WINNY THE BLUE D'IVE

Breeder -> VAN EECKHOUT ISABELLE

Padre : MR. BLUE

Riders: Elise HAAS (USA) , Bert ROMP (NED)

Abuelo materno: QUICK STAR

The Selle Français stallion, Quick Star, was a tough, little (just 159 cms) competitor with American rider, Meredith Michaels, who has based herself in Europe long enough to marry Markus Beerbaum and find herself in the German jumping team! The pair won the Grand Prix of Maastricht and Munich in their illustrious career - and now Quick Star is making a name for himself at stud.
Quick Star’s sire, Galoubet A was also a performer, winning an astonishing 19 Grand Prix in his career - Galoubet is by one of the all time jumping sires, Almé, and out of the French trotter, Viti.
On his dam’s side, Quick Star is again bred to perform. His dam, Stella, a 7/8th Anglo-Arab, jumped internationally with Nelson Pessoa. Quick Star was originally owned by American businessman, Isaac Augetty but he was purchased in Christmas 1997 by French film distributor, Alain Katz. The stallion had covered a few mares in the United States in 1989 (resulting in the birth of his showjumping star daughter, also called Stella). From 1989 to 1994 he bred a few mares in the States belonging to friends of the original owner who imported Quick Star to the USA at the age of 6 months, and then sold him to Augetty at the age of 6 years.
According to Mr Katz: "From 1991 to 1994, during the time he was stationed with Meredith Micheals at the Paul Schockemöhle stables, he was used by the latter for his own breeding purposes and covered around 400 of his own mares, however this number remains roughly approximate because it was never possible, nor for the American owner that took Paul Schockemöhle to court for this period of exploitation, nor for us, to obtain any information from either Paul Schockemöhle or from the Oldenburg stud-book where he is omnipresent and very powerful and who refuse to respond to our several demands up to this day." (quoted in Annuaire Monneron 2003 - www.monneron.com ).
It took a while for Quick Star's breeding career to take off. Mr Katz made the mistake of parading him at St-Lô in 1998 along with two other sons of Galoubet - Quatoubet du Rouuet and Caloubet du Rouet, and there was much derision from the Normandy breeders at the sight of the 'midget' who had been acquired by an outsider from Paris.
Now Quick Star is distributed in 14 countres and is approved by 21 recognized stud-books.
Mr Kaitz feels that Quick Star combines the qualities of his top and bottom lines: "He has inherited the best of both. From Galoubet, his force, his energy and his courage; from Stella, her elegance, her intelligence and her technique, which resulted in this llittle rounded stallion, standing 1 m 59 being 'a genius over the bars'. Quick Star produces bay coloured horses with spirited and easy characters, voluntary, winners with lots of strength in a short back catapulted by sprung hind quarters, but he also has some aesthetically weak points, for he is capable of giving a pretty Anglo head but also a thick jowled head, inherited from his sire, Galoubet. By the way, certain of his products have perhaps a less than perfect front gesture but as a great international rider once explained to me, 'in front can always be corrected especially if there is a true motor behind' which is perfectly the case with the offspring of our stallion."

Quick Star’s most successful competitor so far has been Stella, who was ridden by American showjumper, Will Simpson until Meredith Beerbaum took her over, and the pairing has had a string of good placings in top competiton - including a second in the Grand Prix at Stuttgart.

Quick Star is proving a good sire of stallions with Quinticus, Quebec and Cardinus in Germany, Quincy Z (ex-Omnistar), Quilot Z and Quick Lauro Z in Belgium; Quick Star CH in Switzerland, Qualitative in Denmark, Quality in Ireland, Quality Touch Z in Chile, and Indy Star in France.

The list of riders on Quick Star horses right now reads like a who's who of international jumping: Otto Becker & Qualandro, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson & Quick Silver BZ, Marcus Ehning & Quick Roxette DH, Jos Lansink with Quincy Z and Quick Lauro Z and Franke Sloothaak & Quilfilio.

In June 2002, Quick Star was bred to Ratino Z - the ultimate accolade for the game little jumper!