From various groups of colt and filly foals in the direction of dressage, twelve exceptionally good foals were selected for the final. Five of these were placed, with the very complete Utah Beach being ranked first.

The jury, consisting of Bart Bax, Sjoerd Plaisier, and Luuk Smetsers, assessed the foals. Luuk Smetsers provided a clear explanation of the foals and began with the remark: “Foals change weekly. One day they perform better than another. Today, however, we have seen the crème de la crème. Complete foals with athletic ability, good posture, and excellent movement. We have placed the top five foals; the remaining seven share sixth place.”

Champion
The number one is Utah Beach, a foal that continually stands out. The son of L’Avenir is built uphill and possesses a lot of presence, remarkable musculature, and a well-formed front. He stepped actively, and his trot was uphill and over the back from the first step. Additionally, he showed beautiful foreleg use. In canter, he demonstrated both thrust and light-footedness. Utah Beach was bred from the elite mare Jinola (by Dream Boy) by the Knoops family in Wellerlooi and is registered with Saskia Poels in Heusden.

Reserve champion
Reserve champion was Ugo (Obsession Taonga out of Il Fiore elite sport by Furst Romancier) from breeder/registrant J. Woudsma from Barchem. “A sturdy and correctly built foal with good body length and a strongly muscled topline. He stepped well through the body and with ample space. In trot, he showed a lot of joint flexion and maintained his rhythm and pace without speed. In canter, he exhibited a lot of balance and really pushed off the ground,” said Luuk Smetsers.

Third place
The third place was for Unino (by Bon Courage). He was bred and registered by M.G. Kolner from Pesse, with co-registrant J.A. Bloem from the same place. The mother of this elegant foal is Kagranta (by Uphill). Unino was described as a foal with strong body connections. He stepped with ample space and body use. In trot, he showed a lot of schwung and joint flexion, and his balance was evident in canter.

Ultra Extreme
Ultra Extreme, a son of Extreme U.S. out of elite mare Miss Universe (by Franklin), bred and registered by Quality Stables in Oud Gastel, was placed fourth. A very appealing and well-developed foal with a beautiful wither and shoulder, a correct topline, and matching foundation. In walk, he showed activity and space. His light-footedness and suppleness stood out in trot, and he transitioned very easily in canter.

Mare foal
The fifth place in this strong group was for the only filly in this inspection collection: Ulanita (Obsession Taonga out of elite mare Lenita by Ferguson). She was bred by the Van Wessel family in Zwartebroek, who later also presented the best show jumping foal. Luuk said about Ulanita: “A generously developed and strongly built foal with a well-formed forehand. She walked in an excellent manner, showed strong use of the hind leg in trot, and we saw that power return in canter as well."

Results

Read all about the National Foal Inspection in the upcoming issue of the KWPN Magazine.

Overview page KWPN Championships

GJ for KWPN
Photo of Utah Beach by Digishots
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