By Sally Reid
Photography: Courtesy Dr. Lee Morris & Equibreed ART; Cornege Photography
A jumping series of special interest to New Zealand breeders was introduced by Equibreed ART and VDL Stud, in conjunction with Equestrian Sport NZ (ESNZ) at the start of the 2024-2025 season. This inaugural event was won – emphatically – by the excellent mare Benrose Stellar (Lordano - Solano x Senator VDL).
The 13-year-old grey was bred by Glen and Sarah Beal, and is owned by the Benrose Syndicate and Sophie Scott. Her talent is the result of very careful planning by the Beals: she is a daughter of the German-bred Holsteiner Lordano (Lord - Varese x Coriolan), who has successful progeny on both sides of the world, and a mare called Solano (Senator VDL - Sanderston xx x San Mellay xx), who was bred in New Zealand by Vicki Prendergast and jumped at Grand Prix level with Glen Beal.
Solano herself has a terrific sporting pedigree. Her sire, the KWPN stallion Senator VDL, who has the blood of Corland, Cor de la Bryère, Landgraf, Voltaire, and Nimmerdor, was bred in Europe but imported to New Zealand and sired, among other champions here, the international five-star eventer Balmoral Sensation. Sanderston (San Mellay xx - At Easer x Winnebago [Hann]), Solano’s dam, was a powerhouse of talent, bred and ridden by Vicki Prendergast and leased to Brazil for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Solano was Sanderston’s first foal; her second was Sacramento, who was also sold to Glen Beal and competed with him in the NZL World Cup series. Sanderston’s third foal was SoFee, by five-star jumper Powerfee (Fedor - Toverfee x Erdball xx). This mare was injured as a foal and did not compete, but is now one of this country’s most successful sport horse dams.
Benrose Stellar’s Holsteiner sire Lordano/Lordano 7 (Lord - Varese x Coriolan) sired many successful offspring in Europe before being imported to New Zealand. He was bred by Hans-Jürgen Köhncke, and competed internationally to three-star level with Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE), but was injured early in his career and retired to stud. His maternal grandmother, StPrSt Larese (Farnese), was the dam of the Olympic jumper Chin Chin (Constant) who was also bred by Köhncke.
Lordano stood at Paul Ffoulkes’ Goldengrove Stud in Christchurch for the last years of his life. He was from Holsteiner Stamm 4539 and has the famous Thoroughbred Cottage Son xx on both sides of his pedigree, with another exceptional TB, Ladykiller xx, as his paternal grandsire. He is the sire of Katie Laurie’s five-star jumper Django II (another embryo!), who is now based in Canada and has had notable success in North America. A Lordano stallion son is currently standing in New Zealand: FF Lisandro (Lordano x Littorio x Corlando) who has three-star rating with the NZ Warmblood Association.
Although she was not her co-owner/rider, Sophie Scott’s nominated horse in the 2024-25 NZL World Cup, Benrose Stellar was outstanding in the series, with back-to-back wins in the last two legs, a second in the opening leg, and no finish lower than fourth in any leg. She also finished second in the HOY Olympic Cup, runner-up to her stablemate Waitangi Skynet...
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