Falco by Cardenio/Weinberg
Year of birth: 2009
Breeder: Norbert Nowak, Haren
Rider: Tim Price/NZL
Falco comes from the stables of show jumper breeder Norbert Nowak. Equipped with almost limitless scope, he has been one of the absolute world leading eventers at the latest since his five-star victory in Pau/FRA with the New Zealander Tim Price three years ago. Two years ago, he demonstrated his exceptional quality by winning double bronze at the World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro/ITA. Falco was born to Norbert Nowak in Haren, Emsland, as the second last foal of the mare Witta. The breeder had acquired the Weinberg/Pilot daughter as a three-year-old. “At the beginning of the 1990s, there were hardly any good jumping stallions left in Hannover, everyone was using Weltmeyer. So I travelled to Westphalia and specifically bought the blood of the stamp sire Pilot,’ he recalls.
Witta is the full sister of Lutz Gripshover’s Nations Cup horse Warren NRW. An injury prevented her from competing and the bay became a broodmare. ‘Luckily!’ says Norbert Nowak looking back. Because with Laith and Leonhard de Hus by Lord Z and Leszeck by Landclassic, Witta produced three internationally successful top-class show jumpers. The licensed stallion Laith found a new owner at the stallion sales in Verden for a top price and was successful up to 1.60 metres with Irish rider Shane Breen. ‘We had a lot of fun with Witta!’ However, the fact that Falco would become one of the best eventing horses in the world could not have been foreseen. The Cardenio son was rather small and insignificant and was sold as a foal.
Sue Benson discovered Falco at the age of four and brought him to England. She wanted to have fun with the bay at the end of her active career. The former eventing rider, who has since made a name for herself as an internationally recognised course designer – the cross-country course in Boekelo has borne her signature for many years – gave the bay to the New Zealander Jesse Campbell for training.
Falco gained his first experience there before his owner sent him to Tim Price. ‘He was very cheeky back then, but he could jump incredibly well,’ he recalls. “He stands in the air for a very long time over the jump, which can sometimes be a problem. He was a bit wild at the beginning, but always super careful and very, very intelligent.” This is a mixture that makes Falco so unique. It took some time before the gelding had his first successes in eventing competitions. “He only got really good when the tests became more difficult. In his first starts, he still made a lot of mistakes in the cross-country, but never the same mistake twice. He is still a bit ‘spookey’, but maybe he is just too clever,’ says Tim Price and gave Falco plenty of time. It was only when he reached two-star level that Falco started to canter properly. ‘He is a very athletic horse.’ Through meticulous training and good preparation, one thing led to another.
The fact that there is virtually no thoroughbred blood in Falco’s veins, apart from Ladykiller xx in the fifth generation on the sire’s side, is not a problem for Tim Price. “Fitness is important in an eventing horse, not the blood percentage. Falco knows exactly what he has to do and when. Last year, Falco had to undergo an operation to remove a benign tumour in his digestive tract. Falco and Tim Price spent February in Andalusia at the Andaluciá Sunshine Tour and competed in show jumping competitions. The pair then presented themselves ‘in good shape’ at the CCI4*-L Kronenberg/NED, where they came second. The last Paris test also went brilliantly with fourth place in the CCI4*-S Luhmühlen/GER. This will be the third Olympic Games for the 45-year-old New Zealander. “I am very happy and excited to be involved in the Kiwi team again. Falco is in good form and healthy”, he says.
