DQHA Leading Sire 2023: VS Code Blue with Triumphal Procession
The descendants of VS Code Blue diligently collected prize money in the DQHA Futurity 2023. Photo credit: Kelly Graphics
From the Deutsche Quarter Horse Association, the official affiliate of the AQHA in Germany:
It feels like a “changing of the guard” at this year’s DQHA Leading Sire classification: US sire VS Code Blue takes over the top of the ranking with a winning sum of €11,037.60 for his offspring, replacing the serial winner Aint It The Blues, whose offspring won €8,935.97 in 2023. 3rd place goes to Its A Southern Thing with a prize of €5,209.47 for his offspring.
Background: The DQHA Leading Sire is determined every year as part of the Futurity season. The stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money at the Hauptfuturity and the DQHA Regions Futurities will receive the prestigious title.
US stallion VS Code Blue DQHA Leading Sire for the first time
For the first time, US sire VS Code Blue, bred by James and Debbie Glover, is at the top of the DQHA Leading Sire Ranking – last year he had to settle for a very strong fourth place. In 2023, it is now number 1 with an impressive prize sum of €11,037.60. Success is in the blood of the Roan stallion: He is a son of the famous RL Best Of Sudden, his dam the already legendary Vital Signs Are Good. VS Code Blue is AQHA High Point Western Pleasure Stallion, has been in the top ten of the AQHA High Point Western Riding 2x and holds the title of NSBA Reserve World Champion. His offspring is successful all over the world, becoming World Champion, Futurity Champion and achieving outstanding placings. The successful sire is owned by Katherine K. Tobin.
The Q23 in Aachen was definitely dominated by his offspring: his daughter VS Dream Of Hope won, Ima Dream Away was the dam mare, and Laurence Lescrenier won the strong Trail in Hand 3yo Futurity. 3rd place in the Trail in Hand 3yo Futurity also went to one of his daughters: Vital Signs Are Red (out of Kruzin On Sunshine). She also won the Futurity title in the Halter Mares 3yo and thus continued the success story of the VS Code Blue offspring in Aachen. In total, offspring of VS Code Blue secured €9,849 in prize money at Q23 alone, in addition to successes and placings of his foals at almost all DQHA Regions Futurities 2023.
Aint It The Blues becomes reserve champion in the year of his death
For seven years in a row, exceptional stallion Aint It The Blues has been at the top of the DQHA Leading Sire ranking. 2023 brought the turnaround. The American Quarter Horse stallion of Gesa Meier-Bidmon and Thomas Bidmon, who is known beyond the country’s borders, died completely unexpectedly in 2023, leaving a big gap in the breeding landscape. With his second place in the ranking of the DQHA Leading Sire, he is once again honored posthumously. The son of the legendary US sire Zips Chocolate Chip out of Aint She Hot has thrilled the scene with his offspring for years. Bred by Carol Lyn Fuller in the USA, the stallion came to Germany to the Meier-Bidmon/Bidmon couple and had an inimitable success story. As the most successful Quarter Horse stallion in Europe with more than 1160 AQHA points, various AQHA Superior and Champion titles as well as European Champion titles, he cemented his exceptional position.
At Q23, his offspring won almost 6,000 € in prize money – among other things, his son Midnightbluez (out of Four Socks Only) was successful in the Futurity holder of three-year-old geldings and came in 2nd place, in the Longe Line Futurity he came in an excellent 4th place out of 24 starters. Also successful in the Lunge Line Futurity of three-year-olds was his daughter Ima Show Diva (out of Whenyourhotyourhot), who took the reserve victory and finished 6th out of 25 horses in the strong Trail in Hand. His son Its A Blue Honor, a stallion who can’t deny his sire, proved his versatility in the SSA Graduate Trail, which he finished 8th, and the reserve victory in the SSA Graduate Class Hunter under Saddle.
3rd place goes to another US sire: Its A Southern Thing has been a popular and well-known stallion in European/German climes for years. It is owned by Gumz Farms in the United States. With his sire Only In The Moonlite, he has highly successful blood in his pedigree. His dam Shesa Hot Cookie is a Zips Chocolate Chip daughter, who is also the sire of Aint It The Blues.
The offspring of Its A Southern Thing shine year after year in the DQHA Futurity. The chic bay stallion won prize money of €4,363.41 at Q23 thanks to his offspring. His son Got Southern Credit (out of Ive Got Good Credit) under Arne Kühn (owner: Amelie Busse, breeder: David Maisonnette) won the Trail Maturity and also placed in the upper midfield in the Western Pleasure and the round Saddle Maturity.
We congratulate the DQHA Leading Sire as well as the runners-up on these successes! The top ten of the DQHA Leading Sire Ranking 2023 can be found in the appendix. If you have any questions about the evaluation, please contact DQHA Futurity Officer Katja Hauser (katja.hauser@dqha.de).
