THE final tally in 2026 for the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook was one medal apiece after this year’s WBFSH young horse championships took place at Lanaken and now Le Lion d’Angers.
The Gareth Cassidy-bred GLC Mr President (Conthargos - Mullentine Good Friday by Untouchable 27) won silver at last month’s FEI WBFSH show jumping young horse championship in Lanaken.
Now, the Miguel Bravo-bred Monbeg Kobe has maintained the ISH medal strike rate at the WBFSH equivalent for young event horses at Le Lion d’Angers with his bronze medal result in the six-year-old championship.
Previous runners from the French-hosted ‘young event horse Olympics’ have gone on to deliver medals and five-star wins. La Biosthetique Sam FBW and Lordships Graffalo, two horses that vie for eventing’s Greatest of All Time title, are Le Lion d’Angers’ most successful graduates. Others that went to the Olympics and medal success include Chipmunk FRH, Opgun Louvo, Toledo de Kerser and Vassily de Lassos.
Last year, Irish Sport Horses posted a particularly strong result at the French fixture. The Donal Callery-bred Brookfield Danny de Muze (I’m Special de Muze (BWP) - Gortglas Sparrow (ISH) (TIH), by Ashfield Bobby Sparrow (CP)), ridden by Tom McEwen (GB), bridged a gold-medal gap dating back to 2007.
Cast Away II (Clover Brigade - Sailing In Rain NC, by Cruising. Breeder: Noel Cawley) also won the seven-year-old title that vintage year, nudging a certain La Biosthetique Sam FBW into silver medal place.
Brookfield Danny de Muze has since won the Blenheim eight/nine-year-old class this summer, another future five-star great’s springboard. Last month’s Burghley winner Chilli Knight was third in this Blenheim class in 2019; London 52 won in 2018, Bay My Hero (ISH) was second to Quimbo in 2012, two years before the Irish-bred and William Fox-Pitt (GB) won the Rolex Kentucky CCI5*-L.
ISH numbers
Two other Le Lion medals were won last year by Irish Sport Horses. The Eugene McEntee-bred Rutland Flamenco (Casallco - Red Flamenco, by Je T’Aime Flamenco) was the six-year-old silver medallist, one place ahead of Tykillen Tango (Tyson - Lisdara Impish Lady, by Master Imp), bred by Ciara Kinsella.
How many Le Lion top-10 places by Irish Sport Horses this year? Four, so one more than in 2026.
Rutland Flamenco returned to record another top-10 place, finishing ninth this year with Ian Cassells. This Casallco mare was one of four Irish Sport Horses in this year’s seven-year-old championship top 10, with the highest-placed being Earl Dorado (Diarado (HOLST) - The Kings Lady (ISH)[TIH], by Kings Master (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Jim Tempany).
Earl Dorado finished sixth, one place ahead of Tysons Upto Trix (Tyson (KWPN) - Castleforbes Trixie (HOLST), by Corrado I (HOLST). Breeder: Sarah Long). Rounding out the top 10, was 10th-placed Qualitys Snap (Lagans OBOS Quality (ISH) - Dunsoghlys Snap. Breeder: Maura Kelly).
Aside from the ninth-placed Irish pair (Cassells and Rutland Flamenco), the other three top-10 ISHs in the seven-year-old championship were all ridden by British competitors: Max Warburton (Earl Dorado), Lizzie Baugh (Tysons Upto Trix) and Emma Hobday (Qualitys Snap), maintaining the ISH presence in a competitive market.
Caroline Powell with WLS Ravenscourt (ISH) finished fourth in the six-year-olds at theFEI WBFSH eventing world breeding championship for Young Horses, Le Lion d’Angers \ Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times
Fulfil the promise
Burghley was the ideal party venue for the Ballaghmor Class retirement ceremony. Bred by Noel Hickey, the Courage II 19-year-old divided his four five-star wins between two continents, winning Burghley twice (2017, 2023) and Kentucky (2021) and Maryland International (2024) stateside, all with Oliver Townend. Irish-breds accounted for most of the Yorkshire man’s five-star wins.
The five-star machine’s well-earned retirement raises an interesting debate: Is there an Irish Sport Horse, currently competing, that can win a 5* event or major 5* Grand Prix?
James Kann Cruz proved his case this summer with his Falsterbo Grand Prix win, which helped the Kannan grey finish second in the just-released WBFSH final rankings. Ballaghmor Class’ well-earned retirement leaves a gap for other Irish Sport Horses and Le Lion d’Angers graduates, to step up and fill.
Tim Price returns to Pau CCI5*-L shortly with his defending champion Jarillo (no WBFSH young event horse championship appearance for this 12-year-old, however, the Dutch-bred did place third in that Blenheim eight/nine-year-old ‘marker class’ to Cooley Rosalent).
Sandhill Briar, the winner of the eventing world’s opening five-star event at Adelaide, did not compete at the WBFSH young eventing horse championships on the other side of the world. Nor did the 2026 Luhmühlen winner D.Day (AES).
Both of this year’s Badminton and Burghley winners - Lordships Graffalo and Chilli Knight - have Le Lion form. Lordships Graffalo placed eighth in the Le Lion seven-year-old final in 2019, two years after Chilli Knight finished seventh in the same age category.
As always with the WBFSH young horse championships, it’s interesting to see just how many finalists fulfil that early promise and go on to five-star level.
Overall, Irish Sport Horses had a good strike rate in France last weekend, with Monbeg Kobe on the Le Lion d’Angers podium. As an extra bonus, some eventing household names of the future may have been seen among this year’s finalists.
52 - on the 2026 seven-year-old championship start list.
45 - six-year-olds lined out for the six-year-old championship.
11 - Irish Sport Horses competed in the Le Lion six-year-olds: Monbeg Kobe (third), WLS Ravenscourt (fourth), Barrington Candy Eid (fifth), Greannanstown Sarahs Lady (eighth), Kilcannon Candy Guy (12th), BT Just Special (14th), Belline Kilbunny Virtue (20th), Ballyrath Sligo (30th), Grantstown Grand Gesture (31st), Lady Sky M (37th) and Belline Baron Barbados (39th).
9 - Irish Sport Horses lined out in the seven-year-old championship: Earl Dorado (sixth), Tysons Upto Trix (seventh), Rutland Flamenco (ninth), Qualitys Snap (10th), Tykillen Tango (19th), HHE Fernhill McCoy (25th), Monbeg Condor (27th), Millstreet Kanby (42nd) and I Can’t Get Enough (withdrawn after the second horse inspection).
5th - Tara Van Het Leliehof becomes the fifth Le Lion champion to win back-to-back titles. The other dual medallists are Galan de Sauvagère (2000, 2001), Ténarèze (2013, 2014), Lagona OLD (2021, 2022) and, most recently, Golden de Beliard (2022, 2023).
4 x 4 - the matching number of Irish Sport Horses in both the six and seven-year-old top-10 results last weekend.
3 - offspring apiece amongst this year’s finishers for Sligo Candy Boy and Tyson.
2 - Selle Français medallists on this year’s podium.
1 - ISH medal won: Monbeg Kobe.
2026 FEI wbfsh Young Horse Eventing Championship results
Six-year-old championship
Gold - ACSI Daisy Dynamite 3 (WESTF). Diacontinus (HANN) - Camilla 123 (WESTF) by Casall ASK (HOLST). Breeder: Rolf Wilcken. Rider: Ann-Caitrin Bierlein (GER).
Silver - Kosmic d’Elbe (SF). Contendro (HOLST) - Skalie de Lojou (SF) by Caletto III. Breeder: Georges Dufossez. Rider: Robin Godel (FRA).
Bronze - Monbeg Kobe (ISH). HHS Cornet (ISH) - HHS Black Beauty (HOLST) by Clintord I (HOLST). Breeder: Miguel Bravo. Rider: Kevin McNab (AUS).
Seven-year-old championship
Gold - Tara Van Het Leliehof (BWP). Pegase van’t Ruytershof (BWP) - Bonita van het Leliehof ’09 (BWP) by Major de la Cour (SF). Breeder: Stal Het Leliehof. Rider: Lara de Liderkerke-Meier (BEL).
Silver - Bueno (AES). Dante’s Junior (HANN) - Florina (KWPN) by Alicante HBC (HOLST). Breeder: Tony Ross. Rider: Hector Payne (GB).
Bronze - Jeroboam Wal (SF). Vleut (KWPN) - Urea (SF) by Flyer (KWPN). Breeder: SCEA Elevage de la Grande Renaudiere. Rider: Alexis Goury (FRA).