A direct Carthago descendant, sons of sporty high earners such as Don VHP and Breitling LS, and the dam lines of international greats such as Usha van 't Roosakker, Gancia de Muze, As Cold As Ice Z, Plot Blue and Dulf van den Bisschop. For the exclusive Prinsjesdag auction on CSI Ommen on August 3, the selection committee was able to put together a very interesting group of ten promising foals.

Following on from the first edition in 2018, another edition of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag will take place this year during CSI3* Ommen. On Saturday 3 August, auctioneer Koen Olaerts will be selling ten exclusive future talents in the evening. Last year it turned out that top international riders made their mark during this auction, and this year's collection only increases that chance.

Belgian influence

It is striking that half of the collection comes from Belgium. “That is unavoidable these days, because Belgian breeding has made enormous strides in recent decades. Nowhere can you find so many performance genes as in our southern neighbors”, explains selection committee member Fred van Straaten. “We felt like a child in the candy store with various Belgian breeders. Fantastic foals with the very best pedigrees, and that is exactly what we are looking for for Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.”

Selector Willem van Hoof is also eagerly looking forward to the auctions in Ommen and Ermelo, for which the collection of jumping foals is now also complete. “This year we were able to select the foals for Ommen at an early stage and we deliberately looked for slightly older foals, as the auction is already at the beginning of August. I think the selected foals have interesting sire and dam lines and most of the foals are closely related to top show jumpers. And not only on paper, but also the foals themselves are very promising. In that regard, we just have to hope that they end up in the right hands," concludes Van Hoof.

Genetic gems

“We were able to produce an interesting mix of mare and colts for the auction during CSI Ommen, which we believe will meet the buyers' demand. For example, we are very happy with a filly by Cello van de Bisschop out of a daughter of Usha van 't Roosakker, which will be a very good investment for both the athlete and breeder. We also have interesting fillies by Opium JW van de Moerhoeve and Diamant de Semilly”, adds Van Straaten.

Genetic highlights for sport and stallion breeding are also part of the collection. “It's great that we were able to select a very special colt from the Olympic top progenitor Carthago. And convincing colts such as a Don VHP Z out of the damline of Gancia de Muze, a For Pleasure out of the damline of As Cold As Ice Z, a Poker de Mariposa out of the famous Lottie/Zottie damline and a Diarado out of the strong Niki- tribe."

Sport and breeding

Last year the auction proved during CSI Ommen all its value because sportsmen such as Lucas Porter, Willem Greve and Hendrik-Jan Schuttert bought one or more foals. This year you can go through WeAuction online in real time. The full collection will soon be available at www.prinsjesdag.eu. The collections for the regular auctions in Ermelo on 17 (jumping foals) and 18 (dressage foals) September will also be published here.

Over the years, Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has not only built up a large network of buyers and entrants, the auction has also entered into a successful alliance with a select group of business partners. One of these partners is Sport Horse Clinic Wolvega† The clinic in the Frisian town is fully focused on the health of (sport) horses. We spoke to vet Marco de Bruijn about the company. 

Marco de Bruijn is one of the clinic's senior partners. He graduated in '97 as a veterinarian in Ghent. He made internal diseases his specialty and is a Dutch and European certified internist. He has been working in Wolvega since 2004. Marco: “I care a lot about (very) young foals. At the University Veterinary Center Utrecht I was responsible for the so-called 'foal brigade' for four years. In Wolvega, I am responsible for emergency care and hospitalized patients, among other things.”

The clinic employs a total of fourteen (equestrian) vets. Four of these are senior partners. De Bruijn: “What makes our team unique is the way we treat each other. There is a very good atmosphere in the practice. We do not have a strict hierarchical organization. Our mission is therefore to bring out the best in each other. We believe this is the only right way to find and retain the right employees for our company.”

Work is currently underway on a new building in Wolvega. Sports Horse Clinic Wolvega will soon consist of three locations on one site; the hospital, the new sport horse clinic and the gynaecology department, which also houses the farrier and the laboratory. “We are busy with the new building. The opening is planned in October. In the meantime, the clinic is of course fully operational, we are in the middle of the foal season.”

Inspection Prinsjesdag foals

Sports Horse Clinic Wolvega will perform the first inspections of the selected foals during the photo-video days of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag. “During the first inspection, we check whether a foal is wheel (not lame), whether it has an overbite and whether heart, lungs and eyes show any abnormalities. We also check whether the animals have an umbilical hernia and whether the testicles of colts have descended.” The foals are inspected again on the day of the auction.

He is clear about the importance of inspections for horses: “A good inspection is important. It is not a sandwich at the bakery that you buy. With a good veterinary inspection, mutual expectations become clear in advance. You have to know what you are buying and selling. Non-potential buyers can judge for themselves whether a foal is healthy, and breeders often cannot. In order to avoid misery, an expert should shed some light on this.”

The veterinary reports of all foals in the selection of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag can be viewed online prior to the auction. Veterinarians from Sportpaardenkliniek Wolvega will be present on the auction day(s) to explain the reports.

Want to bid online during our auctions? Register here.

This month too, plenty of good international sport results were achieved by horses that were part of the collection of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag as foals. Baron (by Colman) won the Grand Prix of Arezzo and Especiale Too (by Ustinov) made a successful 1.50m debut. In addition, the Apache son Gaudi Vita and President's First Apple triumphed with his new rider (by Vivaldi) in the Small Tour.

Roberto Turchetto and Baron (Colman x Numero Uno, breeder Stoeterij 't Heemskind from Deurne) jumped to their third international victory in 2019 with this 1.45m Grand Prix victory at CSI3* Arezzo. A month earlier they already won the 1.50m- GP of Vilamoura. The Ustinov daughter Especiale Too (ds.Burggraaf, breeders Christien Delissen-Verstappen and Jack Verstappen) also made a successful 1.50m debut under Massimo Grossato at the CSI4* in Gorla Minore. Their double clear result immediately resulted in a sixth prize in the classic 1.50m, after they had already finished second in the 1.40m. The eight-year-old Gintura (Zirocco Blue VDL x Corland, breeder CAF Toonders from Veldhoven) is another well-established Foal Auction Prinsjesdag reference. Since the beginning of this year, the mare has been performing with Ruben Romp and at the CSI3* in Lanaken they remained clear in all six started classes in two weeks! In the last week this resulted in a second and a third prize in the 1.30m and 1.35m. 

Small Tour winners

Joyce Heuitink and Gaudi Vita (Apache x Welt Hit II) bred by Heleen Broos successfully competed at the CDI3* in Sint-Truiden. They won the Small Tour and were twice placed third in the Intermediate I, including with a beautiful percentage of 76.79 in the Freestyle to music! The President's First Apple (Vivaldi x TCN Partout, breeder Nico van Maaswaal from 't Goy) who was previously successful under Patrick van der Meer, also attracted a lot of attention this month. This Foal Auction Prinsjesdag reference has made an excellent international debut with his new rider Sarah Lockman. At CDI1* Temecula they won the Prix St. Georges, the Intermediaire-I and the Freestyle with convincing percentages. That tastes like more so we keep following them!

After a successful first edition in 2018, the second auction of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag at CSI Ommen in Stegeren-Ommen is scheduled for Saturday 3 August. Auctioneer Koen Olaerts will be selling ten exclusive showjumping foals on the Schuttert property, which means that sport and breeding go hand in hand.

Last year the board of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag decided to visit the sports enthusiasts in addition to the regular auctions in Ermelo in September and to enter into a partnership with the Schuttert family. Over the years, their CSI Ommen has grown into an international top event and the family has supported Foal Auction Prinsjesdag for many years. They have already bought one or more foals at this auction several times, and that was also the case in Ommen. “Although the preparations were somewhat short, we were able to put together a nice collection together with the breeders and realize an average price of more than 10,600 euros in Ommen”, Prinsjesdag chairman Arjan van der Waaij looks back. “And what we hoped for also came true, because real sports people such as Lucas Porter, Willem Greve and Hendrik-Jan Schuttert invested in the future at our auction.”

Presenting the future
Broadly speaking, the set-up of the auction remains unchanged from last year. “The auction will take place a little later in the evening this year, namely after the basic course of the Medium Tour final and before the jump-off. That will be around 9 pm. This way we can present the show jumpers of the future to the riders and other sports enthusiasts at a wonderful moment.” Registrations for the Prinsjesdag auction on Saturday 3 August in Ommen and on 17 September (jumping) and 18 September (dressage) in Ermelo have been opened and the first foals have already been registered. “For Ommen, we are specifically looking for foals born in the first half of the season. In addition, the selection committee clearly pays attention to the presence of performance genes in the pedigree, a good canter and a correct and appealing conformation. Thanks to the registration of the first foal, we have already made a good start for Ommen," concludes Van der Waaij. It is now possible to register foals for one of the three Prinsjesdag auctions via this website and several selection days are being organised. The complete collections will also follow on this site in due course.

Many breeders have already welcomed their first foals and with that the registrations for our auctions are also pouring in. Foal Auction Prinsjesdag offers an excellent showcase for high-quality foals, which will take place on August 3 in Ommen (jumper foals), on September 17 in Ermelo (jumper foals) and September 18 in Ermelo (dressage foals). The first selection days are organized in May. On these days, the registered foals are assessed by the selection committees. Among the jumping foals, we are looking for high-quality foals with strong bloodlines, who come from stocks with many international performance genes. In the dressage foals, the form of movement is decisive, with good suppleness, in addition to an appealing exterior and pedigree. The foals can now be registered on our website and there is also an overview of the selection days. The first three selection dates are:

• Friday 24 May at Stal de Molendreef in Evergem (B.) jumping foals
• Friday 31 May at KI Station Equus in Biervliet jumping and dressage foals
• Tuesday 4 June at Hengstenhouderij Lauw van Vliet in IJsselstein (jumping and dressage) and Manege Buitenhorst in Oosteind (jumping and dressage)