Valiant Born 1987, Died November 2011
Pedigree: Galoubet / Bravisimo xx / Bang Up xx
Sally Linton talks us through how the influential warmblood sire Valiant came to be in new Zealand.
Kahurangi Farm’s Bill Millar and Sally Millar (Linton) purchased Valiant from the USA in 1994. It came about over a dinner conversation with legendary eventing trainer Jack Le Goff who was in New Zealand giving clinics. Jack was extolling the French breeding programme and the use of French trotting blood in their jumping lines, in particular Galoubet who came from a line of sire of sires, including Alme, and Ibrahim going back to the thoroughbred Orange Peel. When we decided to look for a stallion we contacted Hamilton Farm in Massachusetts where Galoubet stood, who put us on to Valiant who was being sold to dissolve a syndicate of which Jack was a member.
Valiant by Galoubet was bred as a potential breeding stallion, with Galoubet’s bloodlines and performance record, being the winner of 22 Grand Prix competitions. Valiant’s dam the American TB “Crystal Vale” (also known as Animation) competed with success at Grand Prix level as well as producing top horses including a full sister Ultralite, jumping Grand Prix in Europe.
Valiant was a licenced breeding stallion eligible for most of the international studbooks
With top international jumping bloodlines, the Millar’s were looking for a stallion that would produce showjumpers and eventers. Valiant had the breeding and performance records to produce not only showjumpers, but being half thoroughbred, enough blood to sire eventers too. Valiant was a lovely scopey type that was extremely rideable and had a great temperament that would cross well with New Zealand mares.
Valiant himself performed with success in the four year old futurities in the USA, wining the regional qualifier and placing third in the USA final. He did not compete as a five year old due to a dispute with his owners that led to his sale and coming to New Zealand.
Valiant produced some top performing horses here in New Zealand including:
Kahurangi Valentino and Kahurangi Tardak World Cup showjumpers with Catherine Cameron
Kahurangi Vin Rouge Grand Prix Show jumper and winner of Speed Horse of the Year with Edward Bullock
Kahurangi Manu with Campbell Draper and Aroha with Angela Lloyd both successful 3*(now 4*) eventers
Others also include Allaric Chrysler and Kahurangi Valenza who were also successful showjumpers