Celebration (Cellestial - Unessa x Chalan, Stamm 8810, bred by ZG Friedrich/Meyer), a 6yo gelding already competing in class M, was the top-priced horse of the elite riding horse auctionshowjumping class M (1m30)
By Adriana van Tilburg Photography: Holsteiner Verband/Janne Bugtrup
In many ways, history was rewritten during the recent Holsteiner stallion approvals. To be awarded as the breeder of the Holsteiner approval champion is already a very special honour, but to be the breeder of both the champion of champions, as well as the reserve champion, is something that has never happened before.
This year’s totally unique situation was where Manfred von Allwöhrden found himself, as the breeder of the champion Cahil (Cornet Obolensky - Operette III x Contender, Stamm 776), and also reserve champion Chinchero (Chopin - Camara VA x Clarimo, Stamm 7709).
Contender will never be forgotten
Contender (Calypso - Gofine x Ramiro Z, Stamm 2472, bred by Niko Detlef) is a stallion who will ensure he is never forgotten, even though he passed away five years ago at the age of 30. During his lifetime he enjoyed an extraordinary breeding career, producing winners like Chiara 222 (out of Larissa x Coronado, Stamm 1120, bred by Günter Schüder), Montender (out of Jesprit x Burggraaf, bred by J. Visschedijk), Carlo 273 (out of Gunda IV x Cascavelle, Stamm 318A2, for breeder Hans Werner), Checkmate (out of Petit Cardinale x Pik Bube II, bred by Renate Gerlach), we well as stallions such as Con Air (out of Fair Lady IX x Carolus I, Stamm 2966, for breeder Ernst Christian Teegen), and the mighty Contendro I (out of Bravo x Reichsgraf, Stamm 104A, bred by Manfred Birchler).
In fact, Contender blood featured in 26 out of the 72 stallions presented, through Contendro I and II, Concerto II (Contender - Bagina x Ahorn Z, Stamm 6893, bred by Otto Peters), and Diarado (Diamant de Semilly - Roxette I x Corrado I x Contender, Stamm 318D2, bred by Klaus Thingholm Kristensen). Two premium stallions also had Contender as their damsire. The champion Cahil, and Soleto (Somersby - Ondra IV x Contender, Stamm 741, bred by Witt Pferdezucht GbR). Both these stallion were exactly the type that Holsteiner wants them to be.
Their slogan is ‘character, charisma, class’, for which these two indisputably stood out in terms of their type, while the champion also has a dream pedigree. His half sister is Vienna Olympic (Cassini I) who jumped 1m60 under the saddle of Sheikh Ali Al Thani from Qatar, who participated at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen. Previously Vienna Olympic had been very successful in Fontainebleau as a seven-year-old under the saddle of Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, where they won two youngster classes...To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
