Tag Archives: FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses

Olympic Medallists Burton and Klimke Take Young Horse Eventing Gold at Le Lion

Ingrid Klimke and Weisse Duene. (Dirk Caremans/FEI)

Selle Francais Studbook claims overall title

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 24 October 2015 – Rio 2016 Olympic Games team bronze medallist Christopher Burton from Australia topped the 6-year-old division with the KWPN Fire Fly while team silver medallist Ingrid Klimke from Germany steered the Holsteiner mare Weisse Duene to victory in the 7-year-old category at the FEI World Breeding Federation Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2016 at Le Lion d’Angers, France.

This was the 31st edition of these Championships which have been staged annually since 1992, and spectators flocked into the lovely venue at the Haras National at l‘Isle de Briand throughout the weekend, with a massive crowd of almost 35,000 spectators for Saturday’s cross-country phase.

Exciting new talent was highlighted in both age categories, with a total of 99 horses representing a range of studbooks. The Selle Francais claimed the overall Studbook title with a score of 154.6 points, but finished only a single point ahead of the KWPN in second on 154.7 while last year’s winners, the Irish Sport Horse Studbook, lined up third this time around with their final tally standing at 168.2 when the results of both age categories were analysed.

Six-Year-Olds

The Ground Jury for the 6-year-olds consisted of Germany’s Ernst Topp, Ireland’s David Lee and Bulgaria’s Yuri Dinev Valev and, from the field of 40 starters, they placed Germany’s Kai-Steffen Meier and the Trakehner stallion Painter’s Maxim (Philox/Painter’s Moon/Painter’s Row) in pole position after dressage on a score of 40.03.

Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Mei and the Hannoverian gelding Ducati D’Arville (Diarado/Pricilla/Perpignon) filled second spot on 42.3 while Britain’s Izzy Taylor and the KWPN chestnut mare Jockey Club Fleurelle (Vivaldi/Zarelle/Sydney) slotted into third on 43.4. Burton was never far away, however, holding fourth with Fire Fly on a score of 44.2 while Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Mathurin V/D Vogelzan was sitting in fifth place on 45.3 going into the cross-country phase.

Pierre Michelet’s fantastic cross-country track jumped really well, with just one retirement and three eliminations around the course, and the time-allowed of 8’ 53” proved well within the grasp of most, only nine collecting time penalties on the day. All of the top six held their spots, so it came down to the final jumping round to decide the medal placings.

Vogg and Burton each posted a brilliant clear to finish on their dressage scores, so when all those ahead of them faltered they soared up the leaderboard. Taylor’s single mistake cost her the win, but when double-errors dropped Meier to fourth and Liedekerke-Mei to sixth place, then the British rider claimed bronze behind Vogg in silver and Burton in gold medal position.

There was nothing boastful about Burton in the aftermath, however, the 34-year-old double-Olympian acknowledging that fortune favoured him in the closing stages.

“I am happy,” he said. “There were so many good six year old horses with good riders; I really needed all the luck for this win and I had exactly that in the jumping because my horse touched several poles that didn’t fall! There were others who were not so lucky. My horse performed exactly how I could have wished, and it’s great to finish this season so well.”

Seven-Year-Olds

It was a case of “déjà vu” for Ingrid Klimke when the German star found herself heading the 7-year-old leaderboard after dressage with the grey mare Weisse Duene (Clarimo/Esprit V/Romino), because that was where the pair placed after the same phase in last year’s 6-year-old competition before a stop and time penalties on the cross-country course put paid to their chances.

This time around the Ground Jury of Austria’s Christian Steiner, Sweden’s Anne Persson and Eric Lieby from France awarded them a dressage mark of 36.9 for a clear lead over Britain’s Pippa Funnell and the AES gelding Billy Walk On (Billy Mexico/Shannon Line/Golden Bash) on a score of 39.0, while Austria’s Charlotte Dobretsberger slotted into third with the Hannoverian mare Vally K when posting 45.2.

British riders were dominant in the early stages in this division, with Kitty King in fourth with the Selle Francais Vendredi Biats (Winningmood van de Arenberg/Liane Normandie/Camelia de Ruelles) on a mark of 45.4 and Gemma Tattersall in sixth with the SHBGB mare Chillis Gem (Chilli Morning/Kings Gem/Rock King) on a score of 45.9. Lying fifth going into cross-country day was the 29-year-old Frenchman Maxime Livio who was the sensational winner of the first leg of the FEI Classics™ 2016/2017 at Pau (FRA) a week ago. Riding the Selle Francais gelding Vroum D’Auzay he slotted in between the two British riders with his score of 45.7.

From a starting field of 59 there were five eliminations and one retirement on the cross-country course, with 19 getting home within the time of 9’11” while 17 collected fence penalties on their tour of the track. Both third-placed Dobretsberger and fourth-placed King dropped out of contention with single refusals, and this saw Livio moving up to third spot behind Funnell and Klimke who retained the top two placings when foot-perfect all the way.

Leaderboard

The final jumping phase saw the leaderboard shaken up once again, however, Livio’s 16 faults sending him plummeting right down to 23rd place while some of the biggest names in the sport began to emerge at the top of the scoreboard. Britain’s Tattersall dropped from fourth to seventh with just a single mistake, allowing Germany’s Andreas Dibowski and the Hannoverian FRH Corrida (Contendro/Expo/Esprit) to move into sixth when adding nothing to their dressage mark of 49.9. And when Rio 2016 Olympic Games team gold and individual silver medallist Astier Nicolas, fellow Frenchman Thomas Carlile, and New Zealand’s Jonelle Price did likewise they moved into fifth, fourth and third in the final analysis.

Price’s KWPN gelding Cooley Showtime (Chin Chin/Limone/Julio Mariner) posted the same final score as Carlile’s AA gelding Vassily de Lassos (Jaguar Mail/Illusion Perdue/Jalenny), but the Kiwi rider’s spot-on cross-country timing gave her the edge for the place on the podium.

It was a sweet gold-medal-winning success for Klimke whose horse demonstrated the very essence of what these Championships are all about. Things didn’t turn out so well for the pair 12 months ago, but it all came together for them this time around.

“My mare should be the one credited with this win,” said the 48-year-old rider. “Last year her inexperience on the cross country cost us, but this year she was brilliant in the three tests and confirmed exactly what I think of her! She is definitely a mare for the future and she certainly has the potential to go to the Olympics in Tokyo in four years’ time!”

Full results here

Full rankings here

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Le Lion d’Angers:

Robert Adenot
Press Officer
robert.adenot@ifce.fr
+33 62295 6617

At FEI:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Collett and Jung Take Young Horse Eventing Gold at Le Lion

Great Britain’s Laura Collett steered the Holsteiner gelding, Mr Bass, to win the Seven-Year-Old title at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2015 at Le Lion d’Angers, France. (FEI/Eric Knoll)

ISH Studbook claims overall title

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 20 October 2015 – German superstar, Michael Jung, steered Fischerincantas to victory in the 6-year-old division while Great Britain’s Laura Collett clinched the 7-year-old title with Mr Bass at the FEI World Breeding Federation Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2015 at Le Lion d’Angers, France at the weekend.

These Championships have been staged annually since 1992, and the 30th edition of the French fixture at the lovely Haras National at l‘Isle de Briand once again highlighted new and exciting talent in both age categories, and attracted a total of 103 horses representing a wide range of studbooks. The two new champions were both Holsteiners, while the KWPN and ISH studbooks filled silver and bronze in the 6-year-olds and the AA and Trekehner registers did likewise in the 7-year-old division.

The ISH Studbook claimed the overall Studbook title with a score of 151 points ahead of the German Holsteiner in second on 153 and the Dutch KWPN a close third on 153.2 when the results of both age categories were analysed.

Six-Year-Olds

The Ground Jury for the 6-year-olds consisted of Great Britain’s Sandy Philips, Pascal Laurencon from France and South Africa’s Lesley Mawhinney, and, from the field of 34 starters, they placed Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and the grey Holsteiner mare Weisse Duene (Clarimo/Esprit V/Romino) in pole position on a score of 38.6 after dressage.

Jung and Fischerincantas (Ibisco/Ressina/Coriano), however, were just 0.5 points behind in second place followed by the Selle Francais gelding Vingt Vingt (Rubins des Bruyeres SF/Chana du Gwern SF/Robin des Pres), ridden by Frenchman Stanislas de Zuchowicz, in third on 44.1. Dutch rider, Merel Blom, was next in line with the KWPN The Quizmaster (Albaran XX/Zarah Maro/Casco) followed by Poland’s Kamil Rajnert and the BRAND mare, Libertina, in fifth, Sweden’s Christoffer Forsberg and the Oldenburg gelding, Quinn, in sixth and the ISH gelding SRS Adventure, ridden by Ireland’s Sophie Richards, in seventh spot.

Only seven horse-and-rider combinations encountered problems over Pierre Michelet’s cross-country track, and amongst them were Klimke and Weisse Duene whose 20 penalties for a refusal at fence 15c was compounded by an additional 5.2 for exceeding the optimum time of 8.54 minutes to drop them well out of contention. So Jung moved into the driving seat when producing one of the 21 clear rounds recorded, with de Zuchowicz, Blom, Rajnert, Forsberg and Richards lining right up behind him after the second phase.

Jung had just over a fence in hand going into yesterday’s final Jumping round, but the reigning Olympic, World and European champion and World No. 1 knows how to keep a cool head under pressure, and secured the gold despite leaving one on the floor. De Zuchowicz, however, paid the price for two mistakes, which saw Blom and Quizmaster claim the silver while Richards rocketed up to bronze medal position with SRS Adventure (Newmarket Venture/Newmarket Dato Two/Aldato) when Rajnert had one down and Forsberg collected eight faults.

Horses from the KWPN Studbook filled two of the top four places, silver medallist The Quizmaster flying the flag along with the grey mare Enjoy (Cartano/next Joey/Haarlem) who finished fourth for The Netherlands‘ Sanne de Jong. When it came to sheer consistency, however, the Irish Sport Horses held the whip hand, with three finishing in the top nine and six in the top 18 in this category.

Seven-Year-Olds

It seemed quite possible that Jung could emulate the historic double recorded by Frenchman Thomas Carlile in 2013 when the German ace also took the early lead with the Hannoverian gelding, Lennox, in the 7-year-old championship.

Ground Jury members Janis Linnan from the USA, Nathalie Carriere from France and Great Britain’s Harry Payne rewarded Jung with a mark of 38.0 for the top spot after dressage, with fellow-German Julia Krajewski holding second spot on 41.1 with another Hannoverian, Chipmunk FRH, at this early stage and Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt in third with the Irish Sport Horse, Reinstated.

Australia’s Emma Dougall slotted into fourth with another Irish-bred, Fernhill Tabasco, ahead of Britain’s Noah Brook and the KWPN Deo Volente in fifth, while Christopher Burton held sixth spot for Australia with the ISH, Cooley Lands, ahead of the eventual champions Laura Collett and Mr Bass in seventh. The cross-country track was more testing for these older horses, but there were still plenty of clear rounds, 34 of the 67 starters adding nothing to their dressage scores, while two riders opted to retire on course and 12 were eliminated.

Amongst the latter was Fox-Pitt who had already steered the Soapdodger, lying 11th after dressage, home with nothing to add, before taking a fall with Reinstated at fence 20, the Owl Hole, when second-last to go out on the course. The multiple champion and current World No. 3 rider was taken to Angers Hospital where his condition continues to be reported as “stable” today.

Proved influential

The Jumping phase for the 7-year-olds proved influential, with 12 faults sending Jung and Lennox plummeting down the order, while five faults for Dougall and a single mistake for Burton also proved expensive. In the absence of the leading three who had also toured the cross-country track without penalty the previous afternoon, Collett took full advantage when moving up from overnight fourth to pole position with a foot-perfect performance from Mr Bass (Carrico/K-Jeunesse/Exorbitant).

And the 2013 double-champion and winner of the 6-year-old division in 2014, Frenchman Thomas Carlile who was lying sixth after the tour of the fixed fences, also jumped into the medals when coasting home with nothing to add to the dressage mark he had established with the AA stallion, Upsilon (Canturo Bois Margot/O Vivee/Fusain du Defey). His final scoreline of 46.5 left him just 1.3 penalty points behind Collett and 2.4 ahead of bronze medallist Vincent Martens who had every reason to be particularly pleased with his result.

Last year at the same fixture the Belgian rider was poised in gold medal position after dressage in the 6-year-old championship with the Trekehner stallion Eiskonig (Songline/Eiskonigin/Trocadero), but following two cross-country refusals he wisely decided to call it a day. On Sunday the horse demonstrated the very essence of these championships which are designed to help identify and develop potential when, with 12 months more experience under his belt, he rose from eighth place after cross-country to earn the bronze medal in the 7-year-old category when finishing on his dressage mark.

Full results here: http://www.mondialdulion.com/.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Le Lion d’Angers:

Robert Adenot
Press Officer
robert.adenot@ifce.fr
+33 62295 6617

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 787 506 145

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Jung and Carlile Take Young Horse Eventing Titles at Le Lion

German star, Michael Jung, steered the Hannoverian, Star Connection, to win the 6-Year-Old category at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2014 at Le Lion d’Angers in France yesterday. (FEI/EventingPhoto.com)

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 20 October 2013 – German star, Michael Jung, scooped the 6-year-old title with Star Connection while Frenchman, Thomas Carlile, steered last year’s 6-year-old winner Tanareze to victory in the 7-year-old category at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2014 at Le Lion d’Angers, France yesterday.

Carlile made history when winning both divisions last autumn, and he perfectly demonstrated the essence of these Championships when topping the line-up at Boekolo in The Netherlands a week ago with the horse with which he won the 7-year-old division 12 months earlier, Sirocco du Gers. This important annual fixture, which this year celebrated its 29th edition, is all about highlighting and developing the talent of future, and once again this year drew record crowds of horse, riders, breeders, spectators and Eventing fans from around the globe to the lovely venue at l’Isle de Briand where they were bathed in brilliant sunshine during four days of fabulous competition.

Course designer, Pierre Michelet, presented another extraordinary set of cross-country fences that included the Violin at fence 5 which was beautifully created by Jacques Bouguier, the carpenter of the National Stud of Le Lion d’Angers, as well as an inter-twined pair of Dragons at fence 15 and an amusing Owl Hole at 18. There were relatively few problems on cross-country day, but the phase still played a significant role in deciding the result in both categories.

Six-Year-Olds

The Ground Jury for the 6-year-olds consisted of Hungary’s Fulop Sandor, Nathale Carriere and Jen-Lou Caplain from France and America’s Jane Hamlin, and they placed the Trakehner, Eiskonig by Songline, in pole position with Vincent Martens from Belgium on board after the Dressage phase. Their score of 41.90 left the pair only 0.8 points ahead of the multi-medalled German, Michael Jung riding the Hannoverian, Star Connection by Chacco-Blue, however, so there was no room for error, while Australia’s Christopher Burton lined up third at this early stage with the Dutch-bred Dutch Man Retto on a mark of 44.40.

Only seven horse-and-rider combinations encountered problems on Saturday’s cross-country run in this division, and Martens and Eiskonig were amongst them. A single refusal at fence 15, the Dragons that sat on top of a hillisde, was followed by another at the second element of fence 17, so the Belgian rider wisely decided to call it a day.

This left Jung now out in front followed by Burton who produced one of the most eye-catching tours of the competition. Dutch Man Retto appeared still young enough to be a little bemused by some of the advertising boards along the route, but when it came to jumping the obstacles themselves his fabulous technique, allied with super-sympathetic riding from the Australian who never pushed the youngster out of his stride but let him find his own balance and bowl along quite happily, ensured the horse’s Le Lion experience was an enjoyable and successful learning curve.

Great Britain’s Zoe Wilkinson was holding third place going into yesterday’s final Jumping phase with the AES-bred Parkfield Quintessential and left all the fences in place. But two time penalties proved costly, dropping her down to sixth, and allowed her British colleague, Piggy French to rise to third spot instead with the Irish-bred Cooley Dream Extreme, by Cruising, when adding nothing to their first-phase scoreline.

At the sharp end, Burton and Dutch Man Retto piled all the pressure on Jung with a lovely clear, but the German who took team gold and individual silver at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy never flinched as he also proved foot-perfect with Star Connection.

Seven-Year-Olds

The French had the whip hand after Dressage in the Seven-Year-Old Championship, but once again the leader would be dethroned on cross-country day. Nicolas Touzaint was delighted when the Hosteiner, Caretinhus, produced the best Dressage score for judges Les Smith from Great Britain, Yves-Francois Belz and Jean-Lou Caplain from France and Australia’s Polly Huntington. And with a brilliant mark of just 34.00, he went into the cross-country phase almost six penalty points clear of fellow-countryman Thomas Carlile with Tenareze while Britain’s Tom McEwen was in third on 43.70 with Toledo de Kerser.

After his Dressage test Touzaint said his horse reminded him of his other great ride, Galan de Sauvagere, and was filled with expectation. “He (Caretinhus) has a lot of potential and is learning quickly. He was little hesitant until the middle of this year, but over the last three or four competitions he has really got it!” said the Frenchman. But Caretinhus didn’t look filled with confidence over much of the track, and following a stop at the Owl Hole at 19, he was eliminated for two further refusals at the b and c elements of fence 20.

Once again the 23-fence track generally jumped really well, with only 11 encountering problems from 37 starters and mistakes scattered all across the course. Carlile gave another master-class in cross-country riding with his French Anglo-Arab which is by the international Jumping stallion Jaguar Mail. And with Touzaint now out of the way, he led the field into yesterday’s final Jumping phase. McEwen stayed with him, holding onto second spot with his French-bred horse by another great Jumping stallion, Diamant de Semilly, while Michael Jung, who had two strong entries in this class, lay fourth with fischerRicona.

It all fell apart for this pair in the Jumping ring, however, when they plummeted to 25th place after collecting 12 faults. But the German still got into the line-up with fischerTakinou who moved up from 18th after Dressage to 13th after a clean run across the country, and then stood firm to finish fourth as the coloured poles toppled for many of those ahead of him.

Gaining ground

Meanwhile, Britain’s Laura Collett was also gaining ground. A total of 14 horse-and-rider combinations completed on their Dressage scores and she was one of those, lying 11th after the first phase and rocketing all the way up to third when adding nothing more to her first-phase mark of 46.20.

McEwen and Toledo de Kerser stood firm with a clear over the coloured poles yesterday, but when Carlile followed suit the 23-year-old Briton had to settle for a very creditable second place. The Frenchman’s record in these Championships is now little short of sensational, and he is only the third rider ever to do the double with the same horse in the 6 and 7-year-old categories.

“I am very satisfied with Teneraze and this second consecutive victory he’s achieved at Le Lion which is a reference point in the Eventing world,” said the rider who is only 27 years old. He also steered another Anglo-Arab, Upsilon, into fifth in the 6-year-olds, and he described his entire experience as “an unbelievable weekend and a moment of great happiness for my crew. I am completely overwhelmed!” Carlile added.

Frédéric Lopez Coronado, co-owner of Teneraze along with the rider, said, “I have followed Tom for a long time and he is, above all, a true horseman. When I decided to fulfill my dream of making it in Eventing I contacted him, visited his stables and observed his work methods. This man works in a really professional way but has still managed to keep his beautiful amateur spirit. He is also very competitive,” he explained, before adding, “And I will now leave you – because we have a lot to celebrate!”

Results:

Seven-Year-Old Championship: GOLD – Teneraze (Thomas Carlile) FRA 40.60; SILVER – Toledo de Kerser (Tom McEwen) GBR 43.70; BRONZE – Pamero (Laura Collett) GBR 46.20.

Six-Year-Old Championship: GOLD – Star Connection (Michael Jung) GER 42.70; SILVER – Dutch Man Retto (Christopher Burton) AUS 44.40; BRONZE – Cooley Extreme (Piggy French) GBR 47.10.

Full results here: http://www.mondialdulion.com/.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
Email: malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 133

Masterful Double by Frenchman Carlile at Mondial du Lion

Thomas Carlile from France, en route to victory in the Seven-Year-Old category at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2013. Photo: FEI/Arie de Vroet.

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 21 October 2013 – French rider, Thomas Carlile, made history yesterday when clinching both the 6- and 7-Year-Old titles at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses on home turf at Mondial du Lion.  This important annual fixture, which brings together many of the most talented and promising young horses in the sport, was abandoned 12 months ago due to severe flooding.  But that only served to ensure even greater enthusiasm this time around as horses, riders, breeders, owners and many spectators gathered once again at l’Isle Briand, Le Lion d’Angers for a spectacular four days of competition from 17 to 20 October.

Carlile’s success was nothing short of extraordinary, as the double had never been done before.  With the six-year-old stallion, Tanareze (Jaguar Mail SF x Uttopie du Maury ANAA) which was representing the French Anglo-Arab Studbook, he established the lead in the Dressage arena and never faltered.  And partnering the seven-year-old Selle Francais gelding Sirocco du Gers (Dorsay SF x Vieusinge du Maury ANAA), he moved up from second to first on cross-country day and again didn’t flinch on the final afternoon.

Making his achievement all the more special was the fact that the 26-year-old rider has made a great comeback after a heavy fall while training last May which left him with head and facial injuries. “I could not ask for more than to win both championships!” Carlile said yesterday. “The crowd carried us, and it feels so good!”

Six-Year-Olds

Judges Sue Baxter (GBR), Mercedes Campdera Alatorre (Mex), Eric Lieby (FRA) and Jean-Loup Caplain (FRA) gave Carlile and Tenareze the best Dressage score in the Six-Year-Old category, and the pair would add nothing to their mark of 40.40.  New Zealand’s Jonelle Richards and Cloud Dancer lay second after the first phase having posted 41.30, while The Netherlands’ Larissa Hartkamp and Kain slotted into third on 41.50.

Pierre Michelet’s cross-country track proved influential, with 25 of the 43 starters collecting penalties along the way.  There were eight eliminations, and seven other riders opted to retire, but both Carlile and Richards held their ground with super clears.  Hartkamp and Kain however dropped out of the reckoning with a stop at the first element of fence 19, a narrow brush obstacle, and it was the formidable Michael Jung, and the mare Ricona FST, who moved into third spot in their absence. Jung’s rise to prominence would be short-lived however, as the man who made history on his 30th birthday in July 2012 when becoming the first rider ever to hold the European, World and Olympic championship titles at the same time, was one of three to withdraw his horse before yesterday’s final Jumping test.  So Britain’s Ian Wills and Hartpury Sky is the Limit were lying third as the Jumping action got underway.

And it would bring dramatic change to the scoreboard as only 6 of the 25 starters managed to leave all of the coloured poles in place.  Richards lost her grip on silver when leaving two on the floor while Wills collected a nightmare 29 faults to plummet down the order.  It was Kiwi legend, Andrew Nicholson, who therefore shot up from overnight sixth to clinch silver when clear with the Spanish-bred Jet Set (Nordico HOLST x Carina CDE), while Poland’s Pawel Spisak did likewise, improving from seventh to take the bronze with the Polish-bred Banderas (Moravia WESTF x Babilonia per Jape).

Cool as a Breeze

Carlile stayed cool as a breeze to jump clear for gold.

“Tanareze is a world champion!” said the delighted Frenchman afterwards. “He has matured a lot this week and it allowed me to beat the world’s best! He behaved like a real gentleman. He has made his return to the international scene and he is not ready to leave. I think he has everything to allow me to have a ticket to Rio (2016 Olympic Games)!” the delighted rider added.

“Tanareze is the first horse that I personally bought,” Carlile explained. “He arrived in my stables at the end of his two-year-old year and since the beginning he showed all the qualities required for eventing: beautiful gaits, steady on his feet, a good jumper and a really serious mentality. He is really serene,” the winning rider said.

Silver medallist Nicholson explained that Jet Set was bought last year on the advice of New Zealand Jumping coach, Luis Alvarez Cervera. Nicholson had seen the horse three years ago but considered him “too expensive”.  He explained, “Luis reminded me about him again, and he is one of the best six-year-olds I’ve had until now. This is a real horse for the future. On the cross he had more experience than the others because he’s done a bit this year, but he was a little worried by the crowd in the stands. He’s responsive to commands though, and when it comes to work he focuses.” The New Zealand rider added that he also has his sights set on the Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro with this horse, and that Jet Set is already improving far more quickly than he expected.

Bronze medallist Pawel Spisak said, “Banderas is a Polish horse that I started early in the season. He has little experience, but he has learned a lot throughout the year. He has a lot of potential.  On the cross I didn’t know what to expect because here it is unusual because of the public and the originality of the obstacles. From the first three jumps he was fantastic.  Banderas has a lot of heart and, even if he’s tired, he gives everything he has,” the Polish rider pointed out.

Seven-Year-Olds

Carlile’s road to gold in the Seven-Year-Old division was just as impressive.  His Dressage mark of 38.10 with Sirocco du Gers was good enough for second place behind French compatriot Mathieu Lemoine riding the Dutch-bred Bart L (United KWPN x Parisma KWPN) who carried the leading score of 37.80.  Third spot in the first phase went to British star William Fox-Pitt and Henton for Fun.

Ireland’s Aoife Clarke and the Irish Sport Horse Fernhill Adventure (Newmarket Venture HANN x Cloverwood ISH) were lying just outside the medal placings going into cross-country day, and when Fox-Pitt and Henton for Fun had two refusals the talented Irishwoman, who finished individually seventh at the London 2012 Olympic Games, moved up to bronze medal spot going into the final afternoon.  Carlile and Lemoine were also foot-perfect, but 21 of the 56 cross-country starters finished with penalties.  And, once again, the Jumping phase would take its toll.

From a last-day startlist of 42, only three horse-and-rider partnerships managed to keep a clean sheet in the Jumping arena.  Clarke lowered the first element of the penultimate triple combination when third-last to jump and when Carlile followed that with a clear then he really piled the pressure on Lemoine.  Just 0.30 penalty points separated the two French riders, and when Lemoine hit the same element of the triple combination as Clarke, and then followed that by leaving the last also on the floor, he dropped to bronze while Clarke rose to silver and Carlile was assured of the top step of the medal podium.

So Happy

“I’m so happy with Sirocco,” said the new gold medallist. “He has the mentality of a winner, so sometimes he can get hot when he wants to do too much of a good job. But here, he was perfect and I’m delighted!” said Carlile.

Silver medallist Clarke said, “My head is in the stars with this horse (Fernhill Adventure)! We had a rail down but I’m very happy with the way he jumped today.  He has it all, and our goal now is the European Championships at Blair Castle in 2015!”

Bronze medallist, Lemoine, blamed himself for his two fences down on the final afternoon. “He (Bart L) jumped very well today; he had perfectly recovered from the cross-country test. The two rails were my fault; when I came into the arena I knew I couldn’t afford to make mistakes, but nothing can take anything away from the qualities of Bart!”

The success of Mondial du Lion 2013 was also evident in the attendance, with more than 40,000 spectators visiting Isle Briand over the four days of competition.  And they loved their double-champion, Carlile, who really appreciated their support over a career-defining weekend he is unlikely ever to forget.

Results:

Seven-Year-Old Championship: GOLD – Sirocco du Gers (Thomas Carlile) FRA 38.10; SILVER – Fernhill Adventure (Aoife Clarke) IRL 45.10; BRONZE – Bart L (Mathieu Lemoine) FRA 45.80.

Six-Year-Old Championship: GOLD – Tenareze (Thomas Carlile) FRA 40.40; SILVER – Jet Set (Andrew Nicholson) NZL 46.00; BRONZE – Banderas (Pawel Spisak) POL 46.20.

Full results here: http://www.mondialdulion.com/2013/accueil-fr-1.html.

By Louise Parkes