Dressage foals dominate at Hartpury futurity evaluation

Dressage foals dominated at the Hartpury Futurity evaluation on Thursday, with five taking home Elite scores. One eventing foal also achieved this highest level.

Roisin Close, owner and breeder of the appropriately named Damn Fein (pictured), was ecstatic with the top score of the day, 9.46. This black dressage filly is by the Hanoverian sire Danone I, out of 19-year-old Fabienne (by Feiner Stern) who has previously had many consistent foals for former owners, Hartpury College.

Santa Barbara, was runner-up in the dressage foal section also with a score of 9.46 for owner and breeder Amanda Leaker. This dark bay filly foal is by the Oldenburg San Amour and out of Donna Leone, by Don Bedo.

Woodlander Stud had a very successful day with Woodlander Wavavoom siring two elite-scoring dressage foals. Wales, out of Drysiog Helen (by Talon Teifion), a sports pony colt foal took a score of 9.25 for Lynne Crowden, and Wikipaedia out of Disco Perle (by De Niro), scored 9.14 for owner/breeders Ted and Irene Green.

The final dressage foal to achieve an Elite premium was Frasier FST, for owner and breeder Fay Thomas. This black colt is by the popular sire Furst Romancier out of Sapphire MKM (by St Moritz). He went home with a score of 9.21.

Heading the eventing section was colt foal Libris Taliesin, by the thoroughbred Lyphento out of Limbrina (by Limbo). Owner and breeder Rosemary Dickens was very pleased to have attained an Elite Premium of 9.07.

Evaluator and former British Olympic eventing team gold medallist Bridget Parker said: “We were really impressed with the quality of the horses at Hartpury and the standard of preparation. It is very pleasing to see how our breeding community is really making an effort to breed and present such great examples of future competition horses.”

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