By Sally Reid
Photography: Cornege Photography
Windermere Cappuccino (Corofino II - Vespa x Voltaire II), who is now 11, wowed New Zealand’s showjumping circles for several years as a young horse, and again as an eight-year-old in 2018-19. He won the World Cup series here that year, and again in 2019-2020.
In fact, he has never been anything but pure class, although last season was not quite so exceptional and he missed the World Cup final through injury. However, little ‘Vollie’ is back on track and well ahead in the current FEI World Cup NZ League standings, with 77 points at the time of writing. The 16hh (162.5cms) NZWA gelding was bred and is owned by the Parkes family of Blenheim, and has been ridden throughout his career by Tegan Fitzsimon.
He has very strong jumping blood on both sides of his pedigree. His sire, Corofino II (Corrado I - St.Pr.St. Valeska IV x Fernando I), is a licensed, German-bred Holsteiner from Stamm 318D2, who jumped at 1m60 Europe. This stallion has topped the NZ sire rankings several times and has many winners here; he also numerous good European offspring. He was bred by Hobe Bernhard, and has now retired from stud duties at his NZ home, Xtreme Sport Horses. His full brother, Corofino I, also jumped at 1m60, and has been a particularly good damsire. Their St.Pr.St. dam, Valeska IV (Fernando - St.Pr.St. Option x Lord) is from Stamm 318d2 with its many licensed stallions. Three of these are her sons: Corofino I, Corofino II, and the licensing winner Camiros (Contender). Coincidentally, a fourth stallion from that Stamm, Paul Schockemöhle’s Diarado, is the sire of a lovely mare, Cassina Dior, who also features prominently in these rankings (see below).
Bred by Sarah Inglis, Windermere Cappuccino’s dam, Vespa (Voltaire II - Karaka II x Western Bay xx) also brings interesting blood to the mix. Her own dam, Karaka II, bred by Ron and Margaret Trotter, is out of an imported mare, Wild Rose (Wolfsburg - Elmfreundin x Elm) – a German-bred Hanoverian from the Platina mareline Stutenstamm 2191206, Schridde 254. Her granddam is the St.Pr.St. mare Domfee I (Dominus) whose full sister, Domfee II, showjumped at 1m60.
Wild Rose was originally bought by Ron and Marg Southern, founders of Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Canada, who bred from her before sending her to the Trotters in New Zealand. Vespa’s sire, the KWPN stallion Voltaire II (Voltaire - Daydyne ster prest x Nimmerdor) died last year, leaving winners in all disciplines here, but most notably in jumping and eventing. He also sired the very successful stallion son, Double J Repicharge, whose own offspring are excelling in showjumping. In fact, his gelding son Double J Larrikin was the top five-year-old at the recent NZ Young Horse Championships... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS
SUBSCRIBERS CAN READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY LOGGING IN AND RETURNING TO THIS PAGE
