Cassionato Joins International showjumper Jamie Gornall
International showjumper Jamie Gornall has welcomed Cassionato – one of the sport’s most talented horses – to his North Yorkshire yard. This highly successful stallion, who was part of the British team under Michael Whitaker at the 2016 Olympic Games and helped Britain to victory in the CS105* Furusiyya FEI Nations Cups at La Baule, Rotterdam and Rome, will join Jamie’s team of elite equestrian athletes.
I am extremely excited that Cassionato is here and look forward to building up a strong relationship with him as we aim for the 2019 European Championships and Tokyo 2020,” said Jamie. “He has some illustrious bloodlines, incredible ability and a brilliant temperament. He will fit in extremely well with our other competition horses here at Gornall Equestrian.”
Like them, Cassionato will also be available as a breeding stallion for frozen and fresh, chilled semen when his competition schedule permits. This fantastic horse, with incredible jumping talent, was sired by Cassini I, who was a member of the Danish Nations Cup team in Helsinki and represented Denmark at the European Championships. He also sired the 2006 World Equestrian Games champion Cumano. Cassionato’s dam, Perle Holstein, is by the brilliant Selle Francais stallion Quidam de Revel, a member of France’s bronze medal-winning team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics who also had countless Grand Prix and Nations Cup successes.
Cassionato is owned by Gary and Beverley Widdowson, who also own the legendary Big Star, and Jamie’s father-in-law, Chris Blundell, who has just bought a 50% share in him.
I am delighted to have invested in a horse of this calibre and thrilled that he will be stabled at Gornall Equestrian,” said Chris. “Jamie has some of the finest training facilities in Europe and I am confident that his analytical approach to horsemanship and commitment to the happiness and wellbeing of his horses will see Cassionato thrive. I, along with Gary and Beverley, am really looking forward to seeing this spectacular horse doing great things this year.”
