Sport Horse Breeding
Futurity round-up
THIS year marked the first in which the Futurity series was run under new management, known as British Breeding. However, much of it remained the same, including the number of young horses forward, just one fewer than last year at 342.
The new management — a consortium of individuals — took over the Futurity after the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) disbanded the former organising team at the beginning
of the year, due to financial cutbacks at the BEF. The former team under the BEF had previously run the Futurity since its inception in 2005.
“We had a short window to pull together the Futurity this year,” said British Breeding’s Rachael Holdsworth. “Our aim was to provide continuity of format and a familiar environment for participants. Having listened to feedback, we reintroduced the panel of four evaluators, with one
evaluator for each discipline, and for the first time we invited an international evaluator, longserving vice president of the
World Breeding Federation,
Rik van Miert.
“We have also made a significant investment in technology,” added Rachael. “This imcludes an enhanced linear scoring system developed in consultation with industry experts and the disciplines, to give useful guidance and collect data for future analysis.”
The disciplines split across the 11 countrywide venues also remained around the same as in previous years, with potential dressage horses still the most popular, representing the majority of horses evaluated. Foals were also still the largest age group by a long way. The 166 assessed represented almost half (48%) of those forward. This year, 38 young horses attained a coveted elite score — a mark of nine or more — representing 11% of the total, a rise of 3% on previous years.
OVERALL
THE top 13 highest scorers were born this year, while six of the top seven foals were fillies. Unsurprisingly, therefore, it was a filly foal that was this year’s overall high achiever. Esme X, a potential showjumper, was bred by Aileen Stormonth, proprietor of the Xanstorm Equestrian Centre in Carnwath near Lanark. She is by Goodyear VDL, formerly known as G-Star (Indorado x Cardento), and the winner of the 2014 Scottish loose-jumping championship.
“I knew Esme was a cracking foal, but I was really surprised when she got such a good score. I looked at her in a completely new light, especially when she scored 10 for her canter,” said Aileen, who selects her stallions after consultation with Ben Wentink.
“We try not to be fashionable in our stallion selection and, therefore, not pay high prices. Having seen Goodyear, we felt he was a good cross,” said Aileen, who has put Esme’s Belgian-bred dam in foal this time to young Swedishbred stallion Cornets Diamond.
Esme has now been sold.
“She was supposed to have been a keeper and I would have loved to have seen my son compete her,” added Aileen, “but hopefully she will be produced in the sport.”
DRESSAGE
DRESSAGE breeders, or those with potential dressage horses, have numerically always been the biggest supporters of the Futurity and so it was this year with 144 (42%) of the 342 young horses forward assessed for the discipline. Of those, 19 (14%) gained elite scores, of which the highest scorer was Nicola Burton’s colt foal, Crocket. Bred by Nicola, who runs the Wrestow Stud near Southam, Warks, he is by the young Hanoverian, Quantensprung — a son of the international grand prix stallion Quando Quando — out of Nicola’s proven home-bred broodmare Eydon, by Jazz.
“I originally bought three mares from Holland and the line from Promisses, Crocket’s granddam, has proved the best,” said Nicola, who foals down around 40 livery broodmares each year. “Promisses has bred me so many good mares and her daughter, Eydon — Crocket’s dam — has already bred a winner in Hamlet [novice silver national champion in 2017, and fifth at elementary gold at this year’s national championships], by Uthopia”.
Eydon is now in foal to the 2018 Bundeschampion, So Unique, a young son of the champion stallion Sezuan.
Woodlander Stud connections and breeding once again featured at the top of this section with a fraction of a mark separating the filly foals For Elise and Woodlander Querrida. For Elise, bred “in the dressage purple” by Rachael Crook and now owned by Woodlander founder Lynne Crowden, is by the Woodlanderbred stallion Franz Ferdinand (Fürst Heinrich x Dimaggio) — the full brother to former world champion Woodlander Farouche — out of a mare by the former dressage wonder Totilas.
Woodlander Querrida, bred by Lynne, is by the young stallion Quaterhit (Quatergold x Sandro Hit) out of her consistent champion elite broodmare, Foxy Lady, by Florencio I.
Foxy Lady’s progeny also includes the 2015 highest scorer Woodlander Woodstock and the 2016 elite scorers Sugar Pie and Woodlander Grand Designs. The latter, owned by Sylvie Tainton and by Grand Galaxy Win, was crowned supreme champion of this year’s inaugural Futurity final.
SHOWJUMPING
OF the 61 horses that came forward to be assessed as potential showjumpers, six (10%) were awarded an elite score.
Jackie Plant’s three-year-old filly, Kylie, was the next highest after Esme and the second highest scorer in her age group. Acquired from breeders Castell Sport Horses in Wales, Kylie is a daughter of the now gelded Amaretto LCH Z (Air Jordan Z x Cassini I) who, for a while, was also called Galliano.
“We’d seen a lot of Castell horses in the ring so when we were