BY JEAN LLEWELLYN / PRESS RELEASE
PHOTOGRAPHY: JANNE BUGTRUP

Eighteen years have passed since Diarado was crowned the undisputed Holsteiner Champion Stallion. Now his son, Dark Zuccero, has followed in his footsteps. The dark bay left the Fritz-Thiedemann-Halle as the radiant winner.

As a foal, the Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH (Holsteiner Association Stallion Management GmbH) acquired Dark Zuccero, whose dam is by Caretino, from Hanno Köhncke in Badendorf. “I am overwhelmed, and I am most pleased that he will remain part of the Holsteiner breeding program,” said a visibly moved Hanno Köhncke. “I hope he will follow the same path as his big brother.” This is none other than the European Team Champion, Zuccero HV. Trained by Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE), the Holsteiner is now enjoying international success under Maximilian Weishaupt.
It is dam line 4539, successfully cultivated by the Köhncke family for generations, that forms the basis for these outstanding achievements. “What a horse! With a magnificent dark coat, correct conformation, exceptional jumping ability, and, of course, fantastic breeding,” were the words that breeding director Stephan Haarhoff used to describe Dark Zuccero.
The first reserve champion was presented by the Witt family from Wellinghusen with Christelio by Christian x Casall. The grey stallion is a representative of the Holsteiner dam line 2067 and was commented on by Stephan Haarhoff as follows: “An outstanding type, a very well-built horse with a foundation that leaves nothing to be desired. And he also impressed us endlessly with his jumping.” The licensing commission, which, in addition to the breeding director, consists of Deike Ahsbahs, Lars Nieberg, Horst-Klaus Heleine, and Matthias Wittke, named Hello Sam (Halifax van het Kluizebos x Livello) as the second reserve champion. The long journey for Klaus-Philipp Eichert from Ellwangen was worthwhile. Stephan Haarhoff called the stallion from dam line 1298 an “outstanding athlete with boundless potential and a superb temperament.”