World Record Price for Show Jumping Foal in Zangersheide

The atmosphere was perfect for the 160,000 euro knockdown for Especial For Fun Z at the Quality Auction 2021 in Zangersheide, Belgium. Never before had a show jumping foal cost so much money at an auction worldwide. The typey bay Eldorado vd Zeshoek son had already electrified stallion owners and talent scouts in advance, and one in particular: Paul Schockemöhle. The luminary of German horse breeding with an unerring eye for the very special proved to have the most staying power on auction day.

The very special thing about Especial For Fun Z, apart from his fantastic personality, is the sire line of Eldorado vd Zeshoek x For Pleasure, as in Killer Queen, the current Aachen winner under Daniel Deußer, and Elektric Blue P, winner of the Grand Prix of `s Hertogenbosch in 2021 under Max Kühner.

His sire, Eldorado vd Zeshoek, who competed in the most difficult courses under Dutch rider Willem Greve, is a world sire from Team Nijhof’s stallion station.

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The Hanoverian For Pleasure daughter Fit for Fun was one of the absolute top jumpers in the world under Luciana Diniz (POR). The pair won the Global Champions Tour Final in Doha, the Grand Prix of Al Rayyan, Basel, St. Gallen, Barcelona, as well as Rotterdam and achieved second place twice in the Grand Prix of Aachen. The chestnut mare has won over two million euros in prize money; with her light-footed, elegant yet powerful jumping style, “Fitti” (Fit for Fun’s stable name) was always a feast for the eyes and represented the sport of show jumping worldwide with joy and ease.

Fit for Fun comes from the breeding of the Crome-Sperling family, who bred, among others, the 1.60 meter show jumper Flight of Ikarus (also by For Pleasure) and the two licensed stallions Diamant of Cador (by Diamant de Plaisir) and Darco For Fun Z (by Darco) out of the Fabriano dam.

The Jünger family from Mayen in Rhineland-Palatinate acquired Fit for Fun as a foal in 2004. She has always been in a class of her own, which she first proved at her mare performance test when she was three years old, scoring 10 twice in free jumping. At that time, the State Premium-winning mare was already in foal by the Holsteiner Canturo. Her son Camargo, born in 2008 and currently in stud, won the 1.60 meter Tourmaline Cup at Spruce Meadows in Calgary under Luciana Diniz, was second in Chantilly, third in the Allianz show jumping competition in Aachen and fourth in the Grand Prix of the Global Champions Tour in Shanghai. Camargo has already sired a number of promising young horses such as Cocobelle under Greta Reinacher and Camara S under Steffen Schmalenberger.

In April 2010, Ralf Jünger competed his six-year-old Fit for Fun in a show jumping competition for the first time. By 2011 the pair had proven themselves in difficult courses. After Fit for Fun placed third with Ralf at the CSI in Hachenburg, he switched her rider to Luciana Diniz in June 2012 and her international career took off, culminating in ninth place at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Now 17 years old, Fit for Fun is back home with the Jünger family in breeding, which was always a heartfelt wish of owner Ralf Jünger.

While Especial For Fun Z by Eldorado vd Zeshoek and Vino for Fun by Verdi were born in 2021 as embryo transfer foals in the Jünger family’s breeding barn, Fit for Fun is expected to become a dam herself next year. “It was always our goal that Fit for Fun would return to us for breeding after her sport career” ‒ true to the old breeder’s motto “the best belong in breeding,” Ralf Jünger explains. But he also wants to use the mare thoughtfully and carefully, even for embryo transfers, “because Fit for Fun, who has already given us so much incredible pleasure, simply deserves that.”

And who is Fit for Fun in foal to? “By Eldorado vd Zeshoek,” Ralf Jünger smiles, “and hopefully it will be a mare …”

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