LAST 24 HOURS OF SFN ONLINE AUCTION

The Showjumping Fund of the Netherlands (SFN) yesterday hosted an open day to showcase each of the six horses up for sale, which marked the final chance for prospective buyers to see the horses up close ahead of the sale which closes tomorrow at 2pm.

The viewing day attracted a strong contingent of press and potential bidders, who were keen to see the likes of World and European Champion, SFN Zenith N.O.P. (pictured above and below with breeders Mr and Mrs Voort) and Nations Cup representative Aquila SFN.

The auction officially opened on Wednesday 14th September and both SFN Zenith N.O.P. and Aquila SFN had a starting price of €500,000. The four younger horses, Chuck Blue SFN, Djumpsina SFN, Eloma’s Blue SFN and Ferrari SFN had a starting price of €50,000. The sale concludes tomorrow, Wednesday 21st September, at 2pm and all horses will be sold without reserve.

The talent of the horses up for sale is undisputed and is reinforced by the SFN selection process, whereby an elite group of leading horse dealers and trainers must all agree unanimously on the potential of a horse before it is purchased as part of the SFN team. Further information, photos and videos of all six horses are available on the SFN Auction website (www.sfnauction.com).

Speaking on behalf of the SFN, Henk Rottinghuis, the President of the SFN Board, said, “This is an excellent opportunity for riders and owners alike to purchase a top-class horse for a reasonable price as there will be no reserve. There is still plenty of time to register for the auction and it would be a pity for prospective buyers to see the horses sell for a price they would have liked to pay, but had not registered.”

"It’s going to be an exciting 24 hours and we are looking forward to seeing the outcome. The winning bidder has the right to remain anonymous, however we hope that we will be able to release as much information following the sale as possible."

The online auction is being operated by BVA Auctions, the company which operated the successful Eurocommerce Stables sale in 2014, which has notable experience in the sale of sport horses. To participate in the auction, it is necessary to register and pay a deposit or provide a bank guarantee, after which further information will be accessible, including full veterinary reports.

For further information and advice about how to register as an authorised user and participate in the auction, please visit the BVA Auctions website:

ABOUT ZENITH:

Jeroen Dubbeldam discovered Zenith as a seven-year-old in 2011. “You are always looking for good horses. I saw one that I thought would suit me well, and he just so happened to be one of the SFN selector’s horses, so I told Jacob Melissen, Director of SFN.” Zenith arrived at Jeroen’s stables a week later for a three-week trial period and after seeing how well Zenith jumped under Jeroen’s guidance, the selectors bought the horse for the Fund.

Jeroen Dubbeldam has stated on multiple occasions that he does not want to compete every weekend, but rather focus on the classics of the international showjumping sport. “Who can still remember who won the Grand Prix of Rotterdam in 2006? However, everyone knows I became an Olympic Champion in 2000. That is the story that sticks. I could have ridden more competitions with Zenith than I actually did, but I chose not to.”

Time and time again, Jeroen has proved that his methodology works, and he is only the second showjumping rider in the world, after Hans Günter Winkler, to achieve the individual Olympic, World and European Championship titles during their career.

SFN Zenith N.O.P. has an incredible track record including Team gold at the 2014 Nations Cup Finals in Barcelona, Team and Individual gold in the World Equestrian Games in Caen, 2014 and Team and Individual gold at the European Championships in Aachen, 2015.

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