British sport horse breeding landed a major accolade in Germany when, for the first time,
a Thoroughbred was crowned Stallion of the Year at the Hanoverian grading show in Celle.
Leading dressage sire Lauries Crusador, a 21-year-old son of Welsh Pageant out of a High Top mare, also became the first British-bred horse to scoop the award.
Bred by the former Three Ashes Stud, Lauries Crusador ran 12 times during his racing career in Britain, winning twice and finishing third in the Group One Ascot Gold Cup in 1989. He was exported to the state-owned Celle Stud in Germany in 1991 as an outcross for warmblood mares.
He became an instant hit as a sire of dressage horses. Two of his best-known progeny are grand prix horses Lesotho and the stallion Laurentianer.
