Toto Jr. (VA) by Totilas/Desperados
Year of birth: 2011
Breeder: ZG Schmidt, Naumburg
Rider: Hans Peter Minderhoud/NED
Less than a quarter of a year ago, Toto Jr. was already the talk of the town. The black stallion was awarded the Grande-Prize – even though he was not very popular with Hannoveraner breeders. Things are very different in the Netherlands, where he enjoys great popularity. His offspring have it all, especially the stallions. His son My Toto is the current world champion of six-year-old dressage horses.
Toto Jr. is only competing sparingly. Dutch Edward Gal took over the black horse’s equestrian training, leading him to victory in international Grand Prix dressage competitions at the age of ten. In April of this year, Toto Jr. appeared in the international results lists for the first time with Hans Peter Minderhoud. In Tolbert/NED, he came second in both the Grand Prix and Special. Third and fourth place three weeks later in Exloo/NED impressed the responsible persons so much that Toto Jr. was given a ticket to Paris. In doing so, he equalled his grandfather Desperados FRH.
Toto Jr.’s dam Desperada, who is a full sister of the Moritzburg state stud stallion Decurio, was born at Johann-Bernhard Tuitjer in Krummhörn in East Frisia and Family Schmidt purchased her at the Verden foal auction. “She was a very elegant black mare and I really liked her pedigree. It was a gut feeling and then a team decision,’ recalls Judith Schmidt, who runs a passionate breeding farm in Naumburg together with her husband Sönke.
Three years later, Desperada returned to Verden as the champion mare at the mare show in Gänsefurth and was awarded a If price at the Herwart von der Decken show. Toto Jr. was her first foal. “Toto was already great as a foal! A black stallion with four white legs and a star – many people were already interested in him back then,’ says Judith Schmidt.
Toto Jr. was still quite young when he was licensed in Verden in 2013, and the commission and some members of the public had different ideas about the licensing judgement. This led to expressions of displeasure when the judgement ‘licensed’ was pronounced. ‘We were all shocked and couldn’t understand the whistles,’ Judith Schmidt looks back and also blames this on the critical judgement of his sire Totilas at the time. ‘But this brought us a lot of publicity and we were often asked about it.’ Ultimately, however, the stately black stallion impressively proved his worth with his subsequent career. He was sold at the stallion sales to Glock’s Horse Performance Centre in the Netherlands at a hammer price of 100,000 Euros.
Judith and Sönke Schmidt have followed the career of Toto Jr. Winning the PAVO Cup was a first highlight. And the Grande-Prize, which will be awarded at the stallion licensing in December, is also something very special. The stallion deserves it, the breeder is certain, and is delighted that she still has his right sister Totolinia in the stable. Nevertheless, the Schmidts were a little surprised when they heard about the Olympic nomination. However, this is not Judith Schmidt’s first Olympic horse; Louise Romeike’s Olympic horse from Tokyo, the Holsteiner Cato, also comes from her breeding programme. His full sister Carla only has Hannoveraner foals and his second full sister Carrera already carries the Hannoveraner foal brand.
