BY DÉSIRÉE DAHN / HOLST
PHOTOGRAPHY: JANNE BUGTRUP
There are times when the sport writes stories with an unexpected twist. One such story is starting off anew: the Holsteiner Verband stallion Million Dollar is back in competitive sport – under the saddle of Arne van Heel.
The Plot Blue-Vigo d’Arsouilles son bred by Perry de Winter has been owned by Holsteiner Verband stallion keeping GmbH for about 10 years now and is considered one of the most influential sires of his generation. The first public appearances of the stallion with the bold facial markings already commanded attention, and Million Dollar eventually had his international breakthrough with Sophie Hinners, with the combination collecting international results, wins, and top placings – including unforgettable performances at Nations Cup level.
Then, in the summer of 2022 the unexpected turning point: Million Dollar had to undergo hernia repair surgery. At that time, those in charge decided to retire the stallion from competition. Nevertheless, his training has been continued throughout the years – and he has always proved highly motivated.
The idea of demonstrating this to the breeders as well has been taking shape over the past few months. “We want to show that Million Dollar is motivated and in top form”, executive director Felix Flinzer explains the decision. And the stallion impressively demonstrated his fitness at the Holsteiner Horse Days, placing right away at 1m40 and 1m45 level. The award ceremony finally saw the 14-year-old top sire right behind one his up-and-coming sons, Mané P (damsire Uriko(Timm Peters, Bargenstedt) with Bart van der Maat.
And Mané P is by no means the only offspring promoting his famous sire. Million’s Way (damsire Concerto II; Holsteiner Verband, Elmshorn), National Champion Kalifa (damsire Caretino; Nathalie Kock, Bissee) or Thomas Ryan’s Million’s Grey (damsire Colman; Rita Kuenzli, Switzerland), Milva RB (damsire Lasino; ZG Bröcking, Borken) under the saddle of Eiken Sato, and Kristen Vanderveen’s Bull Run’s Amen (damsire Clarimo; Timm Peters, Bargenstedt) are only some examples of Million Dollar’s outstanding heredity...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE IN THE ONLINE EDITION OF BREEDING NEWS
