Isabelle Costantini Retires Fifth Avenue from High Performance Sport

Dressage

Luxembourg

Luxembourg Grand Prix rider Isabelle Costantini has announced that she will be retiring her number one, Fifth Avenue, from high performance sport.

Fifth Avenue is 14-year old KWPN mare by Romanov out of Rita Morka (by Jazz x Zuidhorn). She is bred by Louky Hagens-Groosman.

Famorka

Originally named Famorka and coming from one of KWPN's best dam lines with Rita Morka as her dam, Famorka was first competed by Femke de Laat as a 3-year old and finished 6th in the VWF Dressage Cup.

In 2014 she placed 7th in the VSN Trophy Finals and finished 10th in the 2014 Pavo Cup semi-finals.

Before selling, Famorka was put in foal and in 2016 produced the ET-foal La Morka (by Toto Jr), which sold to Sweden to Elizabeth and Amanda Axtelius.

Annabelle Collins

In 2015 the mare sold to Spanish based Bermudan dressage rider Annabelle Collins and her company Newmarket Investments. They changed her name to Fifth Avenue.

Collins competed the mare as a 6-year old at the CDI's in Oliva Nova and Segovia before representing Spain at the 2016 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, where they were 24th in the consolation finals.

In 2017 her husband Agusti Elias rode the mare at CDI's in Valencia and Sant Marti Vell. They won the 2017 Spanish Young Horse Championships for 7-year olds.

Isabelle Costantini

Agusti Elias on Fifth Avenue at the 2017 Spanish
Young Horse Championships

Collins sold Fifth Avenue to Luxembourg rider Isabelle Costantini, who was looking for a successor for Pari Aiko (by Akinos x Loran). Earlier she represented Luxembourg at the 2013 European Championships in Herning aboard Rimbeau (by Royal Diamond x Westrich).

In 2016 Costantini had moved to Barcelona and is a student of Collins/Elias, being based at their farm.

The pair premiered at small tour level at the CDI Nice in February 2019, where they scored a triple victory. From there they went to the CDI's in Camarma de Esteruelas, Granada, Nice and Crozet.

A two-year break from international showing followed, but they returned at mediul tour level at the CDI Le Mans in October 2021, their last international.

Nationally they continued at medium and big tour level. Their last show was at Grand Prix level on 23 March 2024.

Retirement

Isabelle has announced her decision to retire the mare from top sport level.

"After 6 years of competitions with Fifth Avenue Bcn, after many victories in small tour and medium tour, after a good start in Grand Prix, I realize that my lovely mare does not feel all right in competitions," said Isabelle. "She doesn’t like to be separated from her friends. She gets very nervous in the box and shouts and turns around. I tried almost everything. I spend my day sitting at her side. But most of the competitions she feels stressed. She is actually more happy the moment of the riding, it doesn’t matter what class, then all the rest of the day in the stable."

For Costantini it's a sign that her mare does not like the competition environment.

"So I have to be coherent with my slogan: Respect my horse," she stated. "I quit big competitions. I will maybe stick to a few small local one day competitions. And I will breed with her. It is a very hard decision for me. Having trained up to here with all my heart, my strengh and my illusion of a coming back into the international big tour scene with a very talented horse, but my love for her is stronger."