“Remember the name ‘Zuccero’,” was the headline from the Swedish Equestrian Federation (Svenska Ridsport Förbundet) following the competition weekend in Gothenburg at the end of February. Just shortly before that, the grey by Zirocco Blue-Caretino (Hanno Köhncke, Badendorf), line 4539, and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson had won the Grand Prix in Neumünster in front of a home crowd. Back in his rider’s home country, the pair then celebrated their next success with third place in the prestigious Gothenburg Trophy over 1.55 metres. “He’s at least as good as the really good horses I’ve had,” said Bengtsson afterwards, full of euphoria. “He’s athletic, careful, brave and easy to ride. He jumps so beautifully; we’re on the right track. If we draw up a good plan, we’ll take it step by step and see where he ends up,” the rider explained when asked about the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “The great thing is that he also jumps very well on large courses,” said Bengtsson, looking ahead to the spring season with confidence. “He proved that impressively last year at Spruce Meadows.” But Zuccero isn’t just on the rise from a sporting perspective. The association-approved stallion is also gaining increasing importance in breeding – for example, through his licensed son Zuccarello and the very high-value auction horses he has already sired. A glance at his dam line reveals that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in Zuccero’s case; it traces back to the legendary Larese by Farnese, who is the dam of the globally acclaimed stallion Chin Chin. In Zuccero’s case, the mating of an outcross stallion such as Zirocco Blue with a proven Holstein line has proved a resounding success.

Photo: Stefan Lafrentz