Elite Auctions, Dressage, Showjumping and Racing in the news

This week has seen another World Cup Dressage qualifier in Austria,; a major show jumping 5 star competition in Paris; a plethora of equine auctions around Europe and Hong Kong’s biggest race meeting of the year.

World Cup Circus Continues in Austria

The World Cup qualifier for Dressage took place at the weekend in Salzburg in Austria with a 5 star Grand Prix and GP Freestyle. There were 15 combinations taking part. In the Grand Prix, our old friend Isabell Werth won riding Emilio with fellow German Benjamin Werndl riding Daily Mirror in second and Morgan Barbancon for France in third riding Sir Donnerhall II. In the freestyle, again Isabell Werth was at the top with Benjamin Werndl 1.2% behind in second and Austrian Victoria Max Theurer third riding Benaglio. With five of the World Cup qualifying rounds completed for western Europe, currently Benjamin Werndl is top of the rankings with 63 points with Helen Langehanenberg in second with 60 points, both from Germany and in third from Holland currently is Hans Peter Minderhoud on 58 points. So very close and still all to play for in the next six rounds, the next being in London at Olympia next week.

PSI Auction in Germany Breaks all Records

There have been several major equine auctions around Europe this week, one being The famous PSI Dressage and Show Jumper Auction held in Germany on Sunday. This was the fortieth renewal of the event set up by Paul Schockemohle and Ullrich Kasselmann. It produced the highest ever turnover of 19.15 million Euros. The top price was  1.3 million Euros and brought by Luxembourg based Dressage Grand Ducal for the dressage stallion V-Plus Gold a four year old Oldenburg stallion who is by Vivaldi out of a Furst Romancier mare. The average for the dressage horses sold was 383,960 Euros and the showjumpers surpassed that figure with an average of 398,333 Euros.

Paris Holds its annual Show jumping Bonanza

In show jumping, although not part of the World Cup Qualifiers, Paris hosted the only 5 star competition. Paris was not the easiest place in the world to get to or get around due to the major week long general strike by the French unions. However, 42 riders were able to compete with eight getting through the first round to go forward to the jump off. The French must have been delighted to win all the podium slots. The winner was Simon Delestre riding Hermes Ryan with a double clear in 35.34 seconds. Fellow Frenchman Keven Staut riding For Joy Van’t Zorgvliet HDC in 35.65 seconds and in third was Roger Yves Bost riding Sangria du Coty also with a double clear in  36.05 seconds. There were three other achieving double clears, Darragh Kenny from Ireland, Felecia Bertrand, again from France and finally, Christian Ahlmann from Germany. There were other top riders competing from Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Holland. There were no British participants.

Hong Kong have their Biggest Race Day of the Year

In Hong Kong, despite all the terrible riots seen throughout the year, the main racing meeting of the year took place at Sha Tin racecourse. The Japanese took all the top honours with one jockey from Japan Joao Moreira winning five of the ten races on the card including the Hong Kong Vase and The Hong Kong Sprint, both Group 1 races on Glory Vase and the aptly names Beat The Clock respectively. The Japan Cup was expected to be in the gift of Magic Wand from Ireland, but it was not to be and it was won by another Japanese contender Win Bright who stormed through to beat Magic Wand in the last 25 meters by a shot head. Win Bright was ridden by Masami Matsuoka.

Tattersalls Bloodstock sales come to the end of another Year

The sales circuit in the UK finished last Thursday with rather a whimper as the less good animals attempted to change address. However the mare sale at Tattersalls in Newmarket made good returns throughout the rest of the week with buyers from around the world in attendance. The top price and the only million guinea sale was for 2.1 million guineas paid for Coplow, a ten year old mare in foal to Kingman and the dam of Billesdon Brook, winner of the Classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2018. Although, as we reported last week the foal sale was off on stats, the mares reversed the trend with a rise in both average and median prices. The average paid was 85,500 with the median of 27,000. It showed that there was plenty of competition and money for quality mares and fillies. Tattersalls over all their sales in the year turned over 300 million guineas for the third year in a row. No doubt another good Christmas for the directors!!!

World Rider Rankings for end of 2019

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat has achieved being the number one FEI world ranked show jumping rider for the twelfth month in succession when the rankings were published this week. Martin Fuchs, also from Switzerland was second and Germany’s Daniel Deusser was third in the final published rankings for 2019. In dressage, Isabell Werth from Germany was number one, and also number two on her top horses, Bella Rose II and Weihegold Old respectively. The third ranked was fellow German Dorothee Schneider.  In eventing the top rider was Oliver Townend from Great Britain with Tim Price from New Zealand in second and Christopher Burton from Australia in third.

Image Courtesy LL Foto.

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