. Just last weekend, he competed the promising young stallion Castlefield Kingston at Oliva for joint-owners Castlefield Breeding Farm and Ellie Guy Equestrian.

    • By the numbers

    $100,000 - Coup de Coeur Dudevin’s pay cheque for winning Maryland International.

    €50,000 - Grappa Nera’s take-home pay from Pau.

    35 - horses completed Pau from 49 entries.

    21 - Maryland International finishers out of 25 entries.

    18 - Irish-breds in the top-10 at this year’s five-star events.

    Seven - five-star three-day events held around the world: Adelaide, Badminton, Burghley, Kentucky, Luhmühlen, Maryland and Pau.

    Six - studbooks with a five-star winner each in 2022: Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Irish Sport Horse, KWPN, Selle Français and Westphelian.

    Five - Irish-breds in the Badminton top-10, the best result of the season.

    Four - Irish-breds in the Luhmûhlen top-10.

    Three - top-three Burghley results recorded by Vanir Kamira; this year’s win and two second places (2017, 2019).

    Two - five-star winning mares in 2022: Vanir Kamira (Burghley) and Grappa Nera (Pau).

    One - Traditional Irish Horse apiece in the Maryland International and Pau top-10: Harbour Pilot and Brookpark Vikenti.