Millbrook Farm Mourns the Loss of First Class
First Class Passes
after 25 Wonderful Years
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Oldenburg stallion and friend, First Class. He was euthanized due to a sudden and serious illness on June 15, 2007. He did not suffer and for that we are grateful.
First Class was born in Garrel, Germany in 1983. He was bred by Paul Wendeln, who selected Furioso II for his excellent mare Chinchilla. She had already been awarded Champion Mare for all of Oldenburg for the past three years. In 1983, the year she foaled First Class, she was Champion Mare for all of Germany, and there were very high expectations for the colt she had just produced. Furioso II was the hottest stallion in Europe at the time and was producing approved stallion sons. When the big chestnut colt was born, everyone believed he would be wonderful.
First Class lived up to all that and more. He was the Reserve Champion of the stallion inspection as a two year old. At age three he completed the 100 Days Stallion Testing with a score of 118.93 points and received his lifetime breeding license. His maturity improved significantly during his fourth year and he was crowned Bundeschampion, Champion Riding Horse Under Saddle for all of Germany. Few Bundeschampions ever made it to the United States, but the owners of American Performance Horse Farms were looking for a new stallion and they set their sights on First Class.
In his sixth year, Mike and Anna Dorazio brought First Class to California. He was an immediate sensation. First Class was competed by Oliver Luze on both coasts and won the California Dressage Society Futurity and tied for CDS Horse of the Year at First Level. His scores were as high as 82.913% during that first year. The liquidation of American Performance Horse Farms brought First Class to Arizona, where he stood at stud for his new owners, Rick and Patti Melde, of Fiesta Performance Horse Farms in Scottsdale, Arizona. Patti Melde asked the ISR/Oldenburg N. A. to consider the inclusion of sporthorse type Arabian mares and because of the Anglo Arabian blood in the pedigree of First Class, the ISR/Oldenburg agreed to a trial of 20 or so mares over three years to determine if the cross was viable. The cross proved to be very successful and as a result of that trial, Arabian mares are today allowed into the Mare Book of the ISR/Oldenburg for any stallion.
In 1994 Gary and Jan Lawrence purchased First Class and brought him to Utah where he lived a regal and pampered life to the end of his days. During his partnership with Gary Lawrence, First Class achieved Five Star status in the ISR/Oldenburg Registry. This achievement requires the stallion to be proven in every aspect of his life, his conformation, his performance, the quality of his offspring, and their performance as well. This achievement was earned in a very short time due to the virtuosity of First Class and that of his offspring. To date 150 of his foals have been presented to the ISR/Oldenburg Registry N. A. for approval and 75 have been awarded Premium Foal status. Premium Foal status was achieved regardless of the type of mare he bred. He was put to Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Warmbloods, Appendix TBs, etc. and his strong genetic pre-potency brought out the best in every mare. At least ten of his daughters have been presented for Mare Book approval and given Premium Mare status. Foals of his daughters in Germany will often be in the Elite Foal Auction catalog in Germany. His daughter, Accente', earned Gary Lawrence the USDF Gold Medal and was twice the USDF All Breeds Champion at Grand Prix.
Friends of First Class and owners of First Class offspring are invited to share their pictures and memories in an online memory book and view a slide show tribute to him. He was incredibly beautiful, a complete gentleman and a fun loving character all rolled into one. It was a privilege to have shared his life.