Champion Connections: Chaqui Z
Champion Connections: Chaqui Z
Kentucky is known as the Horse Capital of the World for a number of reasons – we raise, race and care for some of the best horses here in the Bluegrass.
These experiences are a recommendation of ways to dive deeper into the life cycle of some of the fan favorites that call the Bluegrass home. Suggested tours might visit a place where a horse was raised, sold, competed or currently resides, along with other suggestions involving their racing rivals or family members.
Please note that all tours have to be booked separately, and we cannot guarantee any particular horse on any particular tour. All showings are made based upon the health and daily schedule of the equine residents
The Bluegrass is home to a number of equine champions of different breeds, from top racehorses to leading sport horses, saddlebreds and more. Spy Coast Farm is a leading sport horse breeding, training and rehabilitation operation located right next to the Kentucky Horse Park. Their stallion roster includes some of the top show jumping stallions in North America, including gold medalist Chaqui Z.
Chaqui Z began his show jumping career in Europe, and as a young horse was a finalist in the World Breeding Championships at ages 5, 6 and 7. After that success, Spy Coast Farm purchased Chaqui Z and partnered him with Olympian Shane Sweetnam of Sweet Oak Farm. Within his first year in America, he won his first international Grand Prix outing in the CSI2* New Albany Classic.
As a nine year old, the stallion had competed in two Nations Cups representing Ireland and placed 2nd and 3rd in World Cup Qualifiers at the Washington International Horse Show in Washington D.C. and Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Chaqui Z continued to progress with Sweetnam and they finished in the top three in the Grand Prix’s during both weeks of Kentucky Spring in 2016, jumped clear in the Falsterbo Nations Cup for Ireland, 6th in the Hamptons Grand Prix, 4th at the World Cup in Toronto, and 1st in the Lexington Grand Prix at the Kentucky World Cup Show.
Chaqui Z hit his peak from 2017 to 2019, going double clear to help claim fold for Team Ireland at the 2017 European Show Jumping Championships in Gothenborg as well as clear rounds in Nations Cups at Falsterbo and Rome.
Chaqui and Sweetnam were also on the winning Nations Cup team in Wellington and later that same week won the CSIO4* Grand Prix. Other results include Team Ireland 7th in the team competition at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, no rails both rounds of the Aachen Nations Cup, 2nd and 4th with Team Ireland in the CSIO5* Grand Prix in Samorin and La Baule, winner of the American Gold Cup Qualifier, high placings in the Lexington CSI4, Prijs Knokke-Heist CSI5, and Washington World Cup as well as members of the Global Champions League winning team in Prague with the Shanghai Swans.
Due to a limited show schedule in 2020, Chaqui Z’s career shifted to focus more on breeding, and his popularity as a breeding stallion has continued since his retirement in 2021. His sire, the late Chacco-Blue was a leading sire of jumping horses and a successful competitor in his own right.
You can meet this champion on a tour of Spy Coast Farm, just a few minutes away from downtown Lexington, Kentucky! Learn all about the fascinating world of sport horse breeding, training and rehabilitation, and get up close and personal with super stars like Chaqui Z.