By Sally Reid
Photography: Pegasus Communications
It doesn’t happen often, but it has just happened in New Zealand: the same three horses finishing first, second and third in a World Cup series, two years in a row. They are (with breeding details in the story below) Windermere Cappuccino, LT Holst Andrea, and Veroana.
The only differences between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 results are the number of points scored, and even these are similar. Windermere Cappuccino’s total was 82 last year; this year it was 81. LT Holst Andrea, who finished the 2019 series with 71, had a 2020 score of 79. Veroana’s 2019 score was 62; this year it was 68.
And, just for the record, the 2019 and 2020 NZL World Cup had one other identical result: the final was won in 2019 and 2020 by LT Holst Andrea, with series winner Cappuccino in second place each time. Obviously, these two are closely matched in talent. However, they and third-placed Veroana are in no way alike, apart from the fact that all three have Holsteiner blood, as does almost every other horse in the top 10.
Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II - Vespa x Voltaire II), is a nine-year-old New Zealand Warmblood gelding; LT Holst Andrea (Casall - Palaune x Lavaletto) is an 11-year-old imported Holsteiner mare, and the dashing red roan Veroana (Indoctro - Strawberry x Roman Off) is an 11-year-old NZ Stationbred. Windermere Cappuccino was bred by the Parkes family of Blenheim (NZ), Veroana was bred here too, by Linda Taylor, and LT Holst Andrea was bred in Germany by Hans-Joachim Gerken. Veroana’s Holstein blood comes from his superb sire, the VDL Group’s Indoctro, who is a Holsteiner (Stamm 7299) with a touch of Selle Français through Cor de la Bryère.
Windermere Cappuccino has been outstanding since his debut, easily winning every one of his age-group series, as well as many other classes and championships. He is a very calm horse in the arena, always looking biddable and confident, and jumping with care. No doubt this is due in part to his rider, the talented Tegan Fitzsimon, but his technique over fences could also be attributed to his sire, Corofino II (Corrado I x Fernando I x Lord), who has been awarded as top stallion at the NZ Young Horse Jumping Show four times, and has a similar jumping style to Cappuccino’s.
Corofino II is a licensed Holsteiner from Stamm 318D2, born in Germany and imported to New Zealand in 2009. He has an excellent competition record in both Hemispheres, and a number of good European progeny as well as many winners in New Zealand. His dam, Valeska IV, is a Staatsprämie mare from a Hauptstutbuch mare called Option (Lord x Ramiro Z x Harras). Valeska’s progeny include Corofino II’s full siblings Corofino I and La Corofina (dam of the licensed Zangersheide stallion Conrad Quality Z) and the Staatsprämie mare H-Corofina. Now 23 years old, Corofino II stands at Xtreme Sport Horses near Wellington, and in the 11 years since his arrival has had a serious impact on New Zealand breeding.
Windermere Cappuccino had only four faults in the entire 2018-2019 series; an exceptional feat for any horse, but especially for an eight-year-old, which he was at the time. This year he won two of the legs, with one second, one third, and one seventh place. He is owned by the Parkes family of Windermere Equestrian (who bred him), and his rider Tegan Fitzsimon – and his success continued shortly after the WC final, at the national showjumping championships (see below).
LT Holst Andrea, who came so close to winning the World Cup series this year with just two points separating her from Windermere Cappuccino, is a very, very impressive mare. She is jointly owned by her rider, Brooke Edgecombe and Ewen Mackintosh of Lake Taupo Holsteiners. Like Cappuccino, she had two wins in the 2020 World Cup series. She also had one second, one fifth, and one eighth place finish... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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