In Portrait: Zuccero

23. February 2023

The Zirocco Blue son whose damline has already produced many international top sport horses, brings tons of athleticism and ambition with him, totally in the style of Chin Chin. Zuccero’s carefulness and his unique hind leg technique, spectacular also over the highest dimensions, deserve special mention. The medium framed stallion has a good, strong, and excellently proportioned top-line. His first offspring compete successfully in the final of the National Championship, hinting at their potential for an international career.

Sire
His sire Zirocco Blue is a Dutch stallion with international bloodlines tracing back to a French dam line through Mister Blue, Voltaire, and Le Tôt de Semilly. Under Jur Vrielig he has won at international grand prix and Nations Cup level and took team gold at the Aachen Europeans in 2015.

Damline
Zuccero’s dam, state premium mare Zarese, is by Caretino, a proven sport performer himself. He made the top 10 of the WBFSH world sire ranking several times due to offspring including Casall, Cristallo, and Chandra. Zuccero’s second dam, Sarese, a state premium mare as well, is by Contender, sire of many international top horses, like for example Chiara, Carlos, Montender, Conrad de Hus or Collin. The produce of his third dam, Varese by Calypso II son Coriolan, includes Lordano (Rolf-Göran Bengtsson), third in the German jumping Derby.

Own performance
At four-year-old, Zuccero won the Elmshorn State Championship. The stallion’s 2017 Münster-Handorf sport test yielded excellent results. 8.5 on canter and technique, 9.0 on ability, 8.7 on rideability and overall impression resulted in a total mark of 8.69 (weighted). Since August 2018, Zuccero has been at the yard of Rolf-Göran Bengtsson where he was initially very successfully shown by Bart van der Maat. Their results include finishing third at the seven-year-old National championship in Warendorf in 2019. Since 2020, Zuccero has been under the saddle of Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and demonstrates his impressive jumping ability on the international scene. The 2022 showing season resulted in numerous international wins and top placings up to 1.60m level. He finished fourth in the Pinneberg grand prix, third at Herning and in September he attracted attention by finishing an excellent seventh in the 1.60m class at Spruce Meadows. He delivered a tailor-made start to the year in February 2023 in Neumünster: He won the Grand Prix, which was also the final of the BEMER Riders Tour, over 1.60 meters in a strong starting field over two laps.

Offspring
Zuccero offspring have already commanded attention at the Holsteiner stallion grading and elite riding horse auction sales. In 2020, his three-year-old daughter Zamantha wowed the crowd with her jumping and was sold at a whopping 67.000 euros. He has had a first son, Zuccarello, licensed at the 2021 Holsteiner stallion grading. Also on the sport scene, Zuccero sons and daughters are starting to get themselves noticed. At the National Championship in Warendorf, Zenzero placed in the final of the five-year-old jumping horses with Jack O Donohue, whereas Zuccini MN finished on eighth position in the five-year-old eventing horse category.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson about Zuccero
“A stallion with a future ahead. 2020 we had our first starts together at international horse shows and have jumped many clear rounds. Zuccero is a naturally very careful and ambitious horse. He is characterised in particular by his powerful and elastic take off for the jump. Because of this in combination with his ability, cleverness and first and foremost willingness to perform, he is definitely qualified to stand his ground at top level sport.“

Considerations for Breeding by Sebastian Rohde
Modern prototype of a first-class sport horse and sire. His attitude and spirit in the jumping arena are as impressive as the quality and scope of his jumping. His oldest offspring also stand out for their exceptional jumping ability, confirming his quality as a sire. Keep in mind that he requires rather big-framed mares.

Zuccero is available through frozen semen in 2023!

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