Sport-horse breeding round-up

New base for veteran sires

Two well-known veteran stallions, the Anglo Arab Fairlyn Gemini and the Thoroughbred No Submission, will stand at stud in Bedfordshire next season. The 26-year-old Gemini is a life approved sport horse stallion. He has also been fully graded into the Trakehner studbook and has sired winners in the show ring, show jumping and dressage. No Submission, also a life approved sport horse, finished sound after 132 starts on the track. For more information (tel: 07768 804656).

The dam of the warmblood sire Lemar Nareko appears to be passing on her jumping genes. As well as her stallion son by the German-bred Gino, Dolly Bird, who was ridden at grade A level by Vicky Young, produced Redhill Manta. Manta took the grade B title at last year’s BSJA Festival for Michael Whitaker and has since been bought by Vicky Young. Her latest win was in an A and B class at Royal Norfolk.

Just two months after breaking his pelvis in two places after slipping over while galloping in the field, Gini Guttery’s Keens Envy took the sport horse title at the Northern Horse Show, Wetherby. Bred for flat racing, the two-year-old by Keen out of Envy did not attract a bid at the bloodstock sales. However, Gini bought him privately and left him to mature last year. On only his third outing, Keens Envy, who was produced by Nicky Sanderson and handled by Matt Alexander, impressed judge David Kellow to win his class and stand champion. “We’re looking forward to having him out under saddle and I hope he’ll go on to do dressage,” said Gini.

Eileen O’Donnell’s graded sports pony stallion Special Edition II made a fine start to his stud career after this year’s foals — both out of hunter mares — were successful on their first outings. The filly foal out of Miranda Skinner’s champion broodmare Free Spirit took the championship at Kent County, while Kath Smith’s colt won his class at Royal Lancs. The five-year-old Special Edition is by the dressage stallion Broomford Dancer out of Greenacres Morning Dew. For more information (tel: 01706 354088).

Pompadour in France will host a week of celebration of the Anglo Arab sport horse from 22-26 September. The town in the Limousin region has been home to a National Stud since 1761 and is popular with tourists, welcoming 60,000 people every year. The show will include an international conference focusing on breeding, plus in-hand showing, national show jumping and the French three-year-old stallion championship. On the Friday and Saturday evenings there will be sport horse auctions, with specially selected lots including broodmares and horses up to the age of four. For more information, visit www.semaine-pompadour.com