Four weeks into the international show jumping calendar and who is the current number one-ranked rider? After a string of victories in Doha, Portugal’s Duarte Seabra moves to the top as we see here ahead of Gerfried Puck (AUT) and Kent Farrington (USA).
That Doha winning form also sees the Westfalian-bred Dourados 2 move to second place in the show jumping horses rankings.
Bred by Gretel Schulze-Buxloh, the Diarado 12-year-old has won over €395,406 in his international career and the pair recently added €103,000 to that total in two weeks of the Doha Tour.
Last Friday, the pair finished third in the Al Shaqab CSI5* Grand Prix won by Scott Brash and Hello Folie, (a result that sees the British rider move to fifth in Hippomundo’s show jumping rankings).
That good result by Seabra and Dourados 2 in the 1.60m Grand Prix netted the pair €48,750, to add to €50,000 for their Grand Prix win the previous weekend at Al Shaqab CSI4*.
This early winning form sees Dourados 2 ranked second to Donatello D’Auge in Hippomundo’s show jumping horses rankings although the grey wasn’t the only prizewinner that Seabra scored on in Doha.
Van Halen Z, Geniale Star Kervac and Cooper LB were all in the money too.
The star performer though was Dourados Z (pictured above). The Paris Olympics and 2023 European show jumping championships campaigner is owned by Seabra and Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses.
“We are really finding the Doha Tour useful in setting up our horses for the season ahead, particularly the GCT which has the first leg in Doha,” Carol told Hippomundo. “Duarte is part of the St Tropez Pirates this year which is very exciting. It’s hard to believe its only nine years since we started our show jumping journey, during which Duarte has done a World Games, a European championships and and Olympic Games.”
“I am so proud of him and how he has embraced the change. Topping the Hippomundo rankings is really something,” she added about the Portuguese rider’s achievements at Doha and his current top ranking place.
Gee has produced numerous Fernhill-prefixed event horses from her Irish base in Co. Kilkenny, some of which were competed by Duarte before he switched to show jumping fulltime. Fernhill Pimms, Fernhill Gloster Rebel, Fernhill Urco and Fernhill Vriend are just some examples. In addition, Carol has sourced a number of horses for Philip Dutton (USA), including Fernhill Eagle and his Olympic pair of Z (Tokyo Olympics), that competed at the the WBFSH young horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers with his owner Duarte.
Philip Dutton, a longtime Fernhill Sport Horses client, at the Rio Olympics. © Susan Finnerty
Then there was Mighty Nice, the horse that won an individual bronze medal for Dutton at the Rio Olympics.
Successful then in both spheres, how does producing horses for the eventing and show jumping markets compare? “Producing the show jumpers for sure is a bigger financial investment and takes us away from home much more than the eventing ever did.However, when it all comes together the financial rewards are higher and the risk of accident and injury far less. We are loving the journey so far and know the best is yet to come,” Carol said.
Duarte is one of several five-star level event riders who are equally at home and as successful in the show jumping ring. From triple Olympic champion Michael Jung to his German teammate Sandra Auffarth, Doug Payne (USA) and Chris Burton (AUST), we’ve seen an increasing crossover between the sports. And now one of this versatile group is the Hippomundo show jumping riders current number one.
“Having spent just the last two weeks in Doha last year and found the facilities and the competition top class, I took the decision to bring a full team for the whole tour this year, along with two of my students Luis Ferreira and Grace Healey,” Duarte told Hippomundo about his reasons for travelling to Doha.
“It’s proving to be a great move and our horses have really stepped up to the mark. To top this week’s Hippomundo rankings is the icing on the cake.”
