Wittekindshof Stud

Birth Place Of Champions

Situated in the high plains of the Sauerland in centre Northrhine-Westfalia where the air is crisp and clean, Mr. and Mrs. Hans-Hugo Miebach’s Gestut Wittekindshof has made it right to the top of the statistics of leading breeders in this country and has established itself as a consistent and dominant force in the domestic thoroughbred industry. Miebach began breeding thoroughbreds here in 1969 with the farm reaching stud status in 1978. The place is run by the natural and shrewd horseman Karl Jorg who has always served Miebach as a most valuable and reliable aid and advisor. Today, the stud complex consists of stables with 47 boxes and roughly 100 acres of prime grazing land with an excellent nutrition factor.

The breeding policy is directed at the market. When necessary, a filly from a certain dam line will be retained for breeding purposes and securing or upgrading the family. The broodmare band was carefully selected and cultivated. Mares from top class and leading families were purchased and the quality of that bloodline was carefully kept up or even upgraded. The other important factor was the healthy and tough upbringing of the young stock which quickly led to a marked rise in success. It should be noted in that respect that even the progeny of lesser sires tended to do very well and generally perform above average.

It did not take long for Gestut Wittekindshof to be recognized as a reliable source of quality and tough bloodstock. The increasing quality soon led to a growing interest and sale turnover at the leading domestic and by now also top international yearling sales. The first real top class performer was the Konigsstuhl colt Mandelbaum as the winner of the Group II German 2000 Guineas and Zanders Union-Rennen in 1990. Since that year, the number of separate Pattern victories has risen to a current 40 plus numerous Listed wins and Group placings.

The two grestest champions to have been bred by Gestut Wittekindshof are Elle Danzig and Tiger Hill. The filly Elle Danzig, a daughter of Roi Danzig, failed to meet the reserve as a yearling and proved herself as a truly outstanding racemare in winning eleven Group events including the Premio Roma at the highest level as well as both the German fillies‘ Classics. The treble Group I victor Tiger Hill as a dual winner of the Grosser Preis von Baden is a Baden Baden Sales graduate with the son of Danehill being a leading sire with his first two crops and definitely carrying a lot of potential.

Other top class performers bred by Gestut Wittekindshof are the 2002 German Derby hero Next Desert, his German Oaks winning mother and sister Night Petticoat and Next Gina respectively, the Classic scoring Champion miler La Blue as well as Lomita, Nadour Al Bahr, Ostwahl, Omikron and Saldentigerin. 2004 was yet another top year for Wittekindshof with an excellent crop of three-year-olds which were headed by the Group winning and Classic placed colt Omikron and the highly talented filly Saldentigerin. The clever use of proven and young sires on a quality broodmare band at a stud without the burden of a resident sire in combination with the best opportunities for raising healthy and strong young stock – that is the success story of Gestut Wittekindshof.

Source: BBAG