Deense Pointers en hun invloed op Italiaanse en Franse bloedlijnen
The modern European pointer has a lot to thank a small group of breeders and enthusiasts who, after World War II, initiated several Danish pointers being used in Italian pointer breeding.
Denmark had in past decades exchanged blood lines with Sweden and they experienced a further lift from Finnish Fieldborn pointers straight after the war. These were in particular Fieldborn Giant Killer and Fieldborn Golden Hope. One very prominent and active administrator, photographer and trialist was A.W. Ranfelt, who at the time had a top dog called Brangstrupgårds Tom (by Fieldborn Giant Killer), bred by Kaj Hansen. He had won the 1949 Danish Championship. My understanding is that Ranfelt was the person who first instigated the contact with Italy. While some people insisted that Brangstrupgårds Tom had too many matings in Denmark, Ranfelt was happy to promote Tom to the established Italian breeder Eugenio Rosa. Rosa had founded his kennel Vercellensis on Omnium Gretel (Field Robur – Omnium Neeri), who he had acquired in 1905. Over the years Rosa had also used Blackfield dogs from Waldemar Marr’s breeding. Marr had himself used Scandinavian dogs and might have encouraged Rosa to look in that direction. In 1950 Eugenio Rosa imported Naks Per (Brangstrupgårds Tom – Duborgs Aja) from A.W. Ranfelt, bred by N.A. Kofoed. Naks Per became an important stud dog which seriously increased the interest in the Danish pointers, who had abilities in the field and were closer to the ideal type. Amongst the breeders using Naks Per were Ernesto Coppaloni and Filippo Rautiis, the then president and vice-president of the Italian Pointer Club.
Some breeders decided to follow through on what Eugenio Rosa had started and were looking for similar lines from Denmark. A.W. Ranfelt passed away in 1954 but there were other great Danish promotors in central positions, like Peter Brokholm and Aage Steenbjerge. There were several breeders to choose from, as the Danish dogs were going from strength to strength. A Danish breeder who himself very much insisted on holding on to the classic Danish type was Sigvald Alsbjerg Pedersen but he had still used the great Zitas Bob (Løvbakkens Rex – Torntoft Zita) on his 1950 Derby winner Alsbjergs Trine (Frederiksdals Puk – Alsbjergs Bitten). This had produced several good dogs including Alsbjergs Klaus.
Løvbakkens Rex (Fieldborn Giant Killer – Løvbakkens Pep) was a half-brother of Brangstrupgårds Tom and he had won both the Derby and the Danish Championship in 1948. (Alsbjergs Bitten had won the championship the year before him.)
Alsbjergs Klaus won the 1956 Danish Championship and he was also a dual champion, who appeared to be throwing some excellent offspring. Several of them found their way to Italy:
Rombys Fiks (Alsbjergs Klaus – Taffelbay Nita) was born in April 1955, line bred on Zitas Bob who was the grandsire on both sides. He had won some 1st prizes in trials as a young dog before being sold to Filippo Rautiis in 1957. Fiks provided a big boost for several Italian breeders.
Bækkeskovs Tom (Oksby Basse – Alsbjergs Pep) was born in September 1955 and went to Carlo Capua as a young dog. His sire Oksby Basse (Brokholms Gun – Oksby Vita) was owned and trained by Zita breeder Peter Jensen, who later sold the dog to Norway. His sire Gun had Fieldborn Golden Hope on the maternal side, while Gun’s mother Vita was by Brangstrupgårds Tom. Alsbjergs Pep was a litter sister of Alsbjergs Klaus.
From Poul Winther Johansen in Odense came Winthers Sugar Ray (Winthers Allan – Løghøjs Erla) to Giuseppe Meucci. Winthers Allan was a son of Alsbjergs Klaus.
Several dogs came from Karl Olsen’s kennel Damsgaard, founded on his female Zitas Linda (Stendetgaards Pan – Randbøls Sussi) with whom he won the 1954 Nordic Pointer Match. Her sire Pan was by Brangstrupgards Tom.
Damsgaards Peer (Alsbjergs Klaus – Zitas Linda) was sold to Filippo Rautiis as a pup.
Carlo Capua got Damsgaards Pep (Boga King – Zitas Linda) who was mated with his Bækkeskovs Tom and that produced Haidee del Sud, mother of the legendary Edo dell’Azor.
We also notice the legendary stud Boga King, bred by Bent Hansen (brother of Kaj Hansen who bred Brangstrupgards Tom), on his foundation bitch Alsbjergs Kiska (Frederiksdals Puk – Alsbjergs Bitten). Bent Hansen was to become the most important contact in Denmark during the 1960s and 70s.
Søndermosens Rino (Zitas Lakaj – Zitas Tanja), bred by Aksel Knudsen in May 1963 and Boga Tino (Zitas Jesper – Mollys Jo-Jo), bred by Bent Hansen in April 1965 were brought to Italy by Francesco Ravetta. Boga King was behind the maternal side of both dogs. They were to be bred over and over in his famous Clastidium kennel. The best known of many great offspring was the double European Championship winner Clastidium Islo.
In the late 1960s/early 70s followed more dogs with Boga King behind, often more than once, like Boga Ticco (Boga Jim – Risinges Gissa), Rosenvængets Heidi (Mørups King – Mollys Sussi), Zitas Katinka (Zitas Kup – Zitas Anita), Bredbjerggaards Ranter (Kim – Søndermosens Jette), owned by Dante Roda and used by Bruno Salvadori in his della Marciola, and an older dog called Ferreos Tom (Fugls Vilmann – Boga Laila).
Ferreos Tom already had a huge reputation in Scandinavia, with numerous children and grand-children dominating in trials and in breeding. In Italy he had a particular big impact in the Clastidium kennel, where Ravetta kept breeding him and his offspring into his already very Danish dominated lines. Boga Laila was by Winthers Allan, already mentioned above.
In the mid 1970s came Sønderjydens Flora (Riff A – Sønderjydens Blakie) from Gerhard Wolff and Gullas Ivanowitz (Mørups King – Nordfyns Kissi) from Leif Frandsen. Both born in 1971 and Ivanowitz had placed third in the 1973 Danish Derby. It’s also worth mentioning Zitas Monika (Oksbys Fly – Zitas Nanna), who placed 6th in the 1974 Derby, who was sold to Franz Groenen in Belgium and made into an international field trial champion.
Jerstals Hassan (Alsbjergs Sep – Cita), line bred on Oksby Fly (by Ferreos Tom), was brought to Italy by Ravetta. A Danish daughter of Jerstals Hassan called Boga Tina was sold to France and became an important brood bitch. She is the maternal grandmother of Fray du Riou de la Cuve. Meanwhile Hassan’s halfbrothers Kragheden Treff and Kragheden Mak (Alsbjergs Sep – Stormosens Flora) were sold to France and to Guy Groenen in Belgium. Later a daughter of Treff and Mak’s sister Kraghedens Siv called Siv also came to the Groenen brothers, which produced Whitefield Kita, another brood bitch in France.
Bent Hansen and Franco Ravetta conveyed several other dogs travelling from Denmark to Italy. Amongst them Sejbækgårds Tippe to Ravetta, Frydenlunds Wilma to Echidnei breeder Michele La Torre and Rimfaxes Zeus to Don Giorgio, both breeders who already had dogs from Clastidium with a lot of Danish. Rimfaxes Zeus was used by Sergio de Grandi in his Adrias breeding. He later decided to bring in another dog bred by Poul Ellehoj but owned and handled by Tom B. Hansen, the 1982 Danish Derby winner Rimfaxes Frederikke (Rimfaxes Emir – Boga Lola). Frederikke’s best known offspring was FTCh Adrias Iva who played a big role in Francesco di Stadio’s kennel San Pellegrino.
The last one worth mentioning was Thor (Søndermosens Kim – Trine) who came from Erik Winkler. His sire Søndermosens Kim was bred by Aksel Knudsen but owned & handled by Mørup breeder Laurids Nielsen. Kim was line bred on Mørups King (by Boga King). Trine was bred by Hans Nikolajsen by using Boga Chock (Ferreos Tom – Risinges Gissa) on his Sejbækgaards Flora (Gun – Aljydens D Herta), also with Boga King on the maternal side.
Thor was in Italy made into an International FTCh and made his influence in several kennels.
From the mid 1980s the tide had turned and Italian breeders thought they were finding less value in bringing breeding material from Scandinavia. Since the 1970s it was instead Italian dogs being imported to Scandinavia.
Thanks to Frank-Tommy Olsen for letting us use his article and pictures!
Dual Ch Clastidium Gard was by Lucaniae Hard who was all Danish. Hard was by the imported Damsgaards Peer (Alsbjergs Klaus – Zitas Linda) out of Lucaniae Folie who was by the two imports Rombys Fiks – Jytte af Barlsgaard (Gammelbys Tito – Jytte af Barlebo). Clastidium Gard’s mother Clastidium Birba was by Valiant Ward (Barnabe del Valesia – Ora del Doro) and Diva del Brandenone. |
The winning Danish team at the 1954 Nordic Pointer Match, |
Eugenio Rosa with Naks Per. |
Francesco Ravetta, born in 1931 and registered his Clastidium kennel in the late 1950s. He passed away in August 2014. |
The professional handler Luigi «Gigi» Fanton with Lucaniae Bruno |
Lucaniae Gaio by Florent du Harlay – Lucaniae Bella |
Clastidium Peter. His sire Ferreos Tom by Fugls Vilmann |
European champion Clastidium Islo (Boga Tino – Clastidium Elba).
Boga Tino (Zitas Jesper – Mollys Jo-Jo) was imported from Bent Hansen. Clastidium Elba’s sire Lucaniae Hard (Damsgaards Peer – Lucaniae Folie) was line bred on Alsbjergs Klaus, who was the sire of Peer and of Folie’s sire Rombys Fiks. |
Boga Tino (Zitas Jesper – Mollys Jo-Jo), |
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Giuseppe Meucci with Winthers Sugar Ray. |
Clastidium Intra (Søndermosens Rino – Lucaniae Helga) |
Filippo Rautiis with Damsgaards Peer. He also imported |
Bækkeskovs Tom (Oksby Basse – Alsbjergs Pep) bred by Johs. Rasmussen in September 1955 and imported by Carlo Capua as a two year old. |
Stefano Girandola with Clastidium Fauno (Celino – Clastidium Humbria), whelped in May 1993. The Danish imports are spread throughout the pedigree. On the paternal side behind top dogs like Fauno del Vento, his sire Sernos del Bocia and Boss del Guercio. The mother was by Jerstals Hassan and with further Danish via Clastidium Peter, Clastidium Pocker and Clastidium Rosy. |
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Rombys Fiks (Alsbjergs Klaus – Taffelbay Nita), |
Clastidium Pocker by Ferreos Tom – Clastidium Lisa (Boga Tino – Clastidium Hora) |
Clastidium Boris, a son of Clastidium Peter. |
Damsgaards Peer (Alsbjergs Klaus – Zitas Linda) |
Ferreos Tom in his old days in Italy. |
Clastidium Islo with one of his sons. |
Ferreos Tom as a very young dog in Denmark. |
FTCh Lucaniae Fast (Rombys Fiks – Valiant Ala) |