LADYKILLER XX - 06-40008-61 B.
H., born 1961, Stm. 164 cm Breeder:
Mrs. A.L. Adda, England. Ladykiller xx
embodies the powerful type of the
thoroughbred. He was a strikingly
handsome stallion with pronounced
masculine attributes. He had an excellent
mastery of the three basic gaits and was
imbued with the very best character and
temperament values. Of the enormous
number of thoroughbreds that were applied
in breeding in the 1960ies and the early
1970ies, he turned out to be the best by far.
H., born 1961, Stm. 164 cm Breeder:
Mrs. A.L. Adda, England. Ladykiller xx
embodies the powerful type of the
thoroughbred. He was a strikingly
handsome stallion with pronounced
masculine attributes. He had an excellent
mastery of the three basic gaits and was
imbued with the very best character and
temperament values. Of the enormous
number of thoroughbreds that were applied
in breeding in the 1960ies and the early
1970ies, he turned out to be the best by far.
The sires who came before him such as Anblick xx and Cottage Son xx and partly also those who performed stud duty
as contemporaries of Ladykiller xx like the stallions Manometer xx and Marlon xx, also founded their own stallion lines.
None however was as convincing on such a broad basis as Ladykiller xx. He clearly transmitted himself, his marked type,
the magnificent head, correct and powerful foundation and excellent jumping ability in regard to capacity, manner of
jumping, leg technique and above all spirit. A number of his progeny were conspicuous because of their light tan colour
with green legs, as well as the occasionally open kidney region. His chestnuts were consistently even more noble than his
bay progeny. Particular successes were achieved by mating with mares who were also of noble blood. Thus his best
stallion sons by far, Landgraf I and Lord were both bred out of mares who themselves had significant proportions of the
best thoroughbred blood. Landgraf I became the most important sire of showjumpers of the twentieth century. The
Holstein Breeder’s Association erected a life-sized bronze monument in his honour on the precincts of the association
centre in Elmshorn, the unveiling of which Landgraf I attended personally. Lord was approvals champion and likewise
sent a whole armada of progeny to victory on the great showjumping courses around the globe. The fact that he was a
three-quarter bred may be the reason why his hereditary transmission was not always of a completely harmonious type.
Even though Ladykiller did not really sire dressage horses, he produced a son Lido whose forte in hereditary transmission
was exactly in the field of dressage. It would be hard to find another Holsteiner who procreated dressage horses for the
very highest demands as this stallion. In the Netherlands, the Ladykiller xx son Heidelberg, who was named after his
damsire became the pacemaker of the breed. The sires Lorenz, Lagos, Ladalco and Lamour all also went to Holland
following their successful above average covering periods in Holstein.
as contemporaries of Ladykiller xx like the stallions Manometer xx and Marlon xx, also founded their own stallion lines.
None however was as convincing on such a broad basis as Ladykiller xx. He clearly transmitted himself, his marked type,
the magnificent head, correct and powerful foundation and excellent jumping ability in regard to capacity, manner of
jumping, leg technique and above all spirit. A number of his progeny were conspicuous because of their light tan colour
with green legs, as well as the occasionally open kidney region. His chestnuts were consistently even more noble than his
bay progeny. Particular successes were achieved by mating with mares who were also of noble blood. Thus his best
stallion sons by far, Landgraf I and Lord were both bred out of mares who themselves had significant proportions of the
best thoroughbred blood. Landgraf I became the most important sire of showjumpers of the twentieth century. The
Holstein Breeder’s Association erected a life-sized bronze monument in his honour on the precincts of the association
centre in Elmshorn, the unveiling of which Landgraf I attended personally. Lord was approvals champion and likewise
sent a whole armada of progeny to victory on the great showjumping courses around the globe. The fact that he was a
three-quarter bred may be the reason why his hereditary transmission was not always of a completely harmonious type.
Even though Ladykiller did not really sire dressage horses, he produced a son Lido whose forte in hereditary transmission
was exactly in the field of dressage. It would be hard to find another Holsteiner who procreated dressage horses for the
very highest demands as this stallion. In the Netherlands, the Ladykiller xx son Heidelberg, who was named after his
damsire became the pacemaker of the breed. The sires Lorenz, Lagos, Ladalco and Lamour all also went to Holland
following their successful above average covering periods in Holstein.
When the German Warmblood breeders in the 60s and 70s turned to the Thoroughbred for refinement and athleticism,
there were a number of important stallions that played a key role in the shaping the modern sport horse – none was
more significant than Ladykiller.
While he stood in the far north of Germany, in Holstein, his influence continues to spread in 2002 the most expensive
horse at the prestigious Fences Auction in France, was l’Arc de Triomphe, sold for 460,000 euros, a world record
for a three year old and he is a direct descendent of the great Ladykiller, indeed with a double cross on the sire line since
he is by Landor S, by Landadel by Landgraf by Ladykiller, out of Novella out of Furth, also by Ladykiller.
Ladykiller was born in England in 1961 but he was no star on the racetrack, racing three times in two years and rating
only a 80.5 kilo handicap which luckily for him, was 0.5 kilos more than the minimum required for a Thoroughbred
stallion to be accepted into German breeding ranks. Before his death in 1979, he sired 35 stallion sons including the twin
pillars of Holstein: Landgraf and Lord. Both it should be noted out of mares with a good percentage of Thoroughbred
blood Lord's dam was a full blood, while Landgraf's dam was 25% Thoroughbred.
Ladykiller's breeeding features all the usual suspects found on jumping Thoroughbred pedigrees Blue Peter, Phalaris, Son
in Law, and you will find more discussion of this blood on the Bay Ronald page.
In his Stallion Book of the Holsteiner Warmblood Breed, Dr Dietrich Rossow had this to say about Ladykiller and his
influence:
"He was an averaged sized, clearly masculine type with a beautiful head, really heavy neck, good shoulder, rather flat
loin, and a nicely coupled, heavily muscled croup. He had first rate legs and feet for a Thoroughbred and was an elastic
mover. He was everything a state breeding program could wish for. With his 35 approved sons and 195 approved
daughters, he has had the greatest impact of all on the Holsteiner breed. His best produce came through crosses with
mares with some Thoroughbred blood. This was just the opposite case as with Anblick. When crossed with coarse,
common mares, he produced accordingly. Today he must be viewed as one of the most important jumper sires of
modern time. To enumerate all of his great performance offspring in the world of jumping goes beyond the limits of this
essay. He sired fewer dressage horses. Whereas Marlon and Anblick influenced this Holsteiner modification phase more
in the direction of riding horse types, Ladykiller offspring correspond more to performance, jumper types. As a rule, they
are strong horses, they are not, at first, very tight with their front ends. This however, quickly improves with increasing
maturity."
Despite the proliferation of C line horses in Holstein breeding, the Ladykiller line retains its pride of place, indeed Claus
Schridde draws attention to its proliferation even on the one set of papers: "Today it is almost a necessity of fashion in
Holstein, that a horse carries Ladykiller xx blood at least two or three times, whereby it occurs from time to time, that
horses in the first generations are inbred five or six times to this invaluable foundation sire. All along, a certain measure of
inbreeding has been a regular formula for success in Holstein breeding. Anyone looking more closely at Holstein
bloodlines or respectively, the pedigree papers of individual horses down to the roots, is frequently taken aback about
how frequently the same name literally jumps into ones face in the earlier generations. Today, where fresh blood in
Holstein does not take effect at all, continued inbreeding to the proven classic Ladykiller xx is a piece of brinkmanship
that demands a great amount of sure instinct by the breeders of Holstein."
there were a number of important stallions that played a key role in the shaping the modern sport horse – none was
more significant than Ladykiller.
While he stood in the far north of Germany, in Holstein, his influence continues to spread in 2002 the most expensive
horse at the prestigious Fences Auction in France, was l’Arc de Triomphe, sold for 460,000 euros, a world record
for a three year old and he is a direct descendent of the great Ladykiller, indeed with a double cross on the sire line since
he is by Landor S, by Landadel by Landgraf by Ladykiller, out of Novella out of Furth, also by Ladykiller.
Ladykiller was born in England in 1961 but he was no star on the racetrack, racing three times in two years and rating
only a 80.5 kilo handicap which luckily for him, was 0.5 kilos more than the minimum required for a Thoroughbred
stallion to be accepted into German breeding ranks. Before his death in 1979, he sired 35 stallion sons including the twin
pillars of Holstein: Landgraf and Lord. Both it should be noted out of mares with a good percentage of Thoroughbred
blood Lord's dam was a full blood, while Landgraf's dam was 25% Thoroughbred.
Ladykiller's breeeding features all the usual suspects found on jumping Thoroughbred pedigrees Blue Peter, Phalaris, Son
in Law, and you will find more discussion of this blood on the Bay Ronald page.
In his Stallion Book of the Holsteiner Warmblood Breed, Dr Dietrich Rossow had this to say about Ladykiller and his
influence:
"He was an averaged sized, clearly masculine type with a beautiful head, really heavy neck, good shoulder, rather flat
loin, and a nicely coupled, heavily muscled croup. He had first rate legs and feet for a Thoroughbred and was an elastic
mover. He was everything a state breeding program could wish for. With his 35 approved sons and 195 approved
daughters, he has had the greatest impact of all on the Holsteiner breed. His best produce came through crosses with
mares with some Thoroughbred blood. This was just the opposite case as with Anblick. When crossed with coarse,
common mares, he produced accordingly. Today he must be viewed as one of the most important jumper sires of
modern time. To enumerate all of his great performance offspring in the world of jumping goes beyond the limits of this
essay. He sired fewer dressage horses. Whereas Marlon and Anblick influenced this Holsteiner modification phase more
in the direction of riding horse types, Ladykiller offspring correspond more to performance, jumper types. As a rule, they
are strong horses, they are not, at first, very tight with their front ends. This however, quickly improves with increasing
maturity."
Despite the proliferation of C line horses in Holstein breeding, the Ladykiller line retains its pride of place, indeed Claus
Schridde draws attention to its proliferation even on the one set of papers: "Today it is almost a necessity of fashion in
Holstein, that a horse carries Ladykiller xx blood at least two or three times, whereby it occurs from time to time, that
horses in the first generations are inbred five or six times to this invaluable foundation sire. All along, a certain measure of
inbreeding has been a regular formula for success in Holstein breeding. Anyone looking more closely at Holstein
bloodlines or respectively, the pedigree papers of individual horses down to the roots, is frequently taken aback about
how frequently the same name literally jumps into ones face in the earlier generations. Today, where fresh blood in
Holstein does not take effect at all, continued inbreeding to the proven classic Ladykiller xx is a piece of brinkmanship
that demands a great amount of sure instinct by the breeders of Holstein."