Kuroki Returns Bordeaux, Schoolmaster for Renate van Uytert

Dressage

Japan

Japanese Olympic team rider Akane Kuroki has decided not to extend the lease contract on Grand Prix stallion Bordeaux for 2020.

She and owner Joop van Uytert agreed that the stallion will return home to The Netherlands.

On 20 January, Kuroki confirmed to Eurodressage that she had returned Bordeaux.

"Joop and I decided to have Bordeaux back home for breeding. It would have been nice to take him here (to Florida) and compete him here as well, but I need to focus. Three horses is a lot now with my shoulder, which still needs to recover," said Akane.

At the beginning of December the petite Akane dislocated her shoulder when Bordeaux suddenly pulled the lead rope.

One Start

In 2019 Kuroki leased Bordeaux for one year as a successor to the retired Toots. Under Isabel Freese, the stallion was member of the Norwegian team at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg.

Akane competed Bordeaux only once internationally, at the 2019 CDI Exloo in June. She scored 65.196% in the Grand Prix.

From Florida and Tokyo

Kuroki is focusing all her attention on the newly acquired Zuidenwind and the co-owned stallion Elastico, which she both flew to Wellington, Florida.

Akane on Elastico with Benjamin Werndl in
Wellington, Florida

She will compete both horses there with other Japanese Olympic team potential riders that have traveled to Florida for ring mileage, experience, and extensive training.

Akane is now being coached by Japanese team trainer Christoph Koschel and her home trainer, Benjamin Werndl from Germany.

Back to Holland

Bordeaux is a 14-year old Dutch warmblood stallion by United x Gribaldi. He was co-owned by Joop van Uytert and Paul Schockemöhle, but Joop has now obtained full ownership of the stallion

Bordeaux will now be back at stud at Van Uytert's and serve as a Grand Prix schoolmaster for his wife Renate.