This series on "Holsteiner Heroines" aims to shine a spotlight on our most successful active breeding mares. It kicks off with the Holsteiner Mare of the Year 2025, Touch of Class.
Touch_of_Class was born in 2003 at the De Margaretha Hoeve stable in the Netherlands, descending from a cross of Lux Z by Lord Calando and Cantate Touch by Capitol I, who competed successfully internationally up to 1.60 metres with Ben Schröder (NED) in the saddle. Particular attention is also drawn to the dam of Touch of Class, for she is none other than Ludger Beerbaum's unforgettable Olympic champion Classic Touch by Caletto II-Landgraf I (bred by Hans-Werner Ritters, Krumstedt) from stem 4025. And Julius-Peter Sinnack from Bocholt secured this stem for his breeding operation by purchasing Touch of Class. "I always wanted to have a mare from this lineage. At the time, Classic Touch was one of the best show jumpers in the world," recalls Julius-Peter Sinnack of how Touch of Class came to him. "The owners at the time initially had exorbitant price expectations for her dam Cantate. However, I was able to buy her filly by Lux. Even as a foal, Touch of Class strongly reminded me of her dam Classic Touch." Later, when Touch of Class was in foal for the first time, Sinnack finally succeeded in acquiring Cantate as well.
United Touch, Zypria & Co.
For many years, the entrepreneur has bred show jumpers with the Holsteiner mare and her progeny with outstanding success. Her most prominent son is undoubtedly the 13-year-old United Touch S by Untouched, who first caused a sensation under Hendrik Dowe and Willem Greve (NED) and today with Richard Vogel. The licensed stallion and Vogel celebrated their first major victory at the World Cup competition in Stuttgart in 2022. Their career so far culminated at the most recent European Championships in A Coruña (ESP), where the pair confidently jumped to the individual title and won bronze with the German team. United Touch's pedigree is genetically interesting, as he is inbred to Classic Touch: both his sire Untouched – also bred by Julius-Peter Sinnack – and his dam Touch of Class are grandchildren of Classic Touch.
However, it is by no means only United Touch that has earned his dam a total of 27 stars – two of them for her own performance. For instance, Deauville S by Diamant de Semilly was born in 2006. Ridden by Laura Kraut (USA), the gelding jumped in competitions up to 1.60 metres. Just like his full sister one year younger, Zypria S by Canturo, who participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo with Willem Greve. And with New Classic S by Nabab de Reve, Touch of Class is the dam of another internationally successful horse, whom Sophie Hinners has piloted to placings up to 1.50 metres. Today, Zypria is also a breeding mare at Julius-Peter Sinnack's and has three foals this year, two by Verdi and one by Poker de Mariposa – embryo transfer makes it possible.
The future can come
With Touch of Class, Holsteiner breeding has a mare in its ranks who is causing a sensation worldwide with her progeny. Several more will follow in the coming years, as Touch of Class still has a number of young offspring sired by, amongst others, Casall, Hardrock Z, Diamant de Semilly, Toulon, and Emerald van’t Ruytershof. Laura Kraut as well as Hendrik Dowe, who has trained and produced many of Sinnack's horses, currently have eight-year-old Diamant de Semilly progeny out of Touch of Class in training. One can look forward to seeing how they develop and whether they succeed in following in the large hoofprints of their partly famous siblings.
Photo: Janne Bugtrup (Touch of Class with her owner Julius-Peter Sinnack (centre))
