Annual review 2019: great successes and an unprecedented breakthrough

At the end of 2019, we can look back on a very successful year, with beautiful and, above all, constant performances realised by our top horses and Marc at the highest level. The European Championship in Rotterdam partly dominated the year. Our twelve-year-old Sterrehof’s Calimero definitively confirmed there his status as a championship horse. During his third big championship in a row, he fantastically finished eighth in a world-class field.

Almost twelve months ago, Calimero kicked off the year by finishing second in both the Grand Prix and World Cup of Basel. A second top result during the indoor season was his seventh place in the Grand Prix of The Dutch Masters – Indoor Brabant, two months later. Our ten-year-old Sterrehof’s Edinus also had a strong start of the year. His highlight was a fifth place in the Jumping Amsterdam Grand Prix. After Calimero’s victory in 2018, this was another highlight in this big class, sponsored by Sterrehof Stud and Anemone Horse Trucks.

Sterrehof’s Dante’s unbelievable year

At the end of the indoor season, Sterrehof’s Dante showed herself, with a wonderful second place in a 1.50m class during Saut Hermès Paris. This result was the prelude to an unprecedented series of top results and an ever-increasing performance curve, including a breakthrough at the very highest level for this great eleven-year-old mare. In total Dante jumped at twenty international shows. Sixteen times she managed to achieve a top 5 result. Among these are victories in the Grand Prix of Jumping Schröder Tubbergen and in a 1.50m class of CHIO Twente, where Calimero and the Dutch team finished 2nd in the FEI Nations Cup.

Once arrived at CSI5* 1.60m level, Dante continued to impress with Marc. It started at CHIO Aachen when she finished fifth in the Prize of Europe. Afterwards again fifth places followed in the GCT Grand Prix of St. Tropez and New York and in the World Cup of Verona and La Coruña. Because Marc also has won points with Calimero in the third World Cup in which he competed in the current season, he stands tenth in the West European League after eight rounds. With his position in the top 30 of the Longines Rankings, three Sterrehof horses up his sleeve and the Olympic Games ahead, we look forward to 2020!

First crop of Sterrehof’s Cayetano Z

Sterrehof’s Cayetano Z and Julia’s top results in 2019 were eighth places in the Grands Prix of CHIO Twente and CSI Hagen. At our stud farm the grandson of Ratina Z was responsible for beautiful breeding success. His very first crop consists of five striking foals; four colts and one filly, out of the internationally successful dams Sterrehof’s Ushi (2x), Sterrehof’s Felisimo (2x) and Sterrehof’s Centolina. More about these foals and the development of our young talents in training will follow at the beginning of next year.