However, breeders should be attentive and be mindful of this in order to not ‘get stuck’ with too many Casalls.

Notable is the fact that Casall’s great-grandsire, Cor de la Bryère (Rantzau xx - Quenotte x Lurioso, bred by Therese Essayan) was, in fact, represented in the ancestral pedigrees of every stallion that was presented during the approvals this year. ‘Corde’ has created his very own era since the year he came to Holstein in 1971 as a three-year-old. Forty-seven years later and his influence is still strong, and this year would have been his 50th birthday.

Two 'foreign' stallions produced the counterweight, to Casall’s domination: Cornet Obolensky (Clinton - Rabanna van Costersveld x Heartbreaker, bred by Thierry Degraeve) and Vagabond de la Pomme (Vigo d'Arsouilles - Sauterelle de la Pomme x For Pleasure, bred by Geert Baertsoen of Haras de la Pomme). Of the five Cornet sons presented, four were approved, likewise one of the three Vagabond sons.

The line of Diamant de Semilly (Le Tot de Semilly - Venise des Cresles x Elf III, bred by Jules Mesnildrey) is now gaining a greater foothold in Holstein. While two of his direct sons were not approved, his grandson, Dinken (Diarado - Inken I x Cassini I, Stamm 2294, bred by Theo Molenaers) is the sire of approved stallion Diemo (out of Nischa x Cascavelle, Stamm 242,bred by Josef Fischer). Out of the direct damline of Diemo comes also the stallion Crumble (Colman - Valenzia I x Carinjo, bred by Lothar and  Sven Völz). Currently Crumble is jumping at 1m50 under the saddle of Switzerland’s Christina Liebherr, and although he was represented by two stallions at the approvals, neither were approved.

Dinken has now a total of five approved sons from his first three years as an active breeding stallion. The champion Cadilo (Casall - Edwina x Diarado, Stamm 2495, bred by Klaus Peter Wiepert) has Diarado (Diamant de Semilly - Roxette I x Corrado I, Stamm 318D2, bred by Klaus Tingholm Kristensen) in the damline. Coincidentally, Wiepert knows Diarado very well, having brought him to the stallion inspection in 2007, where be became the champion and sold for a record price at auction. This year Wiepert bred the champion himself and also presented him to the selection committee.

Kannan (Voltaire - Cemeta x Nimmerdor, bred by M.G. Kramer van de Meer) sired the impressive stallion Keaton (out of Zahara II x Contendro I, Stamm 4847, bred by Rudolf Schmitt)...CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS

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