Approved
BWP
Bay 16.3½hh
Darco
has won many show jumping competitions in his career
such as: Champion of Belgium as a 5 year old. Winner of
the Belgian Championship as a 6 year old. Darco
was Winner of the Volvo World Cup in London 1988 and in
Hertogenbosch in 1989.
He
was 6th in the World Championships in Stockholm in 1990
and 7th place in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Born 1980 Once again, Darco's story, is the story of an
exceptional broodmare - in this case, his grand-dam, Atoucha.
Born in 1959 in Holland the mare was purchased by Fons
Pauwels in 1960. Mr Pauwels was looking for a real "all-rounder",
a horse for both work and play. And this she did - working
in the fields and in her "spare" time, competing in dressage,
showjumping and eventing competitions. She was twice -
in 1968 and 1970 - the Belgian Eventing champion for Rural
Riders, and three times a competitor at the European Rural
Championships. According to her proud owner (and quoted
in Leen Devocht's excellent article on Darco in Breeding
News, January 1997) her qualities were a legion: "very
strong, healthy; not a single day of sickness in her book,
an immense capacity for recovering; everlasting carefulness,
even as an evente; not a single refusal; always fighting
and daring like a lioness - she could eat fences raw."
Atoucha gave birth to eleven foals - ten fillies and one
colt, Salvador, who went on to win the Berlin puissance.
Darco's dam, Ocoucha (by Codex) is the eldest daughter
of Atoucha's third daughter, Latoucha (by Faust).
Bred
to one of the greatest of Belgian jumping stallions, Lugano
van la Roche, Ocoucha produced Darco, who went on to prove
himself a tough competitor on the international jumping
scene with Ludo Phillippaerts. In 1988, Darco won his first
World Cup qualifier, at Olympia, the following year, he
won another Volvo for his rider, this time at s'Hertogenbosch.
Darco and Ludo were sixth
at the WEG in Stockholm, and 7th at the Barcelona Games.
In the Breeding News article, Ludo has this to say about
the stallion: "Together with Darco, I began my international
career. A horses to remain grateful to for the rest of my
life. Darco really has everything it takes to make a unique
super crack, as a showjumper as well as a sire. Horses of
this outstanding quality will remain the great exceptions
in the breeding industry. I will never forget the fine intelligence
he so often proved in the showjumping arena, where he always
showed lots of power and stamina coming from his high-bred
ancestors." Darco commenced his career as a breeding stallion
in 1984, and since then has been enormously successful.
In the WBFSH standings for 1999-2000, Darco finished 8th,
with 35 (!) progeny contributing to his ranking. His most
famous offspring is Otterongo who just missed out on an
individual medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. Darco is a
rather solid type and cross best over elegant mares with
lots of "blood".
| |
Lugano
|
Lugano I |
Der Loewe |
| Altwunder |
| Alderflut |
Ableger |
| Dichterspiel |
| Ocoucha |
Codex |
Cottage Son |
| Ettal |
| Latoucha |
Atoucha |
| Faust |
|