Anton 343 Sport Preferent
The Legend Lives On
2018 marked the 26th year and the passing of this magnificent stallion. Retired from breeding since 2011, Anton enjoyed his retirement at Fenway Farms, spending his days relaxing and grazing in his pasture or whiling away the hours in his stall, nickering to the mares or pinning his ear to any young colt that needed some direction from the master.
The name of Anton 343 Sport Preferent conjures up a huge array of thoughts: long flowing mane and forelock, spectacular movement, and incredible personality. He epitomizes the fairy tale Friesian horse. Anton is sire to Approved Stallions Teade 392 and Tonjes 459. He continues to possess one of the highest Ster percentage ratings in KFPS history, and his personal attributes, along with the quality of his offspring, are legendary.
What made Anton such an appealing sire; could it be the near flawless linear score that he possesses; could it be the wonderful temperament of his offspring; the spectacular movement that is the cornerstone of his reputation, or is it the hair? Yes, the hair; Anton’s legendary hair that is every Friesian owner’s fantasy, the hair that has become his trademark. It really doesn’t matter which of these many reasons people bred to Anton, he possesses incredible qualities that, as exemplified by his talented offspring, are qualities he continued to pass on and the impact he has had on the Friesian World.
Everyone associated with Fenway Farms and the Fenway Foundation for Friesian Horses realizes the blessing of having this legendary Friesian horse standing in our barn. While we could fill pages with his accomplishments and positive attributes, we offer this page as a tribute to this wonderful ambassador for the Friesian breed. Not so much editorial copy, but a photographic history from his early days in the Netherlands to his forever home here at Fenway Farms.
We have enjoyed everything that is Anton and are so fortunate to have been graced with his presence for so many years, but it really is never long enough. Thank you, Anton; you have blessed the entire Friesian community and us with all the wonderful memories that have made you a legend.
His Last and
Greatest Recognition
It was with a great deal of pride and, at the same time, humility that we were pleased to announce the awarding of the KFPS Preferent Predicate to our “Rock Star in the Barn”, Anton 343 Sport. The Preferent predicate can be awarded to stallions, either living or dead, that have shown consistency and quality in passing on their genetic qualities. The oldest offspring must be at least ten years old, and there must be sufficient numbers to judge the sport performance and growth of older offspring and the stallion should have one or more sons approved on offspring. There is an established criteria for the stallion and his offspring, and listed below in order of importance are the top four to give an idea of factors considered: Exterior – Comparison of the stallion’s percentage of Star, Model, Approved Stallion, Preferential, and not approved offspring against overall averages for all stallions during the general time period.
Performance – As shown in various sport associations, IBOP, ABFP, performance tests of stallions, and national and regional competitions. Fertility – 50% average over the entire breeding period Hereditary defects and growth – Information about possible hereditary defects acquired after the offspring judging and the growth of horses after they have been approved for the studbook. In January 2016, Scott, Shelley and Jamie Van Linn traveled to the Netherlands on behalf of Anton to accept this prestigious award at the Hengst Keuring.
Following is a translation of the presentation as we proudly stood on his behalf in the ring at the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden:
Anton 343 was born in the yard of the Folkertsma family from Pingjum on June 18th, 1992. In 1995 he was approved at the age of three, was stationed at the Ted Kop Jansen Stables, and left for the USA in 2004, aged twelve. After having been out and about for some time, he finally landed in Scott & Shelley Kelnhofer´s yard in the state of Wisconsin in 2009, the same place where stallion Nanning 374 stood stud. For some years now, he has been enjoying his pension here and, at the age of 24, still is top fit. The Kelnhofer family are the founders of the Fenway Foundation, through which they dedicate themselves to promoting (genetic) research of the Friesian horse.
Anton 343 is a son of the Preferent Oege 267 and comes out of the well-known Star Preferent Tjimme 275 daughter Iduna. Through the likewise Star and Preferent Penni (Ewoud 250), we come to the Model Preferent mare Namke. Namke is the name giver of one of the most prominent mare lines of the KFPS, which is part of pedigree 50, and among others, has produced the Preferent Beart 411.
Anton 343 is famous for passing on the breeding type. No other stallion in the history of the KFPS has done better in terms of passing on feathers than Anton 343. In spite of that, he only received his preliminary approval on offspring in 1999, which meant that he was given a stud restriction. Anton 343 belonged to the last collection of stallions who were assessed by the old system of progeny testing, in which ten foals, ten yearlings, ten 2-year-olds, and ten 3-year-olds were inspected. A year later, once several offspring had completed an ABFP test, he received his permanent approval. So far, Anton 343 can boast 206 Star offspring, two Crown mares, three Model mares, and twelve of his daughters have been declared Preferent. Anton 343 has two approved sons. Tonjes 459 was approved in the United States. Before this, his son Teade 392 (also American) had already been approved on offspring. Via Teade 392, Anton 450 is the grandfather of the also approved-on-offspring Sipke 450. Recently, the stallion Meinte 490, who was born from the Preferent Anton daughter Boukje C., has also been approved.
Spectators were shown a beautiful video of Anton created by Cally Matherly while the announcer showcased his legacy. KFPS Chairman Bert Wassenaar then presented traditional congratulatory bouquets of flowers as well a beautiful KFPS plate crafted by L. Kunst & Zn. created specifically for the occasion with “Anton 343 Preferent” and the date of the ceremony on the back. Scott was then asked to speak as to Anton’s status, and he stated that Anton was doing well; every year, the Keuring judges visit and are proud of his condition and that his character continues as the gentle old soul that he is.
It was such an honor for the entire Fenway Farms team and everyone who has an affection for Anton to accept this prestigious award on behalf of our Rock Star in the Barn.