Fabio De Iulio and Avantea: Breeding Rooted in Respect

Behind every great sporting achievement lies a story shaped by choices. In the case of Fabio De Iulio, reining champion and Senior Non Pro gold medallist at the 2026 World Reining Continental Championships, those choices concern not only athletic preparation and competition management, but also breeding, genetic selection and respect for the horses that have defined his career.

Alongside RS Cronos Jac, the stallion with whom De Iulio has achieved a long series of victories, another horse occupies a central place in his story: RS Phantom Olena, the broodmare Fabio regards as one of the most important horses in his stable.

“She is my leading broodmare,” he explains. “I competed with her for many years, and she was one of the strongest mares. Today, I breed from her exclusively through ICSI because I want to protect her health.”

It is a deliberate decision, rooted above all in the profound emotional and sporting bond they share. “When an animal gives you its heart, you owe it lifelong respect. She gave me so much, and this is how I choose to honour her.”

RS Phantom Olena retired from competition several years ago—not because she lacked quality, but because De Iulio decided it was time to protect her. “I retired her because I felt she deserved to rest. She was a little like Cronos: perhaps not quite as talented as he was, but she had the same heart. When you find a horse with a noble heart, one that gives you everything, you have to do right by them.”

The mare enjoyed a distinguished sporting career. Both Fabio and his nephew, Vittorio De Iulio, competed with her, achieving significant results at national and international level. “She competed at World and European Championships with my nephew, won Junior team gold medals, reached the finals of major special events, won two Maturity titles and the Italian Championship, and was a Futurity finalist after winning the go-rounds. She earned almost forty thousand dollars.”

Today, however, her greatest value lies in her contribution to De Iulio’s breeding programme. For him, RS Phantom Olena represents a maternal line that must be protected and developed. “Everyone wanted embryos from this mare when I retired her from competition. However, getting her in foal was rather difficult, so we began considering ICSI.”

This marked the beginning of his relationship with Avantea. “We started about four years ago. The first foals are now three years old and will make their debut this year. Two of them appear very promising, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

For De Iulio, the use of assisted reproductive technologies is not merely a technical choice; it is also an ethical one. “It means I can automatically safeguard the mare. I can keep her at home, see her whenever I want and, at the same time, produce her offspring through recipient mares.”

These techniques, he explains, are becoming increasingly important in reining because many broodmares have had demanding sporting careers. “Reining horses are placed under considerable athletic strain, and mares may consequently encounter difficulties when it comes to breeding. ICSI allows you to protect them and, if you have an exceptional mare, achieve very good results from a breeding perspective as well.”

In the case of RS Phantom Olena, the response has been particularly encouraging. “I have consistently obtained two or three foals from each aspiration—possibly four from the first one. In that respect, I have been fortunate.”

Genetics lie at the heart of the project. RS Phantom Olena and RS Cronos Jac share closely related bloodlines, albeit through a reverse cross. “Cronos’s dam is by Spat Olena, while his sire is RS Great Jac Feona, by Mr Baron Red Jack. Phantom is the reverse: her sire is Spat Olena, while her dam is by Mr Baron Red Jack. It is the same pedigree, only inverted.”

For Fabio, breeding is not an industrial undertaking, but a means of ensuring continuity. “I am not a professional breeder. I do it primarily out of passion and because of my mare. I would love to see one of Phantom’s offspring excel one day.”

That passion began long before his greatest achievements. De Iulio first became involved with horses as a young man, initially through trail riding, before moving on to barrel racing, team penning, gymkhana events and, eventually, reining. “I started with ordinary horses, competing at regional level and watching the leading riders from the stands. I used to wonder whether, one day, someone might be watching me.”

Today, that journey has grown into a stable of approximately twenty-seven or twenty-eight horses. “I cannot pretend it is not work. But it all stems from passion. I love every aspect of horses: caring for them, mucking out their stables, feeding them and simply watching them.”

This outlook lies at the heart of his decision to rely on Avantea’s assisted reproductive technologies: not merely to produce offspring, but to do so while respecting the mares that have already given so much to the sport. In the case of RS Phantom Olena, Avantea has become a means of preserving a story and carrying it forward into the future.

“When you love something, you must respect it for life,” De Iulio says.

Those words encapsulate the deepest meaning of his approach to breeding: not simply pursuing the next champion, but ensuring the continuity of a mare who has left an indelible mark, while protecting her health and preserving the value of her genetic legacy.

Alessandra Ceserani

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