THIRTEEN Irish Sport Horses have qualified for the grand finals at the 2017 World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken, Belgium.
Competition began at the venue on Thursday and the finals of the five, six and seven-year-old classes will take place on Sunday where the world champions will be crowned.
Some 30 Irish horses started out over the three age categories this week. Six of the 10 Irish Sport Horses in the six-year-old division have made it through to the final, with Mikey Pender leading the way after winning Friday’s second qualifier with MHS High Hopes, a full brother to Greg Broderick’s Rio Olympic horse MHS Going Global.
Also qualified are Jessica Burke (Castlelawn Captain Junior), Darragh Ryan (Boleybawn Actor and Lackamore Storm), Ger O’Neill (Columbcille Gipsy), Jenny Rankin (Sea Topblue) and Mikey Pender (HHS Fortune and MHS High Hopes).
Three seven-year-olds will compete in Sunday’s final, including last year’s six-year-old world champion Killossery Kaiden, ridden by new American owner Adrienne Dixon, who finished sixth in Friday’s second qualifier. Also through is Jenny Rankin with MHS Attraction and Pender with another Marion Hughes-bred, HHS Washington.
Kilkenny’s Ger O’Neill was unlucky to miss out on a spot with Castlefield Vegas after placing second in Thursday’s qualifier, before picking up 14 faults on Friday. Young rider Susan Fitzpatrick has qualified for the final with the Je T’Aime Flamenco-sired KWPN gelding Fellow Castlefield.
Following a very promising start in the five-year-old division on Thursday, where all 11 Irish horses were clear, just three managed to produce a second clear on Friday to qualify. They are Vincent Byrne with Pearls Princess Gervantus, Pender and HHS Forty Roses and Sophie Richards with Moonahaw DVZ Diamond.
The consolation finals take place tomorrow (Saturday).
QUALIFIED FIVE-YEAR-OLDS
Pearls Princess Gervantus/ Vincent Byrne
HHS Forty Roses/ Mikey Pender
Moonahaw DVZ Diamond/ Sophie Richards
QUALIFIED SIX-YEAR-OLDS
Castlelawn Captain Junior/ Jessica Burke
Boleybawn Actor/ Darragh Ryan
Lackamore Storm/ Darragh Ryan
Columbcille Gipsy/ Ger O’Neill
Sea Topblue/ Jenny Rankin
HHS Fortune/ Mikey Pender
MHS High Hopes/ Mikey Pender
QUALIFIED SEVEN-YEAR-OLDS
Killossery Kaiden/ Adrienne Dixon (USA)
HHS Washington/ Mikey Pender
MHS Attraction/ Jenny Rankin
Fellow Castlefield (KWPN)/ Susan Fitzpatrick