Eric Lamaze’s Luikka, Verdi, Wang Chung, Coriana and McLain’s Sapphire, presented by Five Star Tack
| December 23, 2011 | Posted by Keara McMurdo under Eric Lamaze, Hunter Jumper - Competition News |
Eric and Coriana -Photo by Keara
Who is up for a little trivia?
Over the past little while we have all come to know Coriana a little bit better as she took over top spot in Eric’s string of horses. We watched her go from a speed specialist to trying her hoof at the big Grand Prix classes- with fantastic results!
This little mare is extremely athletic with major heart.
Alright, now, I have mentioned before that her breeding is very good, Darco x Heartbreaker (Heartbreaker being her dams sire, her dam is Uriana van Klapscheut),…but how good do I really mean?
Have you ever heard of Sapphire?
That, of course, is a bit of a rhetorical question…just about everyone knows about, or at least have heard of, the incredibly lovely, athletic, talented Sapphire – McLain Ward’s mare.
They have won countless major Grand Prix classes (including the CN International at Spruce Meadows) and were part of the gold medal team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The connection between Coriana and Sapphire? They are both sired by Darco…they are half sisters!
No wonder Coriana has some great jump in her, her older (half) sister is a superstar! I am really looking forward to seeing Sapphire compete again, she was out this past season due to an injury, but she is back in work and getting ready for 2012!
So, moving on, as we have been reporting – Eric has acquired some new horses recently- Verdi and Luikka, both 9 year olds, and both with a fair bit of experience under their belts. To be honest, I did not recognize these names at first, but then it dawned on me – I have seen both these horses at Spruce Meadows just this past summer!
Verdi and Stephanie van den Brink (NED) -Photo by Keara
Verdi- a 2002 gelding, Heartbreaker x Mr. Blue. As of December 14th, 2011, owned by Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stable (according to the information on the FEI website)
Did you catch it? Heartbreaker? Yep, there is a relation to Coriana! Heartbreaker is Coriana’s dams sire!
My love of greys aside, although I didn’t see a lot of him at Spruce Meadows, what I did see, I liked. He certainly has scope to do the big classes and, I bet, will thrive with Eric piloting him.
Luikka and Shane Breen (IRL) in the BMO Nations Cup. -Photo by Keara
Luikka and Shane Breen (IRL) in the CN International. -Photo by Keara
Luikka- a 2002 mare, Luidam x Renville. As of December 15, 2011, owned by Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stable (information from the FEI website).
Now, I am excited about this horse. She has done some major Grand Prix classes with very respectable results. For example, she put in a very solid 5 fault round in the CN International this past September- that was a tough course with an exceedingly tight time allowed- 5 faults is very good! She is obviously a strong athlete with lots of scope- it will be very interesting to see how she does under Eric’s guidance!
And, just to be clear- with both of these horses (Verdi and Luikka) now have Canadian nationality…meaning that they would both be eligible to compete in the Olympics next year.
Finally, although not a new ride for Eric, Wang Chung is certainly worth mentioning as this horse is oozing potential.
He is a 2003 chestnut Dutch Warmblood stallion, Royal Bravour x Ahorn, owned by Morningside Stud. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to see this horse in person and have had to settle for live feeds and Youtube videos (somehow that’s just not the same!). BUT, from what I have seen, he seems to be quite consistent and looks to be a serious up and coming competitor in Eric’s string. Fingers crossed that I get to see him at Spruce Meadows in action soon!
Although I don’t have any pictures, here are a few videos so you can see him in action:
Eric Lamaze on Wang Chung – 2011 Gucci Masters
Yes Keara; the list of Darco superstars goes on & on, of which Luido Phillaparts has so much to be proud. Imagine having bred the horse, successfully campaigned the horse and continued on with his proginy “Parco”, “Tauber” and more on the Belgian team.
It is my feeling that this is why europeans have so much depth with their horses. Not only do great riders have the success to win on amazing stallions, they then can continue on their proginy, like the great stallion Cento. Otto Becker was so careful in managing & winning with him, and his teammates are reaping the rewards of riding his sons & daughters.
It is so sad that Hickstead did not have this chance of passing on his genetic legacy.
Marlene Yoteff-Perlman
Good article Keara. If you’re interested in a bit more trivia… as you mentioned, Wang Chung M2S is a homebred stallion from Morningside Stud. Did you know they were also the last owners of Ekstein until his sudden passing of a heart attack/stroke in 2008? Of course, we all know that Ekstein is Hickstead’s damsire.
Tom Reed (Morningside Stud) wrote an article about a “dream wish list” of stallions he’d love to own and in it he said there were plans to use Hickstead in his breeding program in 2012. Hickstead’s frozen semen is available so who knows… it might still happen.
I hope Wang Chung makes it to Spruce Meadows, I agree with you that the videos just don’t cut it. Personally, I’m partial to Coriana and I’m sure she’ll be back too.
Always enjoy your posts… keep up the great work!
Thank you both for the information!