Hippomundo provides multiple rankings comparing riders, breeders, horses, countries and more based on several different variables. One of our own rankings classes young horses of five, six, and seven years old by the points they have received by their performances in international classes. Points are rewarded to young horses depending on the level of difficulty of the class and the result of their performance.
As we enter 2022 and all horses will go up an age category, we would like to take a look back at the most successful young horses of 2021.
The most successful five-year-old was the BWP-mare Camille van de Lentakker A&T Z. In 2021, the daughter of Comme Il Faut out of a mare by Prince de Revel won a total of 14 international five-year-old classes under the saddle of Belgian rider Tom Sneppe. The pair competed at the World Championships for five-year-olds, where they won the consolation class. Camille van de Lentakker A&T Z was bred by and still in ownership of Luc de Reviere, who said the following about the promising mare:
As the breeder and owner of Camille, I follow her closely on a daily basis. She is a very sweet and affectionate mare. She likes to come a little too close. She is a proud dominant mare who cannot be ignored in her stable. She always makes sure that she is seen. Ever since she was a foal, she reacts with lightning speed to everything in her environment. These qualities are always reflected in the ring. Her results are a testament to her strong will and real winning mentality. She always gives it her all and we have high hopes for her future.
The OS-mare Con Sugar-H Old finished second in the five-year-old ranking for 2021. Con Sugar-H Old is a daughter of Solitaire out of a mare by Check In who won 11 international classes this year and participated in the World Championships under the saddle of German rider Tobias Meyer. She was bred in Germany by Franz-Rudolf Sanktjohanser.
Completing the top three of most successful five-year-olds of 2021 is the Zangersheide mare Sensation White Z. The breeding product of Stal Heijligers is a daughter of Sir Obolensky Z out of a mare by Elmshorn and had several international wins and placings under the British rider Chloe Aston.
In the category for six-year-old horses, it is another Comme Il Faut-descendant who takes the gold. Celebrity-H, born as Celebrity from Second Life Z, by Comme Il Faut out of a mare by VDL Groep No Limit, won 14 international young horse classes under the saddle of Tobias Meyer this year. Thierry Hendrikx from Second Life Stables bred this Zangersheide mare in Belgium.
We sold Celebrity as a foal to Johannes Heinrichs from Germany. She already seemed very special as a foal, but of course anything can happen. She also had a lot of blood, which did not always make her the easiest horse to handle. Nevertheless, the owner gave her every chance and boarded her with several riders to find the right combination. If she would have ended up elsewhere, she might not have made it in the sport. We are very grateful for that and greatly appreciative that the owner still involves us in her daily life and shares as much as possible of her career with us. It makes us very happy as breeders.
AES mare Castella di Luna was the second most successful six-year-old of 2021. Kelly Cornelis rode her own breeding product to numerous wins in the international six-year-old classes in Opglabbeek. Castella di Luna is a daughter of Canturano I out of a mare by Larome.
Completing the podium is Bella E impossible BBA, also ridden by her own breeder Bianca Babanitz. The Westphalian mare by Lavagon out of a mare by Lando placed in over 75% of the international classes she competed in.
The most successful seven-year-old of the past year was Irish-bred Rockwell RC. The daughter of Kannan out of a mare by Guidam had a successful year under the saddle of Dutch rider Kim Emmen and Irish rider Darragh Kenny. Rockwell RC was bred in Ireland by Ronan Byrne:
It’s fantastic for all the people involved with Rockwell RC, especially the owner Sean Cubitt. It is great to see her go on and do so well. I always thought she was one of the nicest horses I had ever bred, she always looked the part. I sold her as a three-year-old to a friend of mine, who in turn sold her as a five-year-old to the current owner and the rest is history. It would be nice to see how far she can go in the sport. I know that Sean has high expectations for her, but every step is a step and you will only know when they get there. It is nice to see one of your own breeding products go on and achieve great performances.
Ronny Maes’ breeding product Bonfois van ‘t Hof v Eversen Z finished second. The son of Bisquet Balou vd Mispelaere out of a mare by Nonstop placed in 78% of the international classes he competed in under Koen Vereecke.
Another one of Kim Emmen’s rides, and also last year’s most successful six-year-old, Lady Angeles completes the podium in the 2021 seven-year-old ranking. Bernard Herdes bred the daughter of Los Angeles 28 out of a mare by Lasino.
Source: Hippomundo