Views on Utah van Eperkom please!

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I've been looking for a good coloured showjumping stallion for my Zandor Z mare. I was initially going to use Umenno but Utah van Eperkom has been suggested. Does anyone on HHO have Utah offspring? Interested to know about temperament, trainability etc - I know that he's only a 10yo so probably too early to see success in his progeny yet. Before I call re stud fees etc I'd appreciate knowing what the owner is like as I hate being made to feel like they're doing me a massive favour!
 
Very good jumper, very well bred, not very proven as a sire, very nice owner, got some nice foals on the ground. Hasn't had the numbers yet to have been really tested, but that'll come once his semen is selling more in Europe.
 
I'm in love with Ashbank's Utah foal. Very very nice indeed, if they are all like him then he's well worth sending a mare to.
 
I have been looking at him for a while and met up with John Whittaker to have a chat about Utah. There's no questioning the performance, he's definately doing the business. John did comment that he's quite sensitive, but I don't like dum-dums so that doesn't bother me.

John has 4 or 5 by him that are under saddle (none of which were coloured ironically), so they should be hitting the scene pretty soon, if they're not already out there.

If you're looking for performance he has it, no progeny of note just yet (but I think that's only a matter of time), but if you're looking for colour, he's heterozygous and seems to have quite a lot of solid coloured offspring, so I definately wouldn't bank on a coloured foal, even if your mare is coloured (unless of course she's homozygous!). Again colour doesn't bother me, so that's not a negative from my perspective. All in all I think he's a smart, talented horse, backed by good bloodlines.
 
I LOVE Utah for all the above reasons and I would love to use him on a mare...my only reservation with him now is his stud fee as at £1500 he is demanding a very high fee for a stallion without necessarily proven stock on the ground. I know these following guys are not coloured and that is your pre-requisite but they are only to give you an idea….
You could you stallions the likes of Corofino I and Jaguar Mail for 1600 euros and when you consider that Corofino has stock jumping ion Beijing and I believe that Jaguar himself is jumping there then you are IMO getting better value for money. Other cheaper and more ‘proven’ stallions would be ones such as almost all the Zangersheide boys, loads of the Shockemohle boys including Balou du Rouet, Landor S and many many more.

Interestingly Utah’s brother out of the same dam and by Darco is now standing at stud. He is only 3 but IMO he’s a stunning animal. He’s called Davinci Van Erpekom Z. See: http://www.stallionsonline.co.uk/stallion_17454.html
Cilla Humphreys has also imported yet another stunning coloured stallion from the USA as well. His name is Commander and he is by Contango. Not standing at stud yet (I already asked her) but he is gorgeous! http://www.logresfarm.com/Commander.htm
 
I think Utah is definitely the most proven coloured showjumper there is - I have a colt by him this year out of my Elite Sixtus/Elite Tambour/Elite Consul mare, so a jumper through and through - albeit one with exceptional paces. I'm very pleased with the colt apart from one thing - he was supposed to be a filly so I could keep him!

The other coloured showjumper I would consider using is Nock Out - http://www.sporting-horse.co.uk/Nock-Out.htm. Pic of my Utah colt below.

helena084.jpg
 
I planned to use him a couple of years ago but he was only available by frozen at that immediate time & she is only suitable for chilled so sadly missed out! I was attracted by his sucessful bloodlines as mentioned above. Like him a lot , his owner was very nice to deal with & he has got Man on Fire out with Louise bell. MOF must be able to jump & look decent as he seems to be doing well.
 
Ashbank, I agree about the most proven coloured jumper part, but you talking about an extraordinarily small population of coloured jumpers by comparison with all the other colours lumped together.

The price for me is a concern, £1500 is 1950€ which is huge for an unproven stallion (who has made some very nice foals, before I get my ass chewed off). For a few euros more, you can get most of the best stallions in the world, and that's best in terms of world ranking. In fact I can think of maybe two dozen that are more expensive, and are ranked in the top two hundred or are very hot stallions right now. You're right for 350€ LESS you can get the #29 stallion in the world, for 750€ LESS you can #29's uncle who is ranked #36 in the world, both LFG. To sell more on the European market the price will have to come down, as much as anything because the "coloured" thing isn't really appreciated as much over here. Coloured horses are mostly bred in Europe for the British market.

But, you can't knock his breeding or his ability that's for sure.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ashbank, I agree about the most proven coloured jumper part, but you talking about an extraordinarily small population of coloured jumpers by comparison with all the other colours lumped together.
<snip>

But, you can't knock his breeding or his ability that's for sure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely Ken - I'm not saying Utah is the most proven showjumper, or the best value for money, but the OP specifically requested information about coloured jumping stallions, of which I feel Utah is the best one standing at stud.

Can you list any other decent coloured showjumpers Ken? I know you've got a wealth of information about jumpers i general, but which coloured ones would you recommend for someone looking to breed a coloured jumping prospect? (Let's assume a plain mare, so the stallion absolutely has to be coloured).
 
There was one of his jumping at the Quainton young horse classes (unless commentators read it wrong!)
I wasnt at all impressed
 
Thanks for all of the feedback - will look into Nock-Out and Commander.... so, slight twist on my initial post .... in an ideal world I'd like to produce a coloured foal BUT this is only going to be a 50/50 chance using any of these coloured stallions as all are heterozygous. So, which stallions irrespective of colour do you consider to be the best value for money in relation to their performance and progeny performance or which unproven stallions do you think are the ones to watch?
 
Pound for pound I think (as in, I'm not % sure, but think it's so) you have to go with Corofino I who on "runners to winners" (that is to say number of mares bred to number of international progeny and approved sons) I have a feeling is top, I could be wrong but not by much. The other super stallion is Guidam for the same reasons, but the semen is questionable now (frozen).

Based on what my clients are screaming for, I have to say Clintissimo Z is the young stallion to watch. There are now breeders in the UK keeping mares empty this year to have Clintissimo Z early next year, this is also happening in France.
 
Cyrilcyril - yes he was £900 in 2007 but since he's been jumping with the Whittaker's it's gone up to £1500.
Personally, as the OP has already stated, unless you were besotted with him particularly and didn't care whether baby was coloured or not, based on the mare's excellent breeding herself I would tend to go for what would be a cheaper and definately more proven in terms or sire standings and progeny on the floor, solid coloured stallion. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE Utah BUT I think he is overpriced…in the UK alone you could use Unbelievable Darco for only £800, Cevin Z for about £1000 I think, plus many more and then the Euro based stallions are even less.

As anyone on here will agree if they have seen him, Clintissimo Z, whilst young and unproven, is awesome...simply jaw-dropping in fact and definitely the one to watch. Others in the UK are the Quainton youngsters such as Cheateau de Brion. Brendon's have also got a cracking 4 yr old called El Thuder who is by Thunder Van de Zuuthoeve (Argentinus/Nimmerdor/Landgraf ) and out of a Larome/Goldspring de Lauzelle mare who I used last year and got 2 cracking colts off of. He himself graded AES as a 3 yr old and won loose jumping comps last year and is now jumping very well BSJA this year.

Lux Z is also available in the UK through Equine AI I believe and he is I think £1500 as well…but then he is much more proven as a sire and as a performer.

The choice really is endless….
 
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