A two-year-old stallion has made history at the Hanoverian licensing and stallion sale in Verden, selling for more than €2million (£1.78million) on Saturday 27 October.
The unnamed premium stallion by Vivaldi, out of a state premium mare Desiree, by Dancier, was bought by the new Schockemöhle-Helgstrand Dressage collaboration, with Andreas Helgstrand placing the winning bid of €2,010,000 (£1,789,320) after a 20-minute bidding war with Norway’s Kristin Andresen.
“Another achievement of this new joint cooperation between Schockemöhle and Helgstrand is the beautiful and harmoniously moving Vivaldi x Dancier,” said the Schockemöhle stallion station.
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The stunning liver chestnut, who particularly impressed with his fantastic movement, was bred in Hesse, Germany, by Ulrike Buurman, who said she was “thrilled to be known internationally as an excellent breeder”.
Ulrike sold him at just a few days old to Ernst and Rosi Kemper at Hengsthaltung Kemper in Heiden, Germany, who presented him in Verden.
The Vivaldi son is the most expensive horse ever bought at a stallion licensing auction, the previous record being €1.2million, also paid by Andreas Helgstrand for Revolution in 2015. Revolution (Rocky Lee x Rouletto) was this year’s winner of the world championship for five-year-old horses in Ermelo.
The best-selling warmblood of all time, however, is still the Australian-bred Hanoverian SPH Dante, who was sold to Russia as a six-year-old for €2.8million at the 2014 PSI auction.
Schockemöhle-Helgstrand, along with Joop van Uytert, also purchased a second premium stallion at the sale, this time a Lord Leatherdale x Boston son for €800,000.
Continued below…
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In total, 46 dressage stallions were licensed for breeding over the weekend, with 12 of these given the status of premium stallion. Of the 12, three were by Vivaldi.
Seven jumping stallions were also given premium status and it was Ireland’s Cian O’Connor who became the proud new owner of the top-priced showjumper at the subsequent auction — a dark bay premium stallion by Kannan x Stolzenberg, bred and presented by Ulrich Heuer. He was sold to Cian for €150,000 (£134,000).
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