World and European champion showjumper to be sold after Rio Olympics
Top Dutch showjumper SFN Zenith NOP will be sold in September during an internet auction.
The 12-year-old gelding is one of six horses — owned by the Showjumping Fund of the Netherlands (SFN) — who will be included in the sale. The son of Rash R won team and individual gold under Jeroen Dubbeldam at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, before triumphing at last year’s European Championships.
SFN Zenith NOP is being aimed at the Rio Olympics this summer before being sold in the autumn. Jeroen and the gelding were recently longlisted for the Dutch team, along with Aquila SFN — another horse who will be sold.
The SFN — a uniquely structured syndicate thought up by Dutch equestrian journalist Jacob Melissen — was created in 2006 and opened to Dutch equestrian fans. It allowed them to invest in keeping Dutch-bred horses on home soil and made available for Dutch riders.
“The first SFN has been hugely successful and has not only contributed towards an unprecedented period of success for the Netherlands in the sport of showjumping, but has also given the original investors a great deal of emotional pleasure in supporting the horse and rider combinations,” said Henk Rottinghuis, the president of the SFN board.
“We thank everyone involved in the SFN for their support and commitment over the last ten years, and we hope to reward them with a good financial return from the auction.
“The original SFN always had a lifespan of 10 years and the board has been focused on ensuring that the investors received a significant financial return. It is this approach, managed in partnership with Van Lanschot Bank that has allowed us to launch SFN II, which will be open to investors from around the world, and which we hope will enjoy equal success and support for the sport in the Netherlands.”
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