Silent auction offers top sires

There are some exciting sires on offer in this year’s Supporters of British Breeding fund-raising silent auction of stallion nominations. Broodmare owners should be spoiled for choice, with established and young sires on offer from the three major disciplines.

One of two eventing representatives is Sue Bunn’s Viceroy II. The 15-year-old son of the international show jumper VIP out of a Sagaro mare won Blenheim last year for Pippa Funnell. The AES-licensed and SHB (GB)-graded stallion is available by fresh or chilled semen or natural cover, with a minimum bid of £700.

Sarah Taylor’s Up With The Lark, by Welton Apollo, was last year’s British Event four-year-old champion and finished second in his young horse evaluation final. Three doses of frozen semen for one mare from the SHB (GB) graded sire are available through a minimum bid of £450.

The Hales family’s Olympic show jumper Arko III has not stood at public stud for some time due to his competition duties. Due to demand from German breeders, the son of Argentinus will travel there for stud duties this year, so this could be a unique chance for British breeders. The winning bid (minimum £1,200) consists of two chances for one mare, with insemination/covering taking place at Twemlows Stud, Shropshire.

Di Cornish has donated two straws of frozen semen — which can be used for two mares if the first one holds — from her coloured Concorde stallion Ocombo De L’Eau (minimum bid £650). This seven-year-old is an AES-licenced sire and was placed in last year’s Horse & Hound Foxhunter final with Britain’s number one rider, Robert Smith.

Dressage breeders have an exciting chance because Swedish rider Jan Brink has donated one dose of frozen semen from Bjorsell’s Briar (minimum bid £650). The son of Magini was the European silver medallist at Hickstead in 2003 and finished sixth individually at the Athens Olympics. He is graded with many studbooks, has sired graded stallions and is currently the top-ranked dressage stallion by the World Breeding Federation. The winning bidder receives a free insemination package, donated by Hobgoblin Sud, and has the chance to purchase additional doses at the reserve price.

Hobgoblin has also offered a free insemination package for Heidi Troniseck’s seven-year-old Leandro stallion, Lenski. There is a minimum bid of £650 for three doses of frozen semen for one mare from last year’s national medium restricted champion.

The auction closes on 14 April. All bids must be made by that date to Desi Dillingham, 16e Randolph Crescent, London W9 1DR (tel: 020 7286 6925); (fax 08701 3857500); (mobile: 07785 292103); e-mail: desi@desidillingham.co.uk

This sport horse breeding article was first published in Horse & Hound (27 January, ’05)