Darco
The son who became an international Grand Prix horse, Olympian and one of the defining jumping sires of his era.
Warmblood Horse Sales · Hall of Fame
Lugano van la Roche
Lugano van la Roche
The Hanoverian Who Helped Build Belgian Jumping Blood
A 1963 stallion imported from Germany whose breeding influence became one of the pillars of Belgian Warmblood history — and whose son Darco carried that legacy into the modern era.
Foaled 24 April 1963
Chestnut Stallion
Hanoverian
1.63 m
Lugano I × Ableger I
BWP Approved
Sire of Darco
1963–1988
01 · Why Lugano Is Here
The Beginning of the Darco River Into Noah
Lugano van la Roche belongs in this Hall of Fame because one of the most important Belgian jumping dynasties carried through him — directly into Darco, then Parco, Branco van Overis and Noah.
Direct connection: Lugano van la Roche is Darco's sire. Darco sired Parco; Parco sired Branco van Overis; Branco is the sire of Noah.
02 · Germany to Belgium
A Hanoverian Stallion Who Found His Legacy Abroad
Lugano van la Roche was foaled in Germany on 24 April 1963. The Belgian Warmblood studbook records him as a dark chestnut son of Lugano I out of Adlerflut, whose sire was Ableger I.
Rimondo records him as a licensed Hanoverian stallion, 1.63 m, born in Germany and later resident in Belgium. Historical accounts describe his importation into Belgium during the formative period of modern Belgian Warmblood breeding.
His pedigree carried the depth of Hanoverian breeding into a Belgian population that was rapidly being reshaped around performance. Over time, Lugano became recognised as one of the stallions whose offspring helped define that transformation.
03 · His Pedigree
Lugano I, Der Löwe xx and the Hanoverian Foundation
Lugano van la Roche's sire Lugano I was one of the important sons of the Thoroughbred Der Löwe xx. The Horse Magazine describes Lugano I as an extremely successful Hanoverian sire and highlights the depth of the old Hanoverian mare families behind Lugano van la Roche.
His dam Adlerflut was by Ableger I. Published pedigrees also show repeated older Hanoverian influences behind the family, including lines descending from historic Thoroughbred and Hanoverian foundations.
Lugano I
Sire of Lugano van la Roche and a significant Hanoverian son of Der Löwe xx.
Adlerflut
Lugano van la Roche's Hanoverian dam, by Ableger I.
Der Löwe xx
The Thoroughbred sire behind Lugano I, bringing an important refining influence into Hanoverian breeding.
Ableger I
The damsire recorded behind Lugano van la Roche by both BWP and Hanoverian pedigree sources.
04 · The Proof Came Through His Children
Not One Star — a Generation of International Horses
Lugano van la Roche's breeding reputation rests on far more than Darco alone. The Horse Magazine records 10 graded sons, including Darco, Lundi de Paques and Luxus as international showjumpers, while Gagliano competed in international dressage.
The same source records a further group of international jumpers by Lugano, including Traxdata La Ina, Isaura van de Helle and Bollvorm's Egano. In 1995, Lugano van la Roche was ranked fifth on the WBFSH sire list for international showjumpers.
Other historical breeding sources also identify international performers such as Alemao, Dugano and Olympic Fritz among his progeny. The pattern is clear: Lugano's influence was not built on one exceptional offspring.
Bollvorm's Egano
International showjumper associated with Jos Lansink; historical sources credit Egano with major championship and Grand Prix success.
Traxdata La Ina
International showjumper ridden by Peter Charles and one of the names repeatedly cited among Lugano's top offspring.
International Depth
Lundi de Paques, Luxus, Isaura van de Helle and others helped establish Lugano as a genuine breed-shaping sire.
05 · Then Came Darco
The Son Who Turned Influence Into a Dynasty
In 1980, the BWP mare Ocoucha, by Codex, produced Darco by Lugano van la Roche.
Darco became far more than another successful son. With Ludo Philippaerts he competed at the very highest level, including the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, where the pair finished seventh individually.
As a sire, Darco then amplified the family influence on an extraordinary scale. That is why Lugano's name continues to appear generation after generation in modern jumping pedigrees.
06 · From Darco to Parco
Where Lugano's Branch Met Attack Z and Almé
Darco was later bred to Iliona van het Carelshof, the daughter of Attack Z.
Their son was Parco. In him, the Lugano–Darco branch met the Ibrahim–Almé–Attack Z branch.
Parco then went on to international sport and breeding success before siring Branco van Overis.
Lugano Side
Lugano van la Roche → Darco → Parco.
Iliona Side
Ibrahim → Almé → Attack Z → Iliona van het Carelshof → Parco.
07 · The Living Route
From a 1963 Hanoverian Stallion to Noah
Once Parco sired Branco van Overis, the Lugano branch reached the horse who would become Noah's sire.
That makes Lugano van la Roche a direct ancestor of Noah and every generation bred from Noah at Warmblood Horse Sales.
08 · A Breeder's Eye
The Horse Behind a Look Brian Had Already Seen
“I had seen that strong Roman profile in Darco-bred horses long before I had ever seen Lugano van la Roche himself. Then I found his photograph — and suddenly I could see another piece of the family.”
This is a breeder's observation, not a scientific claim about the inheritance of head shape. But it is one of the personal reasons Lugano feels different from many names in this Hall of Fame.
The photographs show a distinctive, powerful type. Brian's own breeding decisions later brought Ramiro blood into the programme in part to add refinement and a different look while preserving the jumping blood already carried through Darco and Parco.
That makes Lugano more than a name several generations back. He is one of those ancestors whose influence can still be discussed in the practical language of breeding: what came through, what was kept, and what was deliberately balanced with another line.
09 · Historical Perspective
A Stallion Whose Importance Grew With Time
Historical accounts do not portray Lugano's own early sporting story as a straightforward triumph. One later account describes an unsettled start after his importation to Belgium and recalls that his value became truly obvious through the achievements of his offspring.
That distinction matters. Lugano van la Roche is remembered primarily as a breeding stallion whose descendants proved him.
By the time the performances of his sons and daughters accumulated — and particularly once Darco's influence exploded internationally — Lugano's place in Belgian Warmblood history was secure.
Historical caution: colourful accounts of Lugano's early competition behaviour come from later recollections. This Hall of Fame treats them as historical testimony, not as equivalent to an official competition record.
10 · Why He Became a Pillar
The Numbers Followed the Horses
The BWP studbook still preserves a substantial registered progeny list for Lugano van la Roche. Modern pedigree databases identify him not simply as Darco's sire, but as a licensed Hanoverian stallion whose descendants became deeply embedded in Belgian breeding.
The Horse Magazine's summary — 10 graded sons, 12 additional international jumpers and fifth place on the 1995 WBFSH sire ranking — shows why the word pillar is justified.
His influence was broad enough to matter to a studbook, and concentrated enough to produce one of the most important sires in modern showjumping history.
11 · The Hall of Fame Lesson
A Horse Does Not Have to Be Pretty to Change a Breed
“Lugano van la Roche did not need to win a beauty contest. His descendants did the talking.”
That is perhaps the most fitting way to understand Lugano van la Roche. His lasting reputation came from what he transmitted.
Darco became an Olympian and a breeding giant. Other Lugano offspring reached international sport. Decades later, the same blood still runs through Parco, Branco van Overis, Noah and the Warmblood Horse Sales generations.
For this programme, Lugano's legacy is not theoretical. It is standing in the pedigree.
12 · Continue the Bloodline Story