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“Elstar is the only pure English Thoroughbred stallion playing polo in the world today.”

“Given his heritage, and the proven playing success of his progeny, he has the potential to be a ‘sire of sires’ in the world of polo, much like his great-grandsire Northern Dancer was for Thoroughbred racing, and as his cousin Frankel is today.”

History

Elstar is an extraordinary stallion who is the product of two unique Thoroughbred lineages. He raced in Europe until he was purchased, aged four, by Austria’s number one professional female polo player, Klarina Pichler. He has both stood at stud and played professional polo around the world, from the Eastern Alps and to mountains of Andalusia.

On his sire’s side, he is cousin of the highest rated racehorse in history and the pre-eminent sire of sires today, Frankel  They are both sire-line descendants of the greatest sire of sires of the modern era, the 1964 US Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer.

Affirmed, sire to the dam of Elstar’s sire, was just as famous, in 1978  becoming the 11th horse to win The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, an achievement matched by only 12 other horses in almost 150 years.

On Elstar’s dam’s side, her sire was champion sprinter, and one of the few remaining direct sire-line descendants of the Byerly Turk, Indian Ridge. 

It is through this unparalleled union of that paternal heritage of super champions of the sport with a different, but no less prestigious maternal line by which he achieves his pre-eminence as a player on the polo field and as a breeding stallion for that sport. It is the extraordinary combination of physical and behavioural characteristics – and their high levels of heritability – that allow him to lay claim to a level of importance in polo equal to that of his family in horseracing: Elstar is polo’s English Thoroughbred elite sire of sires. 

 

 

Elstar’s owner and trainer, Klarina (www.klarina.net) has  spent four decades with horses across all disciplines, from equestrian vaulting to show jumping and dressage, and thence to horseracing finally to polo. She has professionally bred, trained, sold, and rented polo ponies for fifteen years including for the St Moritz and Kitzbühel Snow Polo, the Geneva Open, the Kings Polo Master Cup, Torneo Land Rover Sotogrande and also for players including Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Henry Brett and Melissa Ganzi. She is a federated polo player in Spain, Argentina and the UK (Handicapped at +4, +1 mixed.)

She captained her own team Las Sacras Romanas, ‘The Holy Romans’, through to the semi finals at the Cowdray Open 2022, – “The Wimbledon of Polo” – and is the only British Hurlingham Polo Association licensed instructor in Spain, where she coaches British cavalry regiments including The Royal Dragoon Guards.

She is is a member of various other equestrian and equine associations including The British Horse Society in the UK, The International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association and the German Equestrian Federation (Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung.)

Her stallion Elstar resides with Klarina in the polo capital of Europe, Sotogrande, along with his herd of Polo Argentino breeding mares, from whom he has bred such notable polo ponies as Alegría, who triumphed in Saudi Arabia under Argentinian ten-goaler Juan-Martín Nero, currently ranked in the top ten male players in the the world.

Elstar – Polo’s Premier Sire, Echoing his Family, the Legends Northern Dancer and Affirmed (and even his cousin Frankel)

Elstar transcends the typical polo pony with a breeding potential rivalling his titanic equine forebears Northern Dancer and Affirmed. This is because his pedigree is marked by a unique hereditary blueprint: the combination of his maternal grandsire Indian Ridges’s extraordinary pure speed, enriched by the genetic diversity he brings from the foundational Byerly Turk lineage. (95% of modern racehorse DNA comes down from another of the three foundational stallions of the English Thoroughbred, the Darley Arabian, the third being the Godolphin Arabian.)

The Impact of Genetic Diversity and Indian Ridge’s Legacy

This exceptional mix only enhances Elstar’s agility and explosive sprint capabilities, critical for polo’s quick bursts and sharp turns, which although a disadvantage in the relentless straight run of a horserace are ideal for the stop-start nature of polo, with its frequent rest periods and changes of horses. 

It also fortifies his genetic health, reducing the risk of common hereditary issues caused by consanguinity on the Darley Arabian line – inbreeding depression in biological terms – rather than outbreeding with the Byerly Turk as he has, giving all the advantages of hybrid vigour and thus resistance to Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA) and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) among many others ailments. 

Mature Excellence: Age as an Asset

At 19-years-old, Elstar is demonstrating that, like many in his legendary family, his prime as a stud may just be beginning. Historical patterns show that the great sires of this line didn’t produce their most notable offspring until their late teens or early twenties. Northern Dancer was 20 years old when he sired Sadler’s Wells – one year later he sired Fairy Bridge, Sadler’s Wells’s full brother and grandfather to Elstar. Sadler’s Wells was himself was 17 when he sired Galileo who was, in turn, 20 when he sired Frankel.

This bodes well for Elstar, suggesting that his current age is a significant advantage, with his best contributions to breeding still ahead. This phase of life could be his most productive, paralleling the late-blooming legends in his family tree who shaped the future of horse racing.

A Legacy in the Making

Elstar’s current progeny, excelling in top-tier polo across continents, already hint at his potential to match the great sire legacies but with a twist unique to polo. His ability to impart speed, intelligence, and adaptability to his offspring positions him to be not just a great polo pony, but a revolutionary breeding stallion, potentially setting new standards in the sport.

Conclusion

Elstar offers a blend of speed and stamina, inherited from a lineage of thoroughbred legends, documented in The General Stud Book. His stature at 15 hands (152 cm) and 84 stone (1,179lbs / 535 kg), combined with a soft mouth, easy stopping, and agility, underline his physical suitability for polo. As Elstar continues to mature, his role as a transformative sire of sires in polo seems increasingly likely, promising to impart the physical capabilities and spirited legacy of his illustrious forebears to the next generation.

PARENTAGE

Sire: Two-Twenty-Two (Ireland)

Elstar’s sire, Two-Twenty-Two, is by Fairy King (USA), by Northern Dancer (Canada). Two-Twenty-Two excelled on the flat turf with 14 runs, securing 6 wins and high placements in 11 stakes races, amassing total earnings of £85,127 and achieving top ratings, highlighting his prowess at a competitive level even though he only raced for 24 months between 1997 and 1999. 

Two-Twenty-Two’s sire has extensive coverage on his achievements and heritage on his Wikipedia page: (Fairy King (horse) – Wikipedia).

As does his sire, 1964 Kentucky Derby winner above (Northern Dancer – Wikipedia).

And although he may be more famous as a sire of sires, Two-Twenty-Two’s dam came from an even more impressive racing lineage, her sire being one of only thirteen horses in the almost century and a half history of the the Triple Crown – which includes the the Kentucky Derby, to win all three in 1978 (Affirmed – Wikipedia), as you can see above. 

Maternal Lineage: Elsaayoura (Ireland)

Elstar’s dam, Elsaayoura, was sired by Indian Ridge (Ireland), noted for maintaining the rare Byerley Turk bloodline, adding a layer of unique genetic diversity to Elstar’s profile, and precluding the inbreeding depressions and hereditary illness issues common to thoroughbreds.

Indian Ridge’s successful racing and breeding career are well documented (Indian Ridge – Wikipedia), providing further validation of Elstar’s rich genetic makeup. You can see Indian Ridge’s extraordinary speed for yourself in the video above, being held back by the jockey to prevent burn out – until he lets him go on to win – from the 1988 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he went on to hold the the speed record for almost two decades.

Dosage Index (DI) Dosage Profile (DP) and Thoroughbred Family Numbers

via the Pedigree Thoroughbred Database Elstar Horse Pedigree (pedigreequery.com)

Elstar’s Genetic Profile and Pedigree Insights:

Elstar’s Dosage Index of 6.20 indicates a massive predisposition towards speed over stamina, which while a disadvantage over the distances involved in racing is uniquely beneficial in polo. This index is calculated from the pedigree, assessing the balance of speed and stamina influences from his ancestors, which also suggests a very high heritability of these traits. His pedigree features a diverse array of Thoroughbred Family Numbers, suggesting a genetic diversity that enhances health and resilience in his lineage. To highlight what this means in real terms, is a comparison below between his cousin Frankel – the highest rated racehorse in history – and Elstar.

FRANKEL’s Lineage and Racing Success:

GRANDSIRE Sadler’s Wells – DI = 2.82 A moderately low DI indicating a good balance but slightly more inclined towards stamina, which was crucial for his success at middle distances. Sadler’s Wells was known for siring versatile racehorses that excelled particularly in European middle-distance races.

SIRE Galileo – DI = 1.11: Even lower DI than his sire, showing a strong inclination towards stamina. Galileo’s success in races like the English Derby, which require a significant endurance component, was a testament to his stamina-heavy genetic makeup. His progeny, including Frankel, inherited this trait, making them dominant in longer races.

FRANKEL – DI = 0.67 One of the lowest DIs for a top-class racehorse, indicating an exceptional predisposition for stamina. Frankel’s racing career was marked by unmatched dominance over middle distances, showcasing his ability to sustain high speed over longer than typical sprint distances. Frankel’s most celebrated performances were typically over distances like the 1-mile (1,600 meters), with his victory in the 2000 Guineas on good to firm ground being a highlight, where he showcased explosive speed and sustained it remarkably, cementing his status as the highest-rated racehorse in history.

ELSTAR’s Lineage and Polo Success:

PATERNAL GRANDSIRE Fairy King – DI = 2.82: Similar to his full brother, Sadler’s Wells, Fairy King had a balance suitable for middle distances, but his progeny showed a trend towards enhancing the speed aspect.

SIRE Two-Twenty-Two – DI = 2.75: Slightly favouring speed and enhancing agility, which is beneficial for sports requiring quick movements like polo.

MATERNAL GRANSIRE Indian Ridge – DI = Inf (Infinity): A drastic shift towards speed with an infinite DI, indicating a pedigree devoid of any stamina influence. This extreme predisposition for speed significantly influenced Elstar’s dam line. Such a high DI not only made Indian Ridge’s descendants exceptionally fast and agile, crucial for short bursts in races but also reduced the probability of inbreeding depression, diversifying the genetic pool, which is beneficial for reducing hereditary diseases.

DAM Elsaayoura – DI = 7.00: Still extraordinarily high DI pointing to significant speed orientation, ideal for polo’s fast-paced requirements.

ELSTAR – DI = 6.20: Mirroring the extremely high DI of his maternal line, but with slightly increased stamina, Elstar’s pedigree made him ideal for polo, a sport that demands explosive speed and rapid directional changes. The frequent stops, starts – and horse changes – along with high agility required in polo match perfectly with Elstar’s genetic predisposition. Just as Frankel’s extraordinarily low DI made him perfect for racing, Elstar’s exceptionally high DI aligns superbly with the requirements of top-level polo, making him as ideally suited to his sport as Frankel was for racing.

CONCLUSION

The DI in each lineage explains the tailored abilities of these horses for their respective sports. Frankel’s extraordinarily low DI was perfect for racing over distance, allowing sustained speed and endurance, while Elstar’s extraordinarily high DI provides the explosive speed and agility needed for the dynamic demands of polo while taking advantage of its stoppages and horse-changes.

Both represent perfection in their domains, achieved through selective breeding focused on optimizing specific traits for such different equestrian sports.

Breeding Potential

Elstar represents an amalgamation of historical significance and modern genetic science. His pedigree includes not only champions but also sires of champions – and even sires of sires of champions – making his semen a valuable asset for breeders aiming to cultivate anything from top-tier racehorses to champion polo ponies, to any manner of crosses for other work or show or simple riding pleasure on a descendant of some of the greatest exemplars of excellence in the history of the equestrian world. All of this in an individual animal whose graceful and gentlemanly character have been noted by all professional equestrians who have encountered him. 

With Elstar, you are not just choosing a sire; you are investing in a lineage proven to excel at the highest levels a thoroughbred can reach. His genetic heritage promises to impart both the physical capabilities and the indomitable spirit of his illustrious forebears to the next generation.

Enclosed below is his full ancestry back to the late 19^th century (click on images to enlarge. The database PDF is downloadable by clicking here. )

Full pedigree back to 17^th century which includes all three foundational stallions of the thoroughbred bloodline – the Byerley Turk, the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian – available upon request. 

 

Edelfräulein Klarina Pichler & Alexander R. Fiske-Harrison, Esq.

Majority Owner (51%) & Minoirty Owner (49%)       

Email contact@internationalpoloevents.com