MEATH’s Elizabeth Power and Caroline Bjoerk’s home-bred Omar gelding DSL The Entertainer are the highest-placed Irish combination following the dressage phase of the World Breeding Eventing Championships for young horses at Le Lion d’Angers. One mistake at the end of their test was harshly marked by the ground jury but, on a score of 41 penalties, the pair are in joint third place in the CCI1* class for six-year-olds along with Britain’s Sarah Bullimore and Corouet. Riding the Hannoverian gelding Monkeying Around, Britain’s in-form Izzy Taylor is in first place (37.6) going into today’s cross-country phase ahead of Australia’s Paul Tapner on Bob Chaplin (38.1) who is out of the Irish Sport Horse mare Maypool Silver Seal.

Jonty Evans was lying 10th overnight with Helen Caton’s Luidam gelding John The Bull (45.6) while Sarah Ennis was in 15th spot with husband Niki Potterton’s Canturo gelding Cooley Cosmopolitan Diamond (46.8). While all three Irish riders in the CCI1* class did their dressage tests on Friday, the six who travelled to France for the CCI2* for seven-year-olds were evenly divided over both afternoon sessions with Brian Morrison being the best-placed in 30th spot. The Cork rider achieved a penalty score of 52.1 on Global Event Horses’ Shanaclough Contadora, a Contador mare registered with the Anglo European Studbook.

The lead is held by New Zealand’s James Avery on the Holstein gelding Vitali (42), who was fourth in the CCIYH1* class at Tattersalls earlier this year, with Jean Lou Bigot of France in second place with the Selle Français gelding Aktion de Belheme (44) on whom he was fifth here last October. Germany’s Stephanie Böhe is lying third on the Hannovarian mare Classic Royetta (44.2).

Team chef d’quipe Janet Murray said that the CCI1* cross-country track walked as if quite straightforward but with one of the biggest tests coming up early at fences five and six. “A couple of the one-star fences from last year are now on the two-star track where there are a few questions namely at the corner out of the water while, late-on, the line after the house usually causes problems. The forecast for tomorrow is for it to be windy and wet but, hopefully, the bad weather won’t materialise.”