Greya, a breeding masterpiece that became sporting legend

Under the saddle of Kent Farrington, Greya wrote one of the brightest pages of the 2025 season, claiming victory in the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva and confirming her status as an elite mare on the world show jumping stage. A triumph of enormous symbolic value, representing not only the excellence of an exceptional athlete, but also the story of a breeding project built over time with consistency, intuition and passion by Wilfried Sandmann and Ulrike Sandmann.

The Geneva victory carries even deeper meaning considering that Wilfried Sandmann passed away unexpectedly earlier this year, without being able to witness the greatest triumph of what he himself regarded as the purest expression of his breeding philosophy. Yet, in every jump of Greya, his work lives on.

The roots of a great breeding program

Everything begins with a foundation mare, Landgräfin, born in 1997, by Landkaiser and out of Prinzessin, a half-blood mare by Perser xx – Absurd. From this dam line, rich in blood and athletic quality, the entire Sandmann breeding program took shape, destined to produce horses capable of succeeding at the highest international level.

The blood present in Landgräfin’s pedigree has always been considered a major asset: sensitivity, character, quick reflexes and a natural aptitude for jumping. When correctly managed, these qualities become decisive advantages in modern sport.

Contessa, Greya’s dam

From the cross between Landgräfin and Contender comes Contessa, a mare of great power and scope, forced to end her sport career early due to injury, but destined to leave a profound mark as a broodmare.

It is from Contessa, and the stallion Colestus, that Greya is born. A mare endowed with extraordinary talent and a strong personality, showing from an early age all the qualities needed to reach the top, provided she found the right path and the right rider.

The decisive meeting with Kent Farrington

That rider is Kent Farrington. Their partnership marks the beginning of a relationship built on trust, sensitivity and mutual respect. Greya is not a mare for rigid training methods: she needs space, understanding and a rider capable of working with her nature rather than against it.

With Farrington, Greya finds perfect balance and begins to collect victories in 1.60 m Grand Prix classes, culminating in the triumph at Geneva that definitively establishes her among the sport’s great stars.

A dam line that produces champions

Alongside Contessa’s line, the other cornerstone of the Sandmann breeding program is Cassandra, by Cassini II, winner of the national foal championship in Lienen and dam of top-level performers such as Contago and Quintini.

This dual dam-line strength confirms the exceptional genetic consistency behind the entire breeding project and explains why Greya is not an exception, but the logical result of a carefully built program.

A legacy looking to the future

During the Covid period, a decision was made to preserve Greya’s genetic heritage through embryo transfer, ensuring continuity for a line considered of outstanding value. Her approved son Chin Grey now represents one of the first tangible results of this forward-looking vision.

Greya is far more than a Grand Prix winner: she is the symbol of a breeding dream turned into reality, and the living expression of a legacy destined to continue on show jumping arenas around the world.

Source Rolex Grand Slam press release
Photo © Patricia Welp

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