The Irish Sport Horse Studbook lead the breed society competition following Saturday’s cross-country phase of the world breeding championships for young event horses in Le Lion d’Angers, France.
While there are 22 ISH in action between the CCI one and two-star classes, only three count for scoring purposes and these are led by DSL The Entertainer which is currently third in the six-year-old class. Ridden by Co Meath’s Elizabeth Power for Kilcock owner/breeder Caroline Bjoerk, the gelded son of Omar crossed the line right on the optimum time of 8.56m to finish on his dressage score of 41 penalties.
Britain’s Sarah Bullimore, who is also on 41, was just a second under the time with the Oldenburg gelding Corouet to lie fourth as her compatriot, Izzy Taylor, continues to lead on the Hannovarian gelding Monkeying Around (37.6). Australia’s Paul Tapner is in second place on the Cashell gelding Bob Chaplin (38.1) which is out of the ISH mare Maypool Silver Steam but at the French event is representing the German Sporthorse Studbook.
Also contributing to the ISH lead in the breed competition is the Harlequin du Carel mare I Spye (43.4), which is in eighth place in the six-year-old class under New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell, and the Luidam gelding John The Bull (45.6), which is two places adrift for Ireland’s Jonty Evans. The other Irish rider in this CCI1* class, Sarah Ennis, was in 14th spot after cross-country but her mount, Cooley Cosmopolitan Diamond, was eliminated at the second horse inspection on Sunday morning.
The cross-country phase caused few problems in the six-year-old class but did have more influence in the CCI2* competition for seven-year-olds with Brian Morrison, who had been the leading Irish rider at this level, being eliminated when unseated from Shanaclough Contadora. This leaves Co Kildare’s Elizabeth Hayden leading the Irish challenge with DSL The Professor (57.5) but she is some way off the pace in 27th place.
The top three places are held by New Zealand’s James Avery on the Holstein gelding Vitali (43.6), Britain’s Mary King on her home-bred British Sport Horse gelding King Robert (44.3) and Australia’s Chris Burton riding the Holstein gelding Lawtown Boy (44.4).
In show jumping, Co Down’s Conor Swail won for the second night in a row at Calgary in Canada with his own and Vanessa Mannix’s 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Flower. The combination recorded the fastest double clear (34.97) in the 1.45m jump-off class to beat the Canadian pair of Jim Ifko on Un Diamant des Forets (36.29) and Mannix on her own Catinka (38.99).
At Tryon in North Carolina, Kilkenny’s Richie Moloney picked up $57,000 when third on Carrabis Z in the five-star Rolex Grand Prix. One of only three combinations to progress to the jump-off round, Moloney had a fence down for four faults as the USA’s Kent Farrington won the $380,000 class on Gazelle when going clear in 34.676. Eugenio Garza of Mexico, who was also clear against the clock, finished second on Bariano (35.918).
