GERMANY’s Anna Lena Schaarf put it up to her elders in the CCI2*-L for six-year-olds at last week’s FEI world breeding championships for young event horses at Le Lion d’Angers where she led throughout on her own Oldenburg mare, Lagona 4.

The 20-year-old was awarded a penalty score of 25.8 by the Ground Jury of Britain’s Nikki Herbert (C), Italy’s Nice Attolico Guglielmi (E) and France’s Xavier le Sauce (M) on Thursday morning. She thus relegated the early leader, France’s Thomas Carlile, into second with the Selle Français mare, Fair Lady des Broucks (26.5).

Germany’s Tokyo Olympics individual gold medallist, Julia Krajewski, was in third spot at the close of play with the Hanoverian gelding Chintonic 3 (27.9) but she was pushed down a place on Friday by French rider Nicolas Touzaint who scored 26.8 with the SF gelding Fibonacci de Lessac HDC.

Two Irish Sport Horse geldings were lying joint-fifth at this stage on 28 penalties, the S Creevagh Ferro bay Dourough Ferro Class Act, ridden by Sarah Ennis for her husband Niki Potterton and Wendy Harris, and SBH Big Wall, an Izzy Taylor-partnered Puissance grey who was sourced through show jumper Barry Griffin.

The two-star cross-country track at these championships is never too challenging and just three horses failed to complete. The Seamus Carew-owned and bred ISH gelding Altitu, who only passed the first horse inspection on his second appearance before the ground jury, picked up 11 penalties under Wexford’s Patrick Whelan when triggering the pin at the rails at the first water (nine). They also incurred eight time penalties.

It was surprising to see south Co Dublin’s Ian Cassells pick up 4.4 time penalties with Fiona and Gerry Leahy’s ISH gelding Rosconnell Alto for a two-phase total of 35.1.

Sunday’s show jumping phase took its toll on the field. In the latter stages, there were single fences down for Dourough Ferro Class Act, SBH Big Wall and Chintonic 3 which saw them finish seventh (32.4), sixth (32) and fifth (31.9) respectively.

Lying third overnight, Nicolas Touzaint revved up the partisan crowd when clear with Fibonacci de Lessac DHC (26.8) but fellow Frenchman Thomas Carlile dropped right down from second to 17th when lowering three fences with Fair Lady des Broucks. A superb clear clinched the gold medal for Schaaf and Lagona 4 (25.8), a bay mare by Lavagon out of Ile de Cartina, by Cartani 4.

Italy’s Rebecca Chiappero moved up from 14th after dressage to claim the bronze on the ISH bay Bonmahon Chelsea (31.7), a Chellsini Z stallion bred in Co Waterford by Richard Fitzgerald out of a Ramiro B mare.

“It was disappointing, especially for Sarah, that she had that rail down show jumping as she would have been in line for a medal, while the time penalties in both jumping phases pushed Ian down the order,” commented Murray. “Amazingly, although none of the first three horses who show jumped made the time, they actually shortened it which put a lot of pressure on people.”

See pages 98-99 and 113 for more news from Le Lion d’Angers.