The Story Behind Monaco N.O.P.

The 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding Monaco N.O.P. (Cassini II – Ulla II x Contender, Stamm 429, breeder: Ralf Lütje) delivered an incredible victory in December for his rider, Harrie Smolders, in the Rolex Grand Prix at the CHI Geneva – the final Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping Major of 2024.

Monaco N.O.P. has been expertly managed by Harrie Smolders throughout his career. But what is the story behind Monaco N.O.P.? Where does his damline originate?

Family Kahlke from Rosengarten

In 1858, Jakob Kahlke became the owner of Stern, a mare born in Dithmarschen in Germany, who became the foundation mare of Stamm 429. Jakob Kahlke lived in Rosengarten, and his farm remains in the family to this day. Rosengarten lies at the heart of Holsteiner breeding, just three kilometers from the stallion station in Haselau.

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The success we see today from Stamm 429 traces back to three daughters of the stallion Heidelberg (Heimburg – Nachod x Nordmark, Stamm 884, breeder: W. Schröder): Kreta and Marga, who were full sisters, and Insterburg, who represents a different line. Heidelberg stood at stud in Haselau in 1944.

Dr. Dietrich Rossow described him in the Hengstbuch der Holsteiner Warmblutzucht: “A compact stallion. Solid, firm, with a broad and well-muscled body, particularly powerful through the saddle region. He was slightly overbuilt, with a strong foundation and straight hind legs with little hock angulation. He also had broad strides with sufficient propulsion. An excellent sire and producer of quality mares. Winner of the heredity ranking for two consecutive years.”

This entire lineage – especially its foundation and the branch leading to Monaco N.O.P. – maintains a strong connection with the Haselau stallion station. The proximity made travel convenient, and the station consistently offered a good selection of stallions to choose from.

Marga became a broodmare for Franz Lage, who stood the Trakehner stallion Totilas (Pythagoras – Tontaube x Pilger) at stud. This pairing resulted in the gelding Marbo, who competed successfully at 1.40m level. Marga’s daughter, Silka (by Heidefreund I), became the dam of Tasso (by Totilas), an international showjumper ridden by Hartwig Steenken.

Ralf Lütje

The breeding line of Monaco N.O.P. has been part of Ralf Lütje’s family for several generations and traces back to Marga, the full sister of the previously-mentioned Kreta.

Ralf Lütje explains: “My father purchased the mare Rikona (Ladykiller xx – Konnie x Fasolt, breeder: Dr. Gerd Möller), born in 1979, as a foal. We have continued breeding with her ever since. Ladykiller xx (Sailing Light xx – Lone Beech xx x Loaningdale xx) stood at stud in Haselau, and Dr. Gerd Möller brought his mare there. My father crossed Rikona twice with Capitano and named the second daughter from this pairing Wirtin II as a nod to another successful family line we have, Stamm 2666. Monaco N.O.P.’s lineage is truly a product of the Pinneberg district in Schleswig-Holstein.”

Capitano (Corporal – Retina x Ramzes AA, Stamm 104A, breeder: Rheder Thormählen) was chosen because of his exceptional lineage. Ralf continues: “Capitano is the son of Retina, an incredible showjumper ridden by Fritz Thiedemann. He was a sport horse, and our goal has always been to breed sport horses. Both my father and grandfather bred sport horses. My father bred Albrant, who competed successfully in eventing with Herbert Blöcker, while my grandfather had already developed that line.”

Wirtin II was crossed twice with the Holsteiner grand prix dressage stallion Loutano (Landgraf I – Troja x Calypso I, Stamm 4093, breeder: Marlis Jürgens), who was highly successful with Margit Otto-Crepin. From this pairing came Hirtin III, the first foal. Lütje recalls: “Loutano was one of the few stallions not standing at Haselau. We had to travel to Gross Buchwald, as at that time, there was no fresh or frozen semen, only live cover.” The second foal from this cross was Leopold W, a gelding who competed at Grand Prix level with Antje Kim-Wilkens. He received his initial training from Detlef Nesemann.

Ralf Lütje continues: “We also used Loutano because of his movement. Horses need elasticity in their movement, and all the horses we breed have that quality. Hirtin III became the dam of Pur Lady (by Carthago), a 1.50m jumper ridden by Thomas Voss, and bred by my late brother. We collaborated closely on breeding. Hirtin III is also the dam of Conelli 3 (by Con Air), who jumped at 1.40m, and Clivia (by Calato), who also competed at 1.40m.”

He elaborates: “We initially bred Hirtin III three times to the Thoroughbred Heraldik xx (Caramel xx – Heraldika xx x Cale xx). She passed on her excellent conformation, producing three state premium daughters: Nixe XIV, O-Lady, and Pur Lady. Nixe XIV became reserve champion of the Pinneberg district. She was not very tall but had excellent conformation, movement, and a lot of blood. Harrie Smolders even remarked that he couldn’t believe Monaco N.O.P. was by Cassini II (Capitol I – Wisma x Caletto II, Stamm 3389, breeder: Johann Hermann Claussen) because he [Monaco N.O.P.] shows so much blood.” Out of O-Lady, a full sister to Nixe XIV, Lütje bred the 1.60m jumper Cassinio (by Cassini I), ridden by Constanza Abdala, and the CCI3* eventing horse MK San Cero, ridden by Mark Todd.

Lutje adds: “We also bred Nixe XIV to Contender (Calypso II – Gofine x Ramiro, Stamm 2472, breeder: Niko Detlef), who stood at stud in Haselau. As a breeder, you always aim to choose the best stallion for your mare. We had considerable success with Contender and this line. For example, Tina III (by Contender, out of Elisa and Wirtin II) became a state premium mare and champion in Elmshorn. Unfortunately, we had less luck breeding with her, but breeding isn’t always about success stories. For instance, we can no longer get Monaco N.O.P’s dam, Ulla II, in foal. We don’t want to use ICSI or embryo transfer with her – she has already done enough for us. Monaco N.O.P. has two full brothers, including Erroll Gobey, a successful CCI4* eventer ridden by Bruce O. Davidson Jr.

We also have a daughter by Catch (Colman – Pia LH x Calido I, Stamm 890, breeder: H.P. Loeding-Hasenkamp) out of Ulla II. She is a state premium mare who excelled in her mare performance test with an overall score of 8.75. This line is known for producing horses with excellent movement. We’ve always prioritized matching stallions to our mares based on conformation.”

Lütje notes that they keep their foals until they are three or four-years-old to assess their health through x-rays before deciding their future. “In the past, we bred about six foals a year, but in recent years, we’ve reduced that to one or two foals annually. From this line, we’ve also bred Holsteiner-approved stallions, such as Caplan (by Carolus I), who was sold to Arnaud Dobber.”

Ralf Lütje concludes: “Monaco N.O.P. is the result of careful breeding, selecting stallions that complemented the mares in our program. I also want to emphasize that Harrie Smolders is the one who brought Monaco N.O.P. to this level. He did the fine-tuning with this horse. Alessandro Mingoli discovered Monaco N.O.P. when he was three-years-old. Before that, we entrusted his early education to Roland Metzler. Monaco N.O.P. was sold as a four-year-old to Mingoli.”

He recalls a critical moment in Monaco N.O.P.’s early life: “At one and a half years old, Monaco N.O.P. came in from the field with a significant amount of fluid coming from his nose. I called the vet, who administered medication via injection. He warned that if there was no improvement within 14 days, we would need to investigate further. Unfortunately, the condition didn’t improve, and the vet suggested taking Monaco N.O.P. to the clinic. There, they made a small hole in his frontal sinus to flush it out. He stayed at the clinic for six weeks undergoing treatment. However, the vet eventually called and said, ‘This horse isn’t improving at all.’ The vet had lost hope for him.”

But Lütje wasn’t ready to give up: “We brought Monaco N.O.P. back home, even though the nasal discharge persisted throughout the winter. He was turned out on the field, and over time, his condition began to improve. Gradually, the symptoms disappeared completely.”

Thirteen and a half years later, in the final month of his fifteenth year, Monaco N.O.P. claimed victory in the Rolex Grand Prix at the CHI Geneva – a remarkable turnaround for a horse who had once been given up on at just one and a half years-old. His incredible partnership with Harrie Smolders has been key to his success.

Interestingly, Marcus Ehning won the 2023 Rolex Grand Prix at the CHIO Aachen with Stargold. Stargold’s third dam was born just four kilometers from where Monaco N.O.P. was foaled. Both motherlines have strong ties to the stud farm in Haselau, which plays significant role in shaping international showjumpers. With Monaco N.O.P. and Stargold, this region has now produced two Rolex Grand Prix winners.