News

HH Azur the world's nr 1 in 2017

Jan 13, 2018

In the previous article we’ve explained about the HorseTelex World Rankings for sires, the International Progeny Values (IPV’s) featuring For Pleasure, Cornet Obolensky, Berlin, Ukato and Emerald as leaders of their age-groups. Now, how about the horses that contributed with their International Sport Value (ISV) to the IPV’s of their sires?

World Cup winner
McLain Ward’s amazing mare HH Azur (s. Thunder van de Zuuthoeve) – World Cup winner in Omaha and number 3 in the Spruce Meadows Masters – was the best show jumper of 2017. Simply said: she jumped a lot of clear rounds at 1.60 level and had the best average performance at the highest level in 2017. That is how the system works: HorseTeles doesn’t just add up all ranking points (like the FEI/WBFSH does), this gives an advantage to horses that are being entered week after week.

Highest average
Looking at all horses that competed in 2017 and were entered in competition at least 25 times, HH Azur had the highest average in ranking points. Eric Lamaze’s Fine Lady 5 (s. Forsyth), who had a great start of the season in Wellington, took second place, Fit For Fun (s. For Pleasure), second in the GP’s of Aachen and Spruce Meadows with Luciana Diniz, ended up third.

The rest of the line-up of the world’s best show jumpers is as follows: 4) Zeremonie (s. Cero I), 5) Arrayan (s. Baloubet du Rouet), 6) Don VHP Z (s. Diamant de Semilly).

Prize money
If we compare this Top 6 with a world ranking based on prize money, some very good horses get lost: Zeremonie would not be in the Top 20, the winner of European silver Don VHP Z would be as low as number 12 and Arrayan would take 15th spot.

Westphalia in front of the Belgians
Now, these horses didn’t just attribute their ISV’s to the IPV’s of their fathers, they also formed a world ranking of studbooks. The idea that the Belgian studbooks were unbeatable in 2017 is not correct. If we take all rides at the highest level – 1.60 m – it is Westphalia who’s on top. Thanks to one-third (!!) of their horses descending from Cornet Obolensky. Second place was for SBS, due to the fact that also in this case the average performance determines the ranking. BWP – ranked third – had 272 horses competing at 1.60 m level, SBS – far smaller in numbers of registered foals – only had 62 horses at the highest level.

Leaders from the past
Congratulations also to the young showjumper studbook Oldenburg-International taking fourth place. The third Belgian studbook, Zangersheide, is ranked 5th followed by the traditional studbooks that had to give up the leading role they played in the past: Holstein (6), Hanover (7) and KWPN (8).

Members only
Following all developments at the dynamic ISV- and IPV-world rankings is the privilege of TOP-members of HorseTelex and members of the studbooks who cooperate with HorseTelex.