Gold medal-winning showjumper sold to Syria
Saudi Arabian showjumper Abdullah Al Sharbatly has sold his top ride, Callahan (pictured), after buying him from the Eurocommerce auction this summer.
The 11-year-old stallion has been sold to Syrian rider Ahmad Saber Hamcho.
The 22-year-old rider competed at the London Olympics on Wonderboy III, previously ridden by Ben Maher.
Callahan (Contendro I x For Pleasure) and Abdullah won individual gold for Saudi Arabia during the Asian Games.
The horse was previously ridden by Gerco Schröder before being sold online in April for €180,000.
Callahan was among a group of 30 showjumpers for sale in online auction in March after a Dutch court ruled that Rabobank had a right to collect assets from the bankrupt owner Eurocommerce Stables.
Adbdullah, who was on the bronze medal-winning Olympic team at London 2012, also bought Sacremento and Toballo in the sale.
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Olympic silver medal-winning showjumper London was also sold at that auction — fetching €8.6 million in an online auction.
The stallion, who competed at London 2012 with Dutch rider Gerco Schröder, was bought by Glock Horse Performance Centre.
The total for all the lots came to €11,126,151.
Other lots in the auction included top Dutch showjumpers, such as the Gerco Schroder-ridden New Orleans (€210,000), and Seoul (€307,500); Wout-Jan van der Schan’s Capetown (€187,000) and Sacramento (€38,000) and Albert Voorn’s Tobalio (€175,000).
Ref: Horse & Hound; 18 December 2014
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.